Help: Pharmacist --> MD

[spoudaios]

Hi everyone,

 

This is a long one and i need some advice...

 

I am 29, male pharmacist in Victoria BC and thinking about going to med school. Sometimes i am back and forth between clinical PharmD or doing med school. Part of me says do it all the way but part of me says it will be too tough and pharmD will be sufficient. Part says i will be VERY old when i finish. Just bought condo last year and a new car couple years ago. Now, with this new goal, i felt like it's going to be tough. But then, if i am just a pharmacist, i won't be going anywhere. Not enough challenge. Not enough patient care.

 

I've been as pharmacist for 5 years now. From first up to third year was fine because i was learning a lot. Now, it's almost as if i am bored to death with day-to-day retail activity. I was an international student. I came to Canada in 1996. Then went to pharmacy school at University of BC in Vancouver.

 

I work average 6 days a week now (2 places). Plus i have started studying MCAT for about 6 months now. IT's kinda up and down because i don't have a lot of free time to do it. Maybe one to 2 hours a day. Sometimes none at all depending on how the day at work goes. I heard volunteer is important when applying for med school. Because of my international student background while in pharmacy, i never thought of doing volunteer. I have none basically. I never thought the importance of it. I just applied for Big brother/big sister last month and thinking about doing hospital volunteer as well. Once a week on each one. The only thing i've done while in pharmacy was my involvement in music ministry in church for 6 years. Not sure if that will count or not.

 

I am planning to write MCAT next year in June or July. Thinking about taking Kaplan course in Jan 2008 till April 2008. I think it will be a review for me because i am studying bit by bit right now... I am reading Gold standard review and examcracker plus university textbooks. Especially physics since I haven't done it since 1st year university.

 

I have few questions...

 

1>. How important is it to apply to A LOT to medical schools? I am planning to apply to UBC (after my MCAT next year of course)...

When they ask me during interview, why choose UBC? What would you say? What about the other schools you apply to? same answer?

 

2>. Regarding doctor's lifestyle... I live healthy lifestyle. Workout regularly. Healthy diet/ Now, i am very concerned about the on-call responsibilities of doctors. Are doctors supposed to be on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? How do they handle this?

 

3>. I have a doctor that works in the medical building where i work. He has a daughter that he will send to Ireland to study med school. Is it okay to apply to overseas med school? Will you be able to work in Canada?

 

4>. For those of you who's applying... if you've already got a house, i guess you will sell your house? I felt so bad selling mine because i put a lot of upgrading into it.

 

5>. How do you study for ethical questions type during interview?

 

6>. What kind of reading material can i do to prepare for my Verbal reasoning MCAT? I am planning to read an article per day. My friend recommends me "THE ECONOMIST". What else? I hope it's online and free...

 

7>. What about writing? I haven't written since i became a pharmacist. How do i practice this? Do you have someone mark your essay? How much do you have to pay for this kind of service?

 

8>. I am just scared because of lack of volunteer activities, i will never get into med school... They will probably look at my application and ask why i did not start volunteering earlier.

 

9>. I find it tough with my social life now. Barely got any. 2 jobs. Studying. Will be volunteering soon. Is this going to be bad?

 

10>. For the interview, i heard they ALWAYS ask what kind of book have you read lately? I don't read books that much... What am i supposed to say?

 

Thanks to all

YW

[Satsuma]

I heard volunteer is important when applying for med school. Because of my international student background while in pharmacy, i never thought of doing volunteer. I have none basically. I never thought the importance of it. I just applied for Big brother/big sister last month and thinking about doing hospital volunteer as well. Once a week on each one. The only thing i've done while in pharmacy was my involvement in music ministry in church for 6 years. Not sure if that will count or not.

 

I have few questions...

 

1>. How important is it to apply to A LOT to medical schools? I am planning to apply to UBC (after my MCAT next year of course)...

