Schedule

[andrewmed12]

Hi current Toronto students,

 

I looked online but was unable to find a sample schedule of a week in the life of a UofT med undergrad. I was wondering if someone might be able to let us know what 1st and 2nd year are like in terms of specific hours of class, PBL, electives, free time, etc.

 

Thanks!

[1T1]

Hi current Toronto students,

 

I looked online but was unable to find a sample schedule of a week in the life of a UofT med undergrad. I was wondering if someone might be able to let us know what 1st and 2nd year are like in terms of specific hours of class, PBL, electives, free time, etc.

 

Thanks!

 

You'll be receiving an email from a current first year medical student most likely tomorrow welcoming you to UofT. At that time, you can ask that student to forward you a copy of a typical weekly schedule!

[hydes79]

Congrats!

 

Check this link (http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21860) for sample.

 

Hydes

[Meds1T1]

I posted this response in another thread, but thought it might help for all those 1T2ers who are curious about our schedule:

 

The schedule varies depending on which course you are in. The first 10 weeks of school are the most intense in terms of time spent in class - here is an example of a week in the first part of Structure and Function (NB: all labs are anatomy dissection labs. You do not need to attend each one, depending on if you are dissecting or not, but I would estimate you need to attend 66-75% of them, because you will either be dissecting or presenting dissections).

 

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday:

8-10 Lecture

10-12 Lab (anatomy dissection)

1-3 Lab

3-5 Lecture

Thursday:

8-10 Lecture

10-12 Lab

1-5 DOCH

Friday:

8-12 ASCM

1:30-2:30 Lecture

2:30-4:30 Lab

although often we get Friday afternoons off. Just depends on the week

 

The schedule lightens considerably after the first 10 weeks, with you being in class 8-3ish on most days, with a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials.

The schedule gets even better during the second course, Metabolism and Nutrition, which runs during Feb-March. Most days have lecture 9-12, with seminar or PBL for 2 hours in the afternoon. Also you get every Tuesday morning and many Friday afternoons off.

Brain and Behaviour (April-May) is a bit more intense again, but less so than the beginning of the year. You go back to lab for the first 4 weeks, but only 2 labs twice a week to learn neuroanatomy. The schedule is roughly 8-12 lectures, with PBL or seminar for 2 hours in the afternoon. We get most Tuesday mornings and most Friday afternoons off, but not all.

[LaVieEnRose]

Don't forget- a lot of the lectures in Brain and Behavior are recorded so even if you skip, you won't be missing much. =D

[drduiib]

Always wanted to get this sorted out: when does UofT start the clinical skills portion of the curriculum? Most schools that start it right away seem emphasize this, but I'm unclear about what UofT does.

[1T1]

drduiib, you brought up a good question. Many students have misconceptions about the curriculum here at UT, especially with regards to clinical skills.

 

To answer your question, first year students begin the Arts and Science of Clinical Medicine (ASCM) 1 immediately during the second week of class. This course runs once a week on Fridays and during the early part of the course, you'll learn how to take histories and perform interviews. Gradually, you'll be introduced to all the typical physical exam maneuvers such as vitals, resp, abdo, etc so that by the end of first year, you have a solid set of clinical skills under your belt.

 

There is a good mix of real patient and simulated patient encounters. Initially you develop your skills with the simulated patients and eventually you get to meet real patients on the wards and have an opportunity to practice your skills there.

 

In second year, you will continue with ASCM 2, where more clinical skills will be introduced.