Looking For Mmi Interview Prep Coach / Prep Class Edmonton Area\sherwood Park

[nothingbutadreamer]

Looking for suggestions and referalls for good mmi interview prep coaches or mmi prep classes in Edmonton area/ Sherwood park.

 

Please either PM me or leave a reply here.

[LeBronto2019]

I'm sure, if you're interested, a bunch of us newly accepted students could help out! MMI prep was the most fun so I'd be down to relive those days 

[nothingbutadreamer]

I'm sure, if you're interested, a bunch of us newly accepted students could help out! MMI prep was the most fun so I'd be down to relive those days

 

I would most definitely be interested - I honestly don't even know where to start.

[3change]

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[kdd737]

I really struggle with the MMI, so I would be interested too!

[nothingbutadreamer]

I'd definitely be willing to form a practice group

[nothingbutadreamer]

Also looking for a good interview coach if one is available

[MD2015]

Don't know that you need a (paid) coach really - unless you did terribly at a MMI already.

 

We are each different, but I figured that my prep was my entire life experience up to that point, and I went in to have fun. It worked. I was already comfortable dealing with strangers and in different situations, so I just went with the flow.

[nothingbutadreamer]

Don't know that you need a (paid) coach really - unless you did terribly at a MMI already.

We are each different, but I figured that my prep was my entire life experience up to that point, and I went in to have fun. It worked. I was already comfortable dealing with strangers and in different situations, so I just went with the flow.

I have had an interview in the past which I didn't do so well. So I'm really looking to up my game and do it right this time around.

[LeBronto2019]

OMG I forgot! I'm pretty sure they emailed all the med students saying you cannot practice with or help incoming applicants :/ 

[nothingbutadreamer]

OMG I forgot! I'm pretty sure they emailed all the med students saying you cannot practice with or help incoming applicants :/

 

Ah okay interesting. Well if anyone knows of any interview coaches and can give me a referal that would be great

[LeBronto2019]

Ah okay interesting. Well if anyone knows of any interview coaches and can give me a referal that would be great

 

Maybe I'll just practice by myself in my room in front of the mirror so if any applicants decide to just happen to be in my house, I guess it's alright if they listen to how I approach scenarios  

[3change]

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[plane]

But seriously. I don't get why U of A discourages interview practice so much. In other schools or jobs, exploring the job and preparing for the interview would actually be seen as showing interest and as a good thing.

 

I don't think they discourage practicing for interviews per se. They only disallowed med students from helping because it would be unfair to applicants who are not in Edmonton and thus would not have access to help from current UofA med students.

[photato]

It's kind of a strange policy.  I get not sharing the scenarios with anyone, but really no one knows how the MMIs are scored anyways and I don't think general feedback is an advantage.  I didn't really prep that much, but I did the CAPS MMI practice (registration opens in January) to give me a good baseline so I knew what I had to work on and to get used to having to answer at 6+ stations.  The hardest thing for me was talking for more than one minute and fully exploring the issue.  I found that I improved a lot and was sooo much more comfortable doing this after just practicing questions with people from PM101.  

 

I don't think you need to pay someone to do this.  You could probably get together with everyone else that is interested in an MMI prep group and just work through a bunch of scenarios.  Practicing will allow you to be more comfortable talking and you should also get feedback on how you're presenting yourself. I found when I was practicing, feedback on my answers were useful, but what I also found useful was feedback on things like body language, tone of voice, if I was fidgeting or saying "um" way too much, etc. since those were things that I wouldn't necessarily pick up on myself.

 

Good luck!  If you're starting now, you could even consider joining Toastmasters for a bit to work on public speaking in general.

[LeBronto2019]

Besides medical ethics, learn about social determinants of health! Then you'll not only be golden for MMI and life, but I'll treat you to coffees and dinners as your new best friend! 

[nothingbutadreamer]

Thanks everyone for your input. I'm hoping to put together a practice group maybe that's the way to approach it

[Tacrolimus]

I know the MMI was the most challenging part of the whole application process for me, so I completely understand the frustration. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to speak from the apex of your heart. But seriously, in the 2 minutes you have to read and think about the prompt, don't think about what they are looking for, or which 4 points you need to absolutely hit. I think being genuine is very important to them, and it shows. I know it's way easier said than done, but imagine that it's your friend in the room and you're just discussing the scenario casually. Lastly, use the prompts! It's there for you. Be concise with your initial response (~4-5 mins), and then let the prompts guide you/give you more to talk about. 

[LeBronto2019]

I know the MMI was the most challenging part of the whole application process for me, so I completely understand the frustration. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to speak from the apex of your heart. But seriously, in the 2 minutes you have to read and think about the prompt, don't think about what they are looking for, or which 4 points you need to absolutely hit. I think being genuine is very important to them, and it shows. I know it's way easier said than done, but imagine that it's your friend in the room and you're just discussing the scenario casually. Lastly, use the prompts! It's there for you. Be concise with your initial response (~4-5 mins), and then let the prompts guide you/give you more to talk about. 