When they ask me during interview, why choose UBC? What would you say? What about the other schools you apply to? same answer?

 

2>. Regarding doctor's lifestyle... I live healthy lifestyle. Workout regularly. Healthy diet/ Now, i am very concerned about the on-call responsibilities of doctors. Are doctors supposed to be on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? How do they handle this?

 

3>. I have a doctor that works in the medical building where i work. He has a daughter that he will send to Ireland to study med school. Is it okay to apply to overseas med school? Will you be able to work in Canada?

 

4>. For those of you who's applying... if you've already got a house, i guess you will sell your house? I felt so bad selling mine because i put a lot of upgrading into it.

 

5>. How do you study for ethical questions type during interview?

 

6>. What kind of reading material can i do to prepare for my Verbal reasoning MCAT? I am planning to read an article per day. My friend recommends me "THE ECONOMIST". What else? I hope it's online and free...

 

7>. What about writing? I haven't written since i became a pharmacist. How do i practice this? Do you have someone mark your essay? How much do you have to pay for this kind of service?

 

8>. I am just scared because of lack of volunteer activities, i will never get into med school... They will probably look at my application and ask why i did not start volunteering earlier.

 

9>. I find it tough with my social life now. Barely got any. 2 jobs. Studying. Will be volunteering soon. Is this going to be bad?

 

10>. For the interview, i heard they ALWAYS ask what kind of book have you read lately? I don't read books that much... What am i supposed to say?

 

Thanks to all

YW

 

 

Hi YW,

 

I can`t answer all of your questions...but will answer what I can

 

First...there are a couple of people in my class approaching 40 so don`t worry about being too old. Are you ever really too old to be happy? (since you described you weren`t happy in your current role)

 

About volunteering...it can help show various things such as, Community involvement - but your can already show this with your music involvement with your church, and of course that would count!, Ability to interact/tolerate/deal with various types of people - but you already can demonstrate this through your role as pharmacist and Knowledge of hospitals/work of a physician (if the volunteer work was done in a hospital or with a physician) - but again, you can demonstrate this knowledge through your work and training as a pharmacist...even if you work in a community type pharmacy, you must have had to work in a hospital during your training? and been to patient rounds etc. as part of a health care team?

So if you want to volunteer by all means go for it, but you do already have alot of things going for you.

 

Whether you apply to alot or a few med schools depends on lots of things...your willingness to move, your stats, how much you really want in etc. For example, when I applied I had no desire to write the MCAT and so that cut out alot of schools right there but I accepted the fact that my chances of getting in were alot lower.

 

Doctors are not expected to be on call 24/7. In residency call can be 1/4 or less depending on the rotation. How much call you do as staff depends on the specialty you chose and the setting in which you work.

 

If you do your med school overseas it is a bit harder to come back to do residency...but I don`t have many details for you. I am not sure if looking at the carms site could help you there (carms.ca)

 

You don`t need to sell your house (unless you have to move for med school). governement student loans don`t require you to sell your primary residence and it isn`t counted against you...and you will still get an LOC from the bank to cover your expenses.

 

As for book reading...until this summer I never read books either. They didn`t ask me about what books I've read in my interview. If they did ask I would have just been honest and said that I don`t enjoy reading books and then said what I prefer to do in my free time.

 

Hope that helps. Try not to stress so much about the volunteer work. You have more life experience than the average applicant out of undergrad, so you have other things to pull experiences from.

 

Good luck

[ploughboy]

1>. How important is it to apply to A LOT to medical schools? I am planning to apply to UBC (after my MCAT next year of course)...

 

The more schools you apply to, the more chances you have of getting in (assuming you're competitive). It can be a numbers game. But there's no point in throwing away time and money needlessly. Figure out what the requirements are for the schools you'd be willing to attend, figure out if you meet those requirements and decide how many schools you want to apply to based on that.

 

 

 

When they ask me during interview, why choose UBC? What would you say? What about the other schools you apply to? same answer?

