Why you should choose U of A meds!

[bones]

To find out more about what the issues were surrounding accreditation at the U of A, do a quick skim-through of the past year's threads (or, better yet, do a search).

 

From what I understand, the decision to put U of A on probation (which the school successfully fought) was based on several factors, one of which was the heavy emphasis on lectures. From what I was told, there has been some form of PBL at the U of A since the graduating class of '98 or so, so it's certainly nothing new at the school. There were other issues identified, including supervision of clerks on one of the services at one hospital and lack of sufficient hands-on and independent learning. I'm not up on the details, though.

 

These issues have been resolved or are in the process of being resolved. For example, we had an OSCE (an exam in the format of the MMI interview) where we were expected to perform aspects of the cardio-pulmonary physical exam, including taking vitals and inspecting the feet for signs of diabetes. For the first time in a while, we were "marked" on this.

 

And, speaking to the lack of independent time, there are now gaps in the schedule from week to week for us to use for shadowing, sleep, studying, etc. And, the online HOMER system allows us to access our notes and other online resources (including podcasts and webcasts) that we can enjoy in our independent study time.

[Wolvenstar]

Ah thanks, the person I heard it from was not quite clear on why they were on probation, so I figured I would ask about it.

[BrendanJ]

There's two things that you're sure to hear if you ask around the med school here that people say to address the issue:

 

1. The school was threatened with probation, not put on probation (and that decision was successfully appealed. The canadian accreditation body also had no problems with the school, but rather the american one. These are technicalities, but you'll hear them all the time.

 

2. Our students placed first in Canada on Medical Council licensing exams this year (and apparently we've consistent been in the top three for decades). Many people tout that as an "in your face" to the accreditors.

 

3. The U of A had PBL before this whole deal, the relative amount varied from block to block. The approach is now standardized with a specific amount of lectures and PBL each week. For comparison, we apparently have the same amount of PBL hours per week as calgary.

 

My view on the situation: I came to the U of A for it's strengths. It frustrates me to no end that, in a world of evidence based medicine, accrediting bodies do not use outcomes of any sort as a measure of education quality. I learn best through didactic teaching. It's the way I am. That being said, I love the balance of PBL and lecture now, but I'm still bothered by the fact that my medical training can be neutered based on whatever the current hot trend in medical education is.

 

You could debate about PBL forever, bottom line for me is this: a school has to offer all different modalities of learning, which the U of A certainly does now. I hear schools like McMaster are now scaling back the PBL for a more balanced approach as well.

[BrendanJ]

OH and the issue with clerkship was with one particular rotation at one of the cities hospitals (I won't say which one, but it was only the one). The issue wasn't with number of hours, but a chain of command issue and too much clerk responsibility. I think that issue was more of a legitimate concern. That's been addressed too.

[bones]

Bumped, for all you out there deciding whether or not to come to the U of A!

[bones]

Yet another reason to come to U of A Meds:

 

-The Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC) program: You have the option of applying to do your 3rd year in a small community some hours outside of Edmonton. You will be based around a family medicine clinic, but will also be doing your obstetrics/gynecology, general surgery, anaesthesia, internal med, etc. etc., all in an integrated fashion - i.e. you don't do 6 weeks of one service, then switch to another service for another 6 weeks, etc.

 

From what alumni of the program have told us, it's a fabulous way to learn clinical medicine and 'bring everything together'. Plus, with so few students around, you get to be the one doing all kinds of procedures, histories, physicals, etc.!

[bones]

Another reason to come to the U of A: Dr Satkunam, one of several amazing anatomy lecturers/preceptors.

 

I have never met a professor who cared more about his/her students' learning. Whether it be actively asking for feedback after each lecture (and modifying the next day's lecture accordingly), or incorporating multimedia into his lectures, or bringing timbits for a class of 120 people, he is a prof who truly cares.

