Back to Basics - 4th Year

[webshy]

What is involved with the "Back to Basics" in 4th year? I've been trying to compare the programs at Western and Dalhousie. Western has a longer transition including the "Back to Basics" program, while Dalhousie has additional weeks of clerkship/electives. However, other than the brief description on the website http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/education/ume/index.php?page=CurriculumOverview, I have not been able to find any additional information.

 

Thanks for your help.

Elaine

[Gob]

I'm not entirely sure (as I'm not there yet), but I believe you get the opportunity to take highly specialized courses i.e. forensic pathology. I think you also learn about how to run your practice, etc.

[blinknoodle]

The transition period starts in January of your fourth year. It is a time for you to pick what you would like to learn more about before you graduate from medicine, brush up for the MCCQE, etc. Unfortunately you have to go back to the classroom, but you don't necessarily have classes from 8:30-5:30 everyday and the courses are relatively stress-free. They are really encouraging you to learn for the sake of learning. Most classes base your passing mark on simply showing up to class, others may have a short quiz or an assignment. There is a wide variety of classes to choose from, but you have to pick a minimum of 240 hours (max 270 hours).

 

I don't know anything about Dalhousie's structure, but I have found Back to Basics to be a very refreshing change from clinical experiences. This is a protected time to grow as a physician (we have tons of spare time compared to when on the wards), it is a time you can see your classmates again on a regular basis, plus it is always nice to be rested before CaRMS interviews. Kudos to UWO for giving us a full 3 weeks off for interviews, because I know one medical school that only gives 1 week off (if you want the other weeks off, you must have planned it in advance and worked straight through your summer and/or winter vacations).

 

Here is the list of courses available this year (there was also a pilot course wrt medical education):

 

_____ Anatomy of the Body Cavities * .... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 17 .................................................... 35

_____ Anatomy of the Extremities * ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 17 .................................................... 35

_____ Anatomy of Head & Neck * .. ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 17 .................................................... 35

_____ Anatomy Seminar Series ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 17 .................................................... 10

_____ Biochemistry *. ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 19 .................................................... 20

_____ Cardiovascular & Respiratory Physiology.... ...... .......p. 38 .................................................... 16

_____ CLEO ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 20 .................................................... 20

_____ Clinical Neuroanatomy * ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 18 .................................................... 18

_____ Complementary Medicine *... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 21 .................................................... 15

_____ Developmental Anatomy * .... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 16 .................................................... 20

_____ Ecosystem Health 1* ..... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 23 .................................................... 16

_____ Ecosystem Health 1b* ...(Independent Study).... .......p. 23 ...................................................... 8

_____ Ecosystem Health 2 * .... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 23 .................................................... 16

_____ Emergency Medicine *... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 24 .................................................... 18

_____ Emergency Radiology.... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 24 .................................................... 18

_____ Epidemiology * ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 25 .................................................... 20

_____ Exploring Ethical Issues Through Film *...... ...... .......p. 26 .................................................... 12

_____ Forensic Medicine.. ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 34 .................................................... 24

_____ Gender & Health 1 *....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 28 .................................................... 15

_____ Gender & Health 2: Module Development *. ...... .......p. 29 .................................................... 30

_____ Global Health * ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 29 .................................................... 12

_____ Immunology *.. ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 31 .................................................... 12

_____ Medical Genetics *. ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 30 .................................................... 12

_____ Microbiology.... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 30 .................................................... 12

_____ Neurological Emergencies .... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 32 .................................................... 12

_____ Neurophysiology ... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 39 .................................................... 12

_____ Occupational Medicine * ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 32 .................................................... 12

_____ Pain & Its Management in the New Millenium *.. .......p. 33 .................................................... 12

_____ Paediatrics (for the Non-Pediatrician) * ....... ...... .......p. 36 .................................................... 12

_____ Pharmacology. ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 37 .................................................... 24

_____ Pregnancy & Neonatology Physiology * ..... ...... .......p. 39 .................................................... 18

_____ Primary Care Pathology * ..... ....... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 35 .................................................... 24

_____ Resuscitation Medicine * ..... ...... ...... ....... ...... .......p. 40 .................................................... 18

 

Note: the last column indicates how many hours the course is worth.