 

 

I'm not you, so I can't answer this. Why *are* you applying to UBC? 'Cuz you're a BC resident? 'Cuz there's an aspect of the program you like?

 

 

 

5>. How do you study for ethical questions type during interview?

 

 

_Doing Right_ by Herbert (about $20 at Chapters) and/or the CMAJ ethics series (free)

 

 

10>. For the interview, i heard they ALWAYS ask what kind of book have you read lately? I don't read books that much... What am i supposed to say?

 

Err..if it concerns you that much, then read a book before your interview!

 

But focus on getting the interview first before you stress about stuff like that.

 

Good luck!

[PopRocks]

Hi Spoudaios!

 

Wow, I am really impressed that you are willing to be a doctor working with 2 jobs in the pharmaceutical industry! Becoming a doctor requires you to lay back and look at what needs to be accomplished - don't stress yourself out.

 

Age doesn't seem to matter when it comes to being passionate about being a doctor. My family doctor just graduated and he is 40 plus. I know you don't like the sound of that but it goes to show that it is never too late!

 

I can answer some but not all your questions - I just wanted to help you out.

 

1.) It is not a big issue depending on how many schools you apply to but rather by your status as an IP (In-Province applicant) or OOP (Out of Province applicant).

 

If you are a resident of B.C. then you'll have the advantage of being an IP applicant at the University of B.C. Medical School. You will be favored among the Admissions Committee as opposed to someone in Ontario (i.e. me) only if you have a strong/ good GPA in your Undergrad years. Also, some schools in Canada don't care regardless of IP or OOP applicants (i.e McMaster).

 

Here are the stats of the Accepted/ Wait-listed Applicants at U.B.C. (MCAT Scores and GPA)

 

http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1275

 

However, to increase your chances, you should also look into U.S. Schools and overseas (i.e Ireland, the Caribbean, etc.). I know that if you graduate elsewhere besides Canada, you'll find it hard to get a spot in residency such as ER/Ortho/Surgery/Pediatrics, but a little easier to be a Family Physician because they are needed anywhere you go! However, the specialty you choose depends on what you want to do, but you don't need to worry about that for now.

 

Again, relax!

 

2.) Doctors are on call 25/7 a day! (lol, just kiddin'!) Again, this depends on the type of specialty that you get into and that Family Physicians may be working at their own typical schedule, while ER doctors WILL be on call.

 

3.) It is fine to go to overseas but for a specific specialty, you will find it harder to get into some residency spots. As for becoming a family practitioner, I suggest - that only and only if you cannot get in Canada - look into Medical Schools overseas.

 

4.) I'll buy your house for five dollars. I mean seriously, you need the cash. lol

 

Just kiddin! You can get some government loans, and while I bet you have good credit you'll be approved for it. (I don't know much about this because I'll be taking O.S.A.P.).

 

5.) Look at Ploughboy's answer to this.

 

6.) Read anything I guess. I find reading Curious George to be the easiest. Or perhaps you can read the Cat in the Hat.

 

7.) --

 

8.) You already have some volunteering and that because you've been a pharmacist for 5 years, I think they wouldn't question you about volunteer work.

 

9.) I recommend you don't volunteer, just be steady with your 2 jobs and study whenever possible.

 

10.) Refer to 6.) lol.

 

 

Best of Luck!

[Satsuma]

Family Physicians may be working at their own typical schedule, while ER doctors WILL be on call.

 

Family physicians may or may not take call, it all depends on the setting you work out of...hospital, clinic, rural etc. This is a really flexible specialty and you can often tailor your practice to your lifestyle needs.

 

For emerg, this (in my view) is one of the pros of the specialty....they don`t actually have call. But they work on shifts. So you would sometimes work nights, but at the end of it you go home, hand-off to the next doc and nobody is going to page you.

