Savac Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 1. On specialty choosing: Mac allows you to do these things called "horizontal electives" where you basically ask to follow around a doc in pretty much any specialty for 1-2 days (or even 1 day/week for a few months) -- there is also PLENTY of time to do these "horizontal electives". The great thing is you don't just "follow/shadow" them, most of the time they'll let you do some awesome stuff. E.g. You can do an ER shift (I recently did a night shift), ask the doc or resident if you can do the history and physical for a few patients, they'll then ask you to present the case and if the case is something on the simpler side, they will ask you what you would do for the patient. It's so much fun and all the docs/residents are EXTREMELY nice. Plus, this is pretty much the best way to see the bread and butter of each specialty and decide if you like it. Often, it doesn't take >2 days to figure out if you like or dislike something. 2. Tests: Mac has 1 hr tests approximately every 2 weeks which consist of 4-6 short-answer q's. They're stress free tests that are just meant to see if you've understood the stuff you were supposed to in the last 2 weeks. There's approximately 1 bell ringer every month, which is not very stressful as the mark doesn't matter. There's a PPI, which has 180 MCQs to be written every 4 months-ish - everyone in the program including 1st, 2nd and 3rd yrs write the exact same test - again just to see if the whole class is doing well and if you're lagging behind the rest of your class. It also lets you see how your knowledge improved over the years. Personally I don't find having more tests would help, everyone is pretty motivated to continuously make themselves better. For point 1, Ottawa also has plenty of time to shadow. They've got their afternoons off. I actually liked the flexibility of both programs. I just know that for me, I think that the extra year might prove to be helpful. For people that are more decisive than me, Mac's 3 years would very likely be more than enough. For point 2, I wasn't aware of that. Thank you for correcting me. I knew about the PPI, but I thought there wasn't much else beyond that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panicpsycho Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Can someone link me to the reports which show the statistics of matches by schools please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savac Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Can someone link me to the reports which show the statistics of matches by schools please? The 2014 stats aren't available yet, but you can find a bunch of old ones here: https://www.carms.ca/en/r-1-match-reports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panicpsycho Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 wow I was hoping Ottawa had better stats.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgr Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 wow I was hoping Ottawa had better stats.. And, do tell, what is exactly is wrong with Ottawa's stats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panicpsycho Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 And, do tell, what is exactly is wrong with Ottawa's stats? I may have been looking at the wrong statistics. What is the exact percent match rate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgr Posted May 17, 2014 Report Share Posted May 17, 2014 Looks like 146/149 = 98%, accounting for 2013 graduates in the first iteration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 I don't really understand the obsession with match rates.. your individual effort counts for far more than what school is on your diploma.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panicpsycho Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 I would pick Ottawa hands down tbh. At mac they don't learn anything really, I mean, what kind of med school gives first year students free time and very limited exams? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savac Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 I would pick Ottawa hands down tbh. At mac they don't learn anything really, I mean, what kind of med school gives first year students free time and very limited exams? Ottawa also gives their students quite a large amount of free time (most afternoons off) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeywell12 Posted May 18, 2014 Report Share Posted May 18, 2014 I would pick Ottawa hands down tbh. At mac they don't learn anything really, I mean, what kind of med school gives first year students free time and very limited exams? I am not sure why people feel the need to make such ridiculous comments. Just to dispel this no exams myth once more, here is a list of assessments that Mac Med students go through in their first year (i.e. Sept-June): 1. Twelve short-answer tests at regular intervals These are one-hour long and have 4-6 questions each. They test understanding of physiology, pathophysiology, genetics, and pharmacology. 2. Three 180-question multiple choice tests These test everything. They release the class average for these tests. That helps you figure out where you stand relative to your classmates. 3. Five bell-ringer exams These test anatomy and physiology 4. One OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Exam) This tests your history taking and physical examination skills. 5. Three professional competencies tests These are one hour long and consist of 4-6 questions each. They test your knowledge on topics such as obtaining consent, breaking bad news, medical law/ethics, etc. 6. Tutorial and Clinical Skills evaluations You get evaluated by your tutor (whom you see for 6 hours a week) and your clinical skills preceptor (whom you see for 3 hours a week) on your knowledge and professionalism. If you are unprepared for tutorial and clinical skills, that will be an issue. Just replying to this because I do not want any first years to be scared off by ignorant comments! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgr Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 I don't really understand the obsession with match rates.. your individual effort counts for far more than what school is on your diploma.. Whatever you say, buddy. Nowhere in this topic is it mentioned that individual performance is superseded by match statistics of the school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingplaid Posted May 19, 2014 Report Share Posted May 19, 2014 I don't really understand the obsession with match rates.. your individual effort counts for far more than what school is on your diploma.. I agree for the most part. The only thing I disagree with is the ability to network at different schools depending on what program you might be interested in. I know CV and hard work make a difference, but effective networking really facilitates a lot more than just research opportunities. GP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holiday1001 Posted May 21, 2014 Report Share Posted May 21, 2014 wouldn't you mostly network at your own school anyways.. I don't see how the match rate of your entire class is terribly relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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