 

This man is a gentleman and a scholar!

 

Not only genuine and casual to the extent that you're talking to a friend or family member in the room, but imagine that scenario where the subject is your friend or family. Be as human as possible because anyone can memorize and list off the 4 ethical principles, but that's stupid. When you show you think critically, consider many perspectives, and show that you have some sort of compassion, then they'll see autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice...as well as others like confidentiality and informed consent and stuff. Wow, I still got it  

[nothingbutadreamer]

Still looking for a coach if anyone has a referral

[GH0ST]

Hello there!

 

I want to really echo what many of the 2019s have mentioned. It's critical (if not necessary) to be genuine and understanding in your response. Something rehearsed or aspects you aren't as comfortable discussing will affect your abilities in at least one (if not more) station because of personal lingering thoughts, even if somehow you hoodwink the interviewer.

 

However, I do not fully agree that going in to "have fun" or "just be yourself" is enough. To put it into context.... myself 2 years ago when I first applied to medicine was not nearly mature enough. I didn't have the level of critical thinking to look at certain dilemmas from multiple perspectives. "Being yourself" in the worst case scenario can be borderline delusional if you have not developed some level of communication skills, critical thinking and awareness, along with understanding professional and ethical conduct. As much as you want to calm yourself and not panic, this process certainly is not meant to be "fun" and I personally don't agree that it should ever be considered that way. This is your one shot to make your dreams come true so be ready to put it on the line on your interview day.

 

While it is important to be honest and forthcoming, that alone won't allow you to succeed, particularly if your pre-interview score (relfected by your MCAT, GPA, and ECs) aren't top of the pack. 

 

I'm well aware some people may disagree with me, but speaking as a 2nd time applicant that tasted both success and failure when facing a low pre-interview score, there's many things you can start to work on to become a more well-rounded individual. Good luck to the future applicants however. Keep fighting for your dreams.

[LeBronto2019]

Hello there!

 

I want to really echo what many of the 2019s have mentioned. It's critical (if not necessary) to be genuine and understanding in your response. Something rehearsed or aspects you aren't as comfortable discussing will affect your abilities in at least one (if not more) station because of personal lingering thoughts, even if somehow you hoodwink the interviewer.

 

However, I do not fully agree that going in to "have fun" or "just be yourself" is enough. To put it into context.... myself 2 years ago when I first applied to medicine was not nearly mature enough. I didn't have the level of critical thinking to look at certain dilemmas from multiple perspectives. "Being yourself" in the worst case scenario can be borderline delusional if you have not developed some level of communication skills, critical thinking and awareness, along with understanding professional and ethical conduct. As much as you want to calm yourself and not panic, this process certainly is not meant to be "fun" and I personally don't agree that it should ever be considered that way. This is your one shot to make your dreams come true so be ready to put it on the line on your interview day.

 

While it is important to be honest and forthcoming, that alone won't allow you to succeed, particularly if your pre-interview score (relfected by your MCAT, GPA, and ECs) aren't top of the pack. 

 

I'm well aware some people may disagree with me, but speaking as a 2nd time applicant that tasted both success and failure when facing a low pre-interview score, there's many things you can start to work on to become a more well-rounded individual. Good luck to the future applicants however. Keep fighting for your dreams.

 

Sorry new BFF, going to have to argue a bit from the other side

 

I think that there's only so much you can fake your personality during the interview. Obviously for panels, you can rehearse everything about your application and experiences as possible. But for MMI, if there is something completely out of the blue and you don't know how to deal with it, your natural tendencies will come to play. And ultimately, while many applicants hate to hear this, if you have to change who you are for an interview, then med probably isn't for you. All the qualities you mentioned are true, but if people don't have those qualities to begin with, I'd hope they don't become doctors.

 

Also, I don't see a problem with having fun. For me, having fun with the MMI process wasn't being stupid and joking about everything, it was enjoying the fact that I could read up and learn about topics that we normally wouldn't deal with. How would I deal with people assaulting a homeless person? How would I allocate money in a rural setting? Do I agree with person X or person Y on this controversial topic? Nerdily enough (nerdily?), I enjoyed that so being thrown questions that were completely new for people to think about, construct an argument, and talk for 8 minutes was awesome. I don't know my MMI score but with UofA, I felt it went great but I practiced, read about and had fun answering the questions that we had. If I dreaded it, I probably wouldn't have done well enough to get in. 

 

But luckily, I'm glad you have your experiences to share with us and having applied twice, you have more perspective on these things than I do. Happy to offer my 2 cents  

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[GH0ST]

I think after DoctaK clarified what he meant by "fun" that I better understand that point of view. As much as people get nervous, it's also a great opportunity to show yourself and the interviewer how far you've come, what your perspective is on various situations, and ultimately, that you should be there