 

There are so many opportunities in medicine that you are likely to find a specialization that interests you and suits your lifestyle. So worry first about getting in and then worry later about specialization

[PopRocks]

Apologies for the incorrect information I gave you about Family Physicians/ER doctors - Satsuma is right ^^.

[spoudaios]

Wow everyone!!!

 

Thank you very much for all the responses. I am thrilled. I think i am determined to go this route. I did not regret one bit going this road as a pharmacist. My background was an international student coming here. Struggling to adapt. Language was not good. 10 years later, i am a permanent resident. I want more challenge for myself. I never imagine that i will want to be a doctor. I am very dedicated. I believe i can do this.

 

I think i will have more questions...

 

1>. On my transcript after i graduated from pharmacy at UBC... they listed all the courses that got transferred from 2 colleges i went. It did not have the grades or anything... How am i supposed to calculate what GPA i have so far?

 

2>. QUESTION FOR SATSUMA: did you actually get in med school without MCAT? One of the ophtalmologist i worked with told me that i should apply to McMaster because they don't require MCAT. I was shocked. I never knew that some schools don't require MCAT.

 

3>. Is it true that it's best to take just once on MCAT? I don't want to try now because i am not 100% ready. I heard if you take too many, it will hurt your chances?

 

4>. FOR SATSUMA: Yes, i did one month internship in hospital as a pharmacy student, doing rounds etc... but that was it. I don't think it's good enough though.

 

5>. I am really scared about reading books as not one of my hobbies. Do you think it will hurt my chances to be accepted? I can force myself to read but i don't think i will enjoy it. Depends on what it is but since becoming a pharmacist, it's health stuff i've been reading most of times and the news and all that.

 

6>. FOR PLOUGH BOY: When you apply to so many different schools, they will ask you why you choose this university? If it's UBC, i know it's easy. I will say, well i live in BC. I wish to practice in BC once i am done. Plus, i am an alumni and i know how great UBC and its facilities are.

But, what happen if it's in Ontario or somewhere else. Let's say, i apply to Mcmaster, they will ask me why apply to us... you're from BC and you live far away... should i say... i like the program... i think they have some PBL programs in 3 years or something like that. What do you think?

 

7>. FOR PLOUGH BOY: _Doing Right_ by Herbert (about $20 at Chapters) and/or the CMAJ ethics series (free)

 

These ethical stuff... The free ones called CMAJ ethics.... Where can i get those?

 

8>. FOR POPROCKS:

Thanks for making me relax a little. I just tried to do best as i can. I don't want to waste time as i know it's tough to get into the school. I am trying to do all this to give myself a good chance. One of the doctors i work with actually told me something very identical to one of my world tennis players... she said not to die wondering... i think i want to try as hard as i can to achieve what i have set as a goal. I don't really care how hard it is.

 

I think you're the first person that actually suggest me looking into overseas school as well... Definitely not Carribean for me because i heard they're looking for money and plus there's language barrier (i.e. Spanish).

If i can get to med school, i want to go straight to endocrinologist... Do you think it's very tough to get into?

 

It's too bad really that i have to sell my house. Well, it's tough if i rent it out because i still have to pay property taxes and all that. Plus i will be renting at a different place. I live in Victoria now and assuming i can get in med school somewhere else. I had the condo done and had a designer design the place and got featured in some magazines and newspaper. Well... then, this goal comes up in my mind after reflection on my 29th birthday that i want to be a doctor. I think it's better to use the money rather than taking loan... the interest is a killer.

 

Curious George? Cat in the hat? Are these names of the websites? Is the essay style similar to the one in MCAT?

 

 

9>. When you guys finish med school, then you choose which area you want to specialize... Everyone said it's very competitive... What is the competitiveness based on? Your grades? or what...?? What makes you more successful than the other candidates? Who will decide that you can become an endocrinologist?

 

Can someone explain the process...? After you finish 4 years of school, then you do residencies for 4 years, then you're an endocrinologist???