 

A story that demonstrates his willingness to go the extra mile: A couple of weeks ago during an anatomy lab session, I went by myself to one of the skeleton models hanging on the wall and tried to figure out the anatomy of the vertebrae. A minute or two later, Dr Satkunam (who walks among the groups with the other amazing anatomy profs and answers questions/helps with dissection) came up to me and asked if I was having trouble with something. He proceeded to explain vertebrae anatomy to me, bringing over other skeletal models to make sure I understood. Gold!

[kandy4]

Thanks for posting all this! As an Alberta IP who decided to do her undergrad in Ontario, I'm having a rough time with the concept of possibly moving *again* (yknow, losing friends, family, boyfriend, connections out here. etc.). I also know virtually nothing about the UofA's med school.... or anything about UofA for that matter... so its awesome to read this thread.

 

My question to you med students is: why UofA over UofC? I've heard UofC has great facilities, but I don't know how they compare to UofA. And is it true UofC is more for mature/older students?

 

And as a psych grad, I also wanted to ask for any info on UofA's approach to family medicine, neurology/neuroscience/neurorehabilitation and psychiatry (those are my main interests and/or favourite topics).

 

Thanks!!

[boodog]

Sure, I'll tell you why U of A over U of C. WINDOWS!!!! The U of A actually has natural light in its facilities, the library, open spaces, study spaces, the hospital.

 

As someone who has been to U of C and U of A, I can tell you that U of C is a concrete bunker with absolutely no outside light.

 

That being said, both are great. Both have mature students and young ones.

 

Good luck.

[bones]

Thanks for posting all this! As an Alberta IP who decided to do her undergrad in Ontario, I'm having a rough time with the concept of possibly moving *again* (yknow, losing friends, family, boyfriend, connections out here. etc.). I also know virtually nothing about the UofA's med school.... or anything about UofA for that matter... so its awesome to read this thread.

 

My question to you med students is: why UofA over UofC? I've heard UofC has great facilities, but I don't know how they compare to UofA. And is it true UofC is more for mature/older students?

 

And as a psych grad, I also wanted to ask for any info on UofA's approach to family medicine, neurology/neuroscience/neurorehabilitation and psychiatry (those are my main interests and/or favourite topics).

 

Thanks!!

 

 

Hi Kandy,

 

If you do a quick browse over the U of C forum, you'll see a few threads relating to the reasons to choose U of A/U of C over the other. In the end, it seems to boil down to the 3 yr vs 4 yr curriculum, and personal factors (i.e. family in one city, etc.)

 

I have heard people claiming that U of C has more "mature" students, but I'm not 100% sure that the proportions of mature students are that different at both schools. I interviewed at both schools, and based on the students I saw who were interviewing it seemed both schools at equal "mature" representation. In my year, we probably have at least 8-10 people that are older than me (26).

 

In terms of facilities, before coming here I had heard that the U of A had amazing facilities - claims made by both students attending here and students who had come here for electives, etc. To be honest, I'm not sure what those amazing facilities are, and how much those amazing facilities contribute to learning medicine in years 1-4. Perhaps some of these facilities are the brand new lounge areas and small-group rooms, things which may make being a student a bit easier. At any rate, every med student across the country whom I have talked to has said that Alberta is a province with deep pockets and it stands to reason that our buildings/facilities would be nice.

 

In terms of fam med/neuro, I don't know much about neuro, but I do know that there is an undergrad program in Neuroscience (something which my undergrad uni, the U of O, didn't really have). In terms of fam med, the U of A's rural family med program (run out of Red Deer or Grande Prairie) is highly sought after and one of the more competitive programs in the country. The U of A's 3rd year integrated community clerkship program also emphasizes the role of family docs, as you spend your 3rd year with family docs in rural areas doing all your core rotations.

 

Interestingly enough, being out in Ottawa, I too noticed that I knew next to nothing about the U of A, its prestige, its programs, etc. I learned a lot about the school on the interview weekend, and I even brought it up with the Dean, chatting with him about how the U of A could and should do more to promote itself out east.

[Lactic Folly]

There's quite a bit of biological psychiatry research going on at the UofA.