Mcmaster Pt Q&a

[MDwannabe02]

Hello ORPAS Applicants,

 

I saw that there was a thread for Queen's PT questions, so I thought I'd start a thread for Mac as well. I am a current student in my first year of the PT program at Mac, so if you have any questions about the program or application process, I will do my best to answer them. Happy Holidays and best wishes in the new year and with applications 

[FuturePT15]

Hi there!

 

It's really nice of you to open the floor to questions about Mac PT! I was wondering if you could just give some insight into the pros and cons of doing PT at Mac, and maybe why you decided to go there.

 

Thanks!

[MDwannabe02]

Pros and cons to PT at Mac? OK. I'll preface this with how the ORPAS application cycle went for me last year. I applied to Queen's, U of T, and Mac. I would have applied to Western too, but I didn't have the English credit and I was already taking an extra psych credit through Athabasca U for Queen's, so I didn't bother adding on a extra online course while working full time (and then some) hours at my previous job(s). So, got the MMI and CAP invites and Mac and U of T respectively, then got accepted to Mac and U of T (no dice from Queen's) and accepted Mac's offer.

 

Instead of doing pros and cons, I'll just throw out things about the McMaster program and do my best to put it in a neutral tone. Then you can decide whether it's a good or bad thing. So, the main thing to consider with Mac is how you'll adjust to a self-directed, problem-based learning (PBL) style. To be honest, it is and adjustment from my traditional didactic undergrad in science. So PBL can be either a pro or a con depending on how you look at it. I can't really tell you that it will make you a better practitioner or not, because I'm only one (of six) units into the program, but I can say that all the grads I've talked to REALLY vouch for its efficacy. That's about all I can say about PBL at this point other than it can be a bit more work and be frustrating at the beginning. The assistant dean told us on the first day of orientation that we should "trust the system", which is something we as first years are starting to do more and more.

 

Your catchment area covers north of Hamilton to Orangeville, south to Niagara, east to Milton, and west to Paris. However, you also have the option of doing a placement (and possibly an academic unit as well) in Northwestern Ontario through the Northern Studies Stream (NSS). Your NSS placement can be anywhere from Wawa to Kenora, but if you choose to do the academic component as well, that component will be in Thunder Bay. Also your NSS placements provide you with a free place to live, and I've heard the accommodations are quite nice.

 

Mac is very big on inter-professional activities/development, so you have lots of opportunities to participate in activities with other people in the Faculty of Health Sciences (MDs, nurses, midwives, physician assistants, OTs, social workers, etc.). 

 

That's all I really have for now, but because it's such a broad question, I feel like I've only grazed some of Mac's qualities. Feel free to ask anything else about the program!

[MDwannabe02]

Oh, sorry! I forgot to answer WHY I decided to go to Mac. Well, I tried to stay neutral in the response above, but this response will definitely be biased.

 

1. I liked the idea of PBL. It sounded unique, cutting edge, challenging, and rewarding as a future practitioner to me.

2. I'm from rural Northwestern Ontario and I really liked how Mac offered the chance to do placement(s) in this area. Also on this note, I really disliked the idea of living and/or working in the GTA, so Hamilton was a better fit for me (this was a weak selling point, but a selling point nonetheless).

3. McMaster has a great reputation for their health science programs for being very evidence-based and inter-professional.

 

These were the main selling points for me, but especially since some of them were related to me wanting to eventually live and practice in Northern Ontario, they're likely not strong selling points for everyone.

[MDwannabe02]

Also, I got a PM asking how to prep for the MMI and what kinds of questions to expect. For everybody's benefit, here was my response:

 

Hi! I think the best thing you can do is find a group of friends to practice with. Come prepared with a bunch of MMI questions to ask each other and then answer them as well as you can. Don't time your answers at first, just get a feel for how you want to structure an answer. Then, as you build up your confidence and skill level with answering MMI questions, begin to time yourself so you understand the time constraints that you'll be facing on the actual interview day. Mac gives you 2 minutes to read a question and 6 minutes to answer it. Don't freak out if you can't talk for 6 minutes straight either, because they'll probe you if you stop talking. It is an interview after all, not a monologue.

 

You can go online to find practice questions. Just Google "practice MMI questions", etc and you should get plenty of resources. They will likely mostly be geared towards med school applicants, but the style of interview and question types are fairly transferable to PT. Also, I would recommend picking up a copy of "Doing Right" by Philip C. Hébert. Go through each ethical situation in the book and pause after the situation. Then treat it like an MMI question and try to answer it in 6 minutes like you would an MMI station. I found that especially helpful as the book literally gives you the answer afterwards (in the author's expert opinion, anyway) so you can assess your own answer's merit.

 

You'll get question types in the areas of personal experience (so try to think of many times in your life when you had to demonstrated certain personality traits - bravery, critical thinking skills, a personal ethical delimma, etc.) so that you have a stock of personal experiences in your pocket ready to be pulled out during an interview. In my experience, when all else fails during an MMI, just tell a story that is at least somewhat related to the question being asked.