 

10>. I still need someone to chime in with the writing for the MCAT... How do i practice this? Do you have someone mark your essay? How much do you have to pay for this kind of service?

 

11>. The Economist is a good source for reading but it's too much world stuff... What about other websites that has philosophy and art topics that mimicks MCAT passages?

 

THANKS again everyone...

I was very pumped after reading all the advice.

Yee haww...

 

YW

[ploughboy]

Ok, a general point first: You're talking about making a major change in your life's direction. You'd be really well-served by doing some research now, rather than jumping into things. I know that asking questions here is part of that, and that's great, but you should also visit the websites of all the Canadian medical schools (there aren't that many of them), read the archives of posts here, do a bunch of googling etc. One thing that might help is to make a big spreadsheet of all the schools you're interested in and list out all their requirements etc.

 

 

 

3>. Is it true that it's best to take just once on MCAT? I don't want to try now because i am not 100% ready. I heard if you take too many, it will hurt your chances?

 

It depends on the school. I think that most Canadian schools will look only at your last MCAT score. I'm not sure about American schools, I think that some of them will take your last score, some of them will average all your scores, etc. It kinda comes back to my point above: do some research now to save yourself a lot of pain later.

 

 

5>. I am really scared about reading books as not one of my hobbies. Do you think it will hurt my chances to be accepted? I can force myself to read but i don't think i will enjoy it. Depends on what it is but since becoming a pharmacist, it's health stuff i've been reading most of times and the news and all that.

 

There are things that you need to worry about right now, and things that you need to worry about later in the process. I can see that this is really bothering you, and I can appreciate that it must be stressful for you, but of all the parts of applying to medical school, this is one of the least important. Relax! You will have a couple of months notice if/when you start getting interviews. Worry about what to read then.

 

6>. FOR PLOUGH BOY: When you apply to so many different schools, they will ask you why you choose this university? If it's UBC, i know it's easy. I will say, well i live in BC. I wish to practice in BC once i am done. Plus, i am an alumni and i know how great UBC and its facilities are.

But, what happen if it's in Ontario or somewhere else. Let's say, i apply to Mcmaster, they will ask me why apply to us... you're from BC and you live far away... should i say... i like the program... i think they have some PBL programs in 3 years or something like that. What do you think?

 

Schools realize that getting into medicine is competitive, and that most applicants apply to a lot of schools. As long as you can answer this question by demonstrating that you know something about the city/program then you're fine. So for instance Mac has PBL, UWO has a strong clerkship, Ottawa has hot french chicks, Toronto has a strong focus on research, etc. An answer that starts with "I am a BC resident, but after a lot of soul-searching I've discovered that I really want to be a Canadian physician. I applied to your school because..." should be fine

 

 

7>. FOR PLOUGH BOY: _Doing Right_ by Herbert (about $20 at Chapters) and/or the CMAJ ethics series (free)

 

These ethical stuff... The free ones called CMAJ ethics.... Where can i get those?

 

CMAJ = Canadian Medical Association Journal. It can be found at http://www.cmaj.ca and is a good read in general.

 

The series of articles I'm referring to can be found at http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/collection/bioethics_for_clinicians_series

 

There are 28 articles in the series. Start with #1 and have a look at them all, but you'll probably find that althought the details change, common themes keep popping up over and over again. Toward the end of the series they get into the ethical frameworks of various world religions, which you *don't* need to know for a meds interview.

 

The best approach to answering ethics questions in an interview is to outline one side of the ethical dilemma, outline the opposing side and then pick one and stick to it even if they start poking away at your answer. Very often in these questions the interviewers aren't as concerned with the details of your answer as they are with your ability to reason your way to a position and then defend it.

 

 

8>. he said not to die wondering... i think i want to try as hard as i can to achieve what i have set as a goal. I don't really care how hard it is.

