frenchfrog Posted September 1, 2008 Report Share Posted September 1, 2008 I'm currently in the process of planning electives for clerkship, but I don't really know what schools/programs are really good for which specialties. Where do I find that kind of information? Or, does anyone know? I have a feeling that this is more "word-of-mouth" kind of information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blinknoodle Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 It definitely is more word-of-mouth and then doing your own legwork. I found it incredibly helpful to talk with students that recently matched. UWO puts together a contact list of graduating students that are willing to be contacted and I have been emailed by people interested in my specialty, asking who I had great electives with, etc. It helps to have a general gestalt of the programs, realizing all the inherent biases and then checking the programs out themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastalslacker Posted September 2, 2008 Report Share Posted September 2, 2008 You might get more help if you mention what field(s) you are considering and whether you are interested in a particular geographic region. Most people have a rough idea of what programs are strong/weak at their institution and why they have that designation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchfrog Posted September 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2008 I'm not sure what I want yet But I'm thinking mainly family medicine or general internal medicine. I haven't completely ruled out obs/gyn or peds. I'm looking to do electives in/at Calgary, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ottawa, McGill and Dalhousie...but I'm pretty open at this point. I know my interests are still vague, but I hope that helps get more specific answers. Thanks for the replies so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirsteen Posted September 4, 2008 Report Share Posted September 4, 2008 But I'm thinking mainly family medicine or general internal medicine. Hi there, With respect to internal medicine, when working in the past year with clerks who were keen on the specialty and internal medics, there seemed to be some sort of consensus that the stronger internal med programs were Mac, UofT and UofA. As for family medicine, the UofC program has gained in popularity over the past few years, but I'm unaware of the strengths of any other programs. Good luck, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted September 4, 2008 Report Share Posted September 4, 2008 Usually people in a particular specialty (residents/staff) can suggest programs to take a closer look at. You can also start by considering what factors in a program are important to you (research? opportunities for hands-on exposure?) and also what type of location you'd like to live in, and then checking out the CaRMS program information and department websites for the schools/programs you are interested in (some websites have a lot of information). I didn't do this until it was interview time, but I also contacted some residents through the program secretaries to ask what they particularly liked about their program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blinknoodle Posted September 5, 2008 Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 When setting up electives, it is worthwhile figuring out which programs really want you to do an elective with them to be considered for admission (ie. doing a CTU elective at Toronto is HIGHLY recommended if you are considering Toronto IM). I think Ottawa also has an unwritten rule about doing an elective there to help snag an interview (they vehemently denied it for ob/gyn but it is a rumour that been continually perpetuated). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchfrog Posted September 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2008 Feel free to post more advice...but in the meantime, thank you very much for the helpful responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crush Posted October 28, 2008 Report Share Posted October 28, 2008 hearsay from recent grads: Family: UofC, Mac have strong programs, I've noticed that the 2 aforementioned programs have tons of spirit and everyone seems to be absolutely loving it there. it also depends what you want re: urban vs. rural. I don't know about elsewhere in the country but I've also heard great things about Ottawa and UWO's rural programs. Toronto's program is always very competitive but possibly because it's in Toronto. Internal: UofA (where you are guaranteed funding for your fellowship years which means it technically is easier to match into the subspecialty you want as there is the money there) and Mac seem like great programs that everyone likes. Throw in UofT there for all the connections, research, etc. Ottawa is good for cardiology with its heart institute, but I've heard the internal program is not the best and residents are quite overworked. Weaker programs quality wise here I've heard are UofC and Queen's - good backup bets. Peds: Ottawa, Mac, UofT, UBC seem to be the most competitive/popular. And yes, my friend who was a stellar candidate and got interviews everywhere else across the country didn't do an Ottawa elective and that was the only school where he didn't get an interview invite. (obviously this doesn't mean it's fact, but I've heard too many stories to take a chance with this) hope this helps good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legal78 Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 Anybody knows which school is better for elective in Anesthesiology/ICU? I'm intrested in UBC, but not sure how hard that is to get there. Anybody's got any idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon01 Posted April 4, 2009 Report Share Posted April 4, 2009 I think you're losing sight of another important factor: does your personality meld well with the current group of residents. Even though a program may be fantastic from an educational perspective you want to be able to get along with that group for 2-7 years. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orchid Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 With respect to internal medicine, when working in the past year with clerks who were keen on the specialty and internal medics, there seemed to be some sort of consensus that the stronger internal med programs were Mac, UofT and UofA. I would agree with this. For internal medicine, I have heard amazing things about McMaster's program in particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UBCmed09 Posted April 6, 2009 Report Share Posted April 6, 2009 The advice below is of course just one person's opinion... The word around the circuit this year was that doing an anesthesia elective at Ottawa was one of the keys to getting an interview there, at least if you were from "the West." Doing a gas elective at Calgary is also considered quite helpful in progressing beyond U of C's screening telephone interview. As for UBC Anesthesia, certainly an elective here won't hurt but keep in mind that most out-of-towners don't get elective spots at St. Pauls or VGH (the 2 hotspots for meeting PD or committee members and/or for getting LOR from names the committee recognizes). That's not to say that you need to be at one of the big centres to show interest in coming to BC but just something to keep in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgarymed Posted April 7, 2009 Report Share Posted April 7, 2009 Another persons opinion on anesthesiology electives.... I think doing an elective at UBC is almost totally useless. I heard they didnt interview a lot of good applicants from their own program that did electives there, and they interviewed a lot of people from across the country who had not done electives, plus its hard to get electives there. But if that is THE program you really want...then maybe it would help you to feel like you covered your bases. Just be warned that it does not guarantee an interview by any means. You dont NEED an elective in ottawa to get an interview, same as ubc I think, but it probably doesnt hurt. Also anywhere you do electives, they will know you better, so you may argue they will rank you higher than the person they met for one day on an interview. I didnt do my electives strategically at all but if I could do it over I would do electives at Calgary, Manitoba, Ottawa, Toronto, and Halifax (plus UBC if i could set it up and had more time left) in anesthesiology, in no paticular order. I think they all have excellent programs, and good places to go to...but this of course fits with me, maybe not with you....you have to think about what you want in terms of size of city you and your family want to live in, do you fit with the residents etc etc... I would be happy to talk about my elective/interview experiences about anesthesia..pm me if you want. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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