 

You should also know some details about the Canadian healthcare system and physiotherapy as a profession. I'd recommend checking out the Canadian Physiotherapy Association website, as well as the Ontario Physiotherapy Association, College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, and the Health Canada website.

 

That's all I have for now. Let me know if you have any more questions

 

 

Best of luck with MMI prep!

[FuturePT216]

Thanks so much for offering to answer some questions! I was wondering what you thought about the MMI process? I know it's super early, but I"m just really nervous about the idea of the MMI, especially because I"m applying to both Mac OT and PT and I heard that they're especially tough on people who do, because it shows that you may be indecisive and not actually sure what the difference between the 2 career paths is! So I was wondering if you had any insight into this?

 

Thanks again!

[FuturePT216]

Also, I just wanted to confirm something because I couldn't find any confirmation on the Mac website. If you're applying to both PT and OT at Mac, you're required to mail a certified cheque/money order for $90 on top of the ORPAS school fee, correct? 

 

Thanks so much!

[MDwannabe02]

I definitely was not required to mail a cheque on top of the ORPAS fee that I submitted electronically last year. However, I only applied to PT programs. That being said, I just looked at the ORPAS 2015 booklet, and it looks like you are required to submit this fee only if you're applying to both PT and OT. I'm not sure why, but that seems to be the policy.

 

As for the MMI process, I have mixed feelings. As I've only done a few MMIs and U of T's CAP, I don't have any interview experiences outside of these methods with which to compare. I see the merit of the MMI from an interviewing school's perspective though. It standardizes the interview process as much as can conceivably be done so that it is much less subjective than a panel style (more traditional) interview. However, I feel like this puts the  burden on the interviewee more as you are required to talk more, synthesize more information, and come up with reasonable and justifiable conclusions. I find the MMI to be more of a verbal essay than an interview as it provides less give and take between both parties and is more you (as the interviewee) talking for 6 (or more) minutes.

 

So I suppose I have a love/hate relationship with the MMI. It is a necessary evil to measure various qualities in potential health care practitioners, but can be quite the obstacle to overcome. I found I did really well in the Mac PT interview mostly because of confidence. The less nervous and more confident you are, I believe the better you will perform. A large component of MMI confidence is practice, so make sure you get plenty of that, but also try to feel like you are a big time awesome prospective PT student during the interview to make yourself freak out less. Also, try not to focus on failure. You can always try again later or at different schools. Life's too short to focus on the negatives. 

[MDwannabe02]

With respect to applying to both OT and PT, I'm sorry but I really can't offer any insight here. Knowing what Mac's all about (from my modest 4 months here), I can't see them hating on people who apply to both programs. It just doesn't seem consistent with the caring, positive, and pro-interprofessional atmosphere I've been exposed to here. Again though, take that with a grain of salt because I am not involved in admissions in any way.

 

Best wishes!

[FuturePT216]

Thank you so much for sharing your insight and experiences, it was really helpful! 

[CFphysio]

Hello MDwannabe02,

 

We appreciate your insights on McMaster PT program and thank you for sharing your physio experience thus far, I hope Mac is treating you well. I am applying to both Mac and U of T PT and I'd like to hear more about your thoughts/experience on U of T's CAP. Did you prepare for it in the same way you did for MMI? 

 

Thank you for your time!

[MDwannabe02]

Hi there CFphysio,

 

Yeah, I would say I prepared about the same for the CAP as the MMI. They evaluate similar aspects of applicants, just using different methods. I had another forum member private message me a few days ago asking about how to prep for the CAP, so I'll cut and paste the message I sent that person with the same links to some prep material I used last year:

 

..."As for prep for the CAP, there was a guy from U of T med school that made this mock CAP test for people to practice on. I used it last year, and found it pretty helpful. You should be able to access the two documents from this link: https://www.dropbox....25oe/gjlwWnlqBo

 

The link should work on chrome and firefox. Not sure about Safari though. The documents should give you a decent idea of what the questions are like. Your answers will probably be a few paragraphs in length, but not "essays".

 

As far as Canadian healthcare system knowledge goes, don't stress too much about specific current events in the news (like the ebola epidemic, etc.). Think of more general knowledge, like ethics and what the Canada Health Act actually is (portable, universal, publicly funded, comprehensive, accessible). Know what the general roles of a physiotherapist in Canada are (expert, communicator, collaborator, manager, advocate, scholarly practitioner, professional). These can be found on the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) website (www.physiotherapy.ca). This document in particular should be helpful - http://www.physiothe...rofile 2009.pdf

 

That being said, just surf the CPA and Ontario Physiotherapy Association (OPA) websites as well as the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario website. Learn as much as you can about the profession and it will serve you well in the MMI and/or CAP."

 

Happy prepping!