 

Excellent advice! When I was thinking about meds, that's one thing that motivated me to jump through all the hoops it took to get in. If the admissions committees were going to reject me from medicine, fine. But I didn't want to eliminate myself without even trying, and then spend the rest of my life wondering if I could have actually done it. Good for you!

 

 

If i can get to med school, i want to go straight to endocrinologist... Do you think it's very tough to get into?

 

...

 

9>. When you guys finish med school, then you choose which area you want to specialize... Everyone said it's very competitive... What is the competitiveness based on? Your grades? or what...?? What makes you more successful than the other candidates? Who will decide that you can become an endocrinologist?

 

Can someone explain the process...? After you finish 4 years of school, then you do residencies for 4 years, then you're an endocrinologist???

 

Competitiveness is based on a lot of things: the remuneration of the specialty, the lifestyle, the prestige. Specialties go in and out of fashion as well.

 

As far as I know, endocrinology is a two-year fellowship after three years of an internal medicine residency after four years of medical school. So you get into medical school, spend part of the final two years of medical school doing clinical electives in internal medicine and endocrinology, interview with various schools, do most of a general internal medicine residency (probably focusing any elective time you have in endocrine), interview *again* at different schools for a fellowship position and then do your fellowship.

 

It's not a particularly competitive compared to other medicine fellowships. I'm thinking that the lifestyle is probably pretty good (endocrine disorders tend to manifest themselves on the order of weeks and months, not hours. No 3AM pages for the endocrine consultant!). There are enough residency spots in medicine that you're pretty likely to get into IM somewhere. The problem you, and everybody else faces will be getting into medical school.

 

Just out of curiousity, why endocrinology? My only exposure to endocrine outside of lecture was a half-day observership once, and I found I didn't do well dealing with the same patient type over and over again (obese, diabetic, on a whack of drugs). But that's just me. Curious to hear your story.

 

 

It's too bad really that i have to sell my house. Well, it's tough if i rent it out because i still have to pay property taxes and all that. Plus i will be renting at a different place. I live in Victoria now and assuming i can get in med school somewhere else. I had the condo done and had a designer design the place and got featured in some magazines and newspaper. Well... then, this goal comes up in my mind after reflection on my 29th birthday that i want to be a doctor. I think it's better to use the money rather than taking loan... the interest is a killer.

 

Again, worry about that later in the process. Sit down, look at the numbers and see if it's better to sell or borrow against the equity in your house (especially if you're planning to return to Victoria). But that decision can wait.

 

 

 

10>. I still need someone to chime in with the writing for the MCAT... How do i practice this? Do you have someone mark your essay? How much do you have to pay for this kind of service?

 

Ok, I'm not trying to be mean here, but this is something that you will have to spend a bit of time working on. Even before you mentioned it, it was obvious from your post that English isn't your first language. That probably doesn't have any bearing on your ability to be a physician, but it could affect your chances of getting into medical school in the first place -- specifically as it relates to the MCAT writing sample and the personal statements required by many medical schools. Those need to be polished.

 

It sucks to hear this, but it's better that you work on it now than run into a wall later. It's just little things that are tripping you up, so you might want to get in touch with UBC or a local college and and tell them "Look, I'd like a refresher in subject/verb agreement, definite articles, pluralizations, etc.".

 

As for the MCAT writing sample -- the AAMC publishes a list of past WS prompts. If you look at the list you'll see that there are common themes that pop up over and over again. If you get comfortable writing about those themes, you should do ok. I'm sure that there are people out there willing to read sample WS replies and personal statements.

 

Some schools don't require the MCAT (Mac, Ottawa, NOSM), but they tend to attract a lot of applicants for that very reason.

 

Good luck!!

[PopRocks]

 

8>. FOR POPROCKS:

Thanks for making me relax a little. I just tried to do best as i can. I don't want to waste time as i know it's tough to get into the school. I am trying to do all this to give myself a good chance. One of the doctors i work with actually told me something very identical to one of my world tennis players... she said not to die wondering... i think i want to try as hard as i can to achieve what i have set as a goal. I don't really care how hard it is.

