Q&A With Mac Med 2015

[Savac]

Nope. I don't have one. UG is a stepping stone and everyone knows that. Most docs don't even bother putting the BSc in their title.

 

Finally, somebody who gets it! So many people look at me as if I'm insane when I tell them that I won't put my BSc on a business card.

[jfdes]

You could email admissions mdadmit@mcmaster.ca and they should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

If you are interested in a masters I would counsel you to wait until residency. It makes more financial sense to do it then ie you get paid vs paying them.

 

Cool, I'll contact them, thanks!

 

I wasn't even actually aware that you could do a master in residency. Will this result in adding a year to the residency, or will you have to take courses/fulfill requirements concurrently?

 

I guess another question that's kinda related is do you think that not having something "extra", be it a PhD or MSc, will affect your chances at matching to a competitive residency location? My question stems from a discussion I had from a close friend who goes to UT. She said that she was considering doing an MSc in Public Health, because when it comes to matching to some of the largest hospitals to Toronto, many clinicians always have some research project going on as well, and so its pretty much impossible to practice at those hospitals without that extra degree (She's already incredibly passionate about the those issues, so it worked well for her).

 

My end goal is to practice in Vancouver btw, which I imagine will also be quite competitive.

[thestar10]

Cool, I'll contact them, thanks!

 

I wasn't even actually aware that you could do a master in residency. Will this result in adding a year to the residency, or will you have to take courses/fulfill requirements concurrently?

 

I guess another question that's kinda related is do you think that not having something "extra", be it a PhD or MSc, will affect your chances at matching to a competitive residency location? My question stems from a discussion I had from a close friend who goes to UT. She said that she was considering doing an MSc in Public Health, because when it comes to matching to some of the largest hospitals to Toronto, many clinicians always have some research project going on as well, and so its pretty much impossible to practice at those hospitals without that extra degree (She's already incredibly passionate about the those issues, so it worked well for her).

 

My end goal is to practice in Vancouver btw, which I imagine will also be quite competitive.

 

Depends on the program type. Some programs will allow you to take another year while others might have it built in. It depends on how much the person is willing to take on so I imagine its very person to person. There are also research fellowships that can be done after residency.

 

In terms of matching to residency, Grad degrees obviously help but thats not to say you couldn't pursue research in your area of interest during med school. It depends on what specialty you want as its highly variable. With Mac, very few people take the extra year as you won't graduate with your class which sucks and sometimes there is a stigma associated (however unjustly) with taking 4 years to finish a 3 year degree from programs.

 

A graduate degree would help you practice in a large academic center. Again it depends on the specialty but for sure it helps. MY career path will probably lead me to get a masters but I'm planning on residency/fellowship so that I can make a decent amount of money while doing it.

[Sarvish]

Cool, I'll contact them, thanks!

 

I wasn't even actually aware that you could do a master in residency. Will this result in adding a year to the residency, or will you have to take courses/fulfill requirements concurrently?

 

I guess another question that's kinda related is do you think that not having something "extra", be it a PhD or MSc, will affect your chances at matching to a competitive residency location? My question stems from a discussion I had from a close friend who goes to UT. She said that she was considering doing an MSc in Public Health, because when it comes to matching to some of the largest hospitals to Toronto, many clinicians always have some research project going on as well, and so its pretty much impossible to practice at those hospitals without that extra degree (She's already incredibly passionate about the those issues, so it worked well for her).

 

My end goal is to practice in Vancouver btw, which I imagine will also be quite competitive.

 

I'm wondering if we have the same friend She's the one who made me worry about getting a MSc to work in teaching hospitals.

 

Finally, somebody who gets it! So many people look at me as if I'm insane when I tell them that I won't put my BSc on a business card.

 

I wouldn't put in on a business card or anything, I just didn't know if it would cause a problem if you're applying for a MSc or PhD

[jfdes]

Thanks LabGopher for all the advice!

 

I'm wondering if we have the same friend She's the one who made me worry about getting a MSc to work in teaching hospitals.

 

I doubt it haha, she graduated with me from UBC, I don't think she's been in Ontario too much this past year.

 

I also feel like Toronto (and that surrounding area) puts more emphasis on research then the rest of the country, I don't think it's as important to have that second degree if I wanted to go to Vancouver General, or one of the larger hospitals around here. If you're planning to stay in Ontario, I can definitely imagine that MSc helping out quite a bit.

[Sarvish]

Thanks LabGopher for all the advice!

 

 

 

I doubt it haha, she graduated with me from UBC, I don't think she's been in Ontario too much this past year.

 

I also feel like Toronto (and that surrounding area) puts more emphasis on research then the rest of the country, I don't think it's as important to have that second degree if I wanted to go to Vancouver General, or one of the larger hospitals around here. If you're planning to stay in Ontario, I can definitely imagine that MSc helping out quite a bit.

 

Definitely not then, I knew her from Vancouver but she didn't go to UBC.