the_peripatetic_epi Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Hi Everyone, I've been perusing these threads for a couple of weeks as I try to get a handle on what I want to do with my life etc and finally have gathered the courage to post something... A brief background on me: I am in my early 30's and have an undergrad in Animal Biology and a MSc. in Epidemiology. I grew up in Ontario and have lived in Alberta for 3 years and the NWT for (will be) 2 years. When I did my undergrad I was somewhat aimless and my marks are fairly poor (cGPA 2.8). The majority of my problems are from my first two years where there may have been a wee bit too much partying going on . I steadily increased my marks throughout my undergrad and finished my masters consistently above 80%. Fast forward a few years - I've done some cool stuff as an epi including working on a small pacific island for a couple years, lots of publications, and currently part of the Canadian Field Epi Program. I've also just been accepted for a WHO/UNICEF STOP deployment for this summer. Anyway, despite all this I have been frustrated with the Epi 'stream' for the last while. Most often, we epi's without a clinical (ie nursing or med) background don't get to be involved in outbreaks and investigations the way I would like (usually we get treated as 'data grunts' to varying degrees). I've worked alongside MANY physicians and nurses over the last number of years and think I would do well in Medicine. I know at this point, my undergrad marks ain't helping me. I know Calgary has (is considering??) a ten year rule. I am a little confused on the specifics on it though and can't find much on the way of documentation. I graduated my undergrad in 2002 and my masters in 2004. Can I exclude my whole undergrad and use only my masters marks (unlikely)? Can I choose to invoke the 10 year rule but include marks more than 10 years old (ie my two last years of my undergrad which took place in 2001/2002? More realistically- I will need to do a second undergrad degree. What I am considering is doing the two year nursing degree at UofA or UofC (or maybe somewhere out east to get residency there as well??) I feel like doing this will at least get me somewhere if I don't ever get into meds. I can continue doing the epi thing as a nurse epi with a more clinical approach which is appealing. What I am worried about is whether or not the nursing degree would meet the requirements for Med application. Apparently, the last semester is only a 5 course pass/fail - no marks given. Is this a problem? I've heard many of the schools are trying to figure out ways to allow nursing students to apply, but not sure if this has actually happened yet. I don't feel like getting another general BSc would help me lifewise. Wow... this got really long. I apologize. If anyone has any insight or thoughts on any of this I'd love to hear it... Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Real Beef Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I dont have any specific advice only things to consider ... A nursing degree isnt something that will guarantee a super high GPA. Many courses seem to be subjective, self-reflection, essays, clinical competence so I think it is really hard or impossible to get a GPA of 3.8-3.9 in these type of courses if they are not pass or fail only. So the quandry seems to be that nursing may be your best choice for making your epi career fulfilling but may not be the best choice if you want to maximize your chances to medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Hood Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 I dont have any specific advice only things to consider ... A nursing degree isnt something that will guarantee a super high GPA. Many courses seem to be subjective, self-reflection, essays, clinical competence so I think it is really hard or impossible to get a GPA of 3.8-3.9 in these type of courses if they are not pass or fail only. So the quandry seems to be that nursing may be your best choice for making your epi career fulfilling but may not be the best choice if you want to maximize your chances to medicine. Depends only on the university. I heard it's possible to get a high GPA at McGill, because it's more theorical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylamonkey Posted March 9, 2012 Report Share Posted March 9, 2012 Hi OP! Are you currently living in NWT? The 10-yr-rule is brand new, so there is no documentation on it at this point. We really don't know anything other than what's on the med admissions blog. http://mdadmissions.ucalgaryblogs.ca/ For the 10-yr rule, you need to have 2 FT years of school after dropping all your old bad marks. The second degree sticky above talks a lot about what schools are looking for. I'm doing a second (actually third) degree through correspondence at the moment, so I know a lot about this route. For people who are in the territories, it may be a good option, but you need to know what you're capable of. Distance ed is not for everyone. If you are in the territories, your best bet is probably UofC or Sask, but if you move for your next degree you probably won't still qualify as an IP resident. I have more info on how the territories are seen, you can PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_peripatetic_epi Posted March 10, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Thanks for all your input... I have considered that nursing may not be the easiest to get super high marks in, but then as a single adult with a mortgage, I need to do something that's going to lead to some sort of actual job when I graduate - even if its just a variation on what I'm already doing. I also have to believe that you don't NEED the 3.7/8's to get in if you've got some life experience to back you up. I may be deluded on that, I know, but then UofC seems to be acknowledging this more and more. As far as I know, I get to keep my AB in-prov status forever now that I've 'put in my time'. Saskatchewan is A LOT more picky and I would need 3 years in NWT to qualify - my current contract up here is only 2 years, and I don't think I'll be sticking around (especially if I want to do further schooling). Ugh.. I really wish there was someway of knowing what the future holds! Anyway.. thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taiga gal Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 these are good posts. i finished a second degree in nursing in the NWT and applied to NOSM after working a few years here. however i have lived in the north and other rural places for several years. the only pass/fails are clinicals, i had 4 full time years but the last year was mostly essay/project based, and by project i mean group work, so it is hard to be a super star in the marks dept with a shared mark. ah, but this teaches us teamwork... if u are transfering college credits to uni, as i did, NOSM will only look at the uni credits for the official gpa calculation. nursing is a great career and it is possible to transition to medicine from there. i will let you know in May if that is my story if pm was working i would say more, email me if you'd like more info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 you won't need a 3.7 but having anything lower will severely diminish your chances. if your gpa is in the bottom 10th percentile of successful students, your life experience better be in the top 90th+ percentile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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