 

I think you're the first person that actually suggest me looking into overseas school as well... Definitely not Carribean for me because i heard they're looking for money and plus there's language barrier (i.e. Spanish).

If i can get to med school, i want to go straight to endocrinologist... Do you think it's very tough to get into?

 

It's too bad really that i have to sell my house. Well, it's tough if i rent it out because i still have to pay property taxes and all that. Plus i will be renting at a different place. I live in Victoria now and assuming i can get in med school somewhere else. I had the condo done and had a designer design the place and got featured in some magazines and newspaper. Well... then, this goal comes up in my mind after reflection on my 29th birthday that i want to be a doctor. I think it's better to use the money rather than taking loan... the interest is a killer.

 

Curious George? Cat in the hat? Are these names of the websites? Is the essay style similar to the one in MCAT?

 

Hey Spoudaios,

 

I'm sorry about the book titles I mentioned because they are relatively easy kindergarten books which I can read. lol.

 

Anyways, for information on matching residencies in Canada, have you looked at this website yet: http://www.carms.ca

 

No. of residency spots by specialty: http://www.carms.ca/jsp/program.jsp?path=../jsp/../program_new/quota/qspec

 

No. of residency spots by MedSchool: http://www.carms.ca/jsp/program.jsp?path=../program_new/quota/quniversity

 

Note: The spots available were in 2007 (updated).

 

As you mentioned that you don't like reading books, have you ever read something you enjoy? Not just because of the difficulty, but by it's creativity and imagination. For example, a lot of people like reading Harry Potter because it interests them - it's a GOOD book that one can enjoy. I mean you don't necessarily have to read the Economist to be a "good reader."

 

So read whatever you like and that it is something you enjoy. No need to force yourself.

 

For the MCAT, however, you should look into Kaplan or Examkrackers which help out on:

 

VR (Verbal Reasoning)

PS (Physical Sciences)

BS (Biological Sciences)

 

and maybe (not sure) with the Written Section of the MCAT.

 

(Even if you don't do well the first time, you can always re-take it and that MedSchools in Canada don't care regardless of how many times you take it - as ploughboy mentioned - it is the last MCAT score they look at.)

 

Well, I have a headache, but best of luck and I will get back to you for more answers hopefully.

[Satsuma]

Hi there,

 

Yes I am actually in med school

For Ontario schools, MAC and Ottawa don't require the MCAT, not sure of other provinces as I never looked into them.

Both schools receive alot of applications due to the fact they don`t require the MCAT...so some might argue harder to get into. Writing the MCAT definitely increases your chances since then you can apply to more schools.

 

For endocrinology...it has already been pointed out that it is a subspecialty of internal medicine. Just wanted to add that there is also the pediatric route if you prefer pediatric endocrinology vs adult.

 

It is good to have an idea of what you would like to do...and if they ask in the interview it will show that you have at least explored medicine and it's different areas. But just worry about the first step...which is getting into medical school. You can worry about the details later.

 

Again, I really wouldn`t worry about reading books. Not enjoying reading isn't going to stop you from getting into medical school. Just tell them you prefer to play music or do a sport or whatever else you might prefer to do.

In the interview they are looking to see who you are, there are generally no right or wrong answers...so if you are someone who doesn`t read books, just say so. You could always force yourself to read a book after you get an interview invitation, if it is still really bothering you.

 

There are alot of things to consider when applying/going to med school. But like Ploughboy already mentionned, focus on things one step at a time. Right now just worry about getting your application together and writing the MCAT, after you get an interview invitation then worry about the interview, and after you get accepted then you can worry about the finances.

 

You seem pretty determined and you never know what will happen unless you try. So try and if things don`t work out the first time...try again.

 

Good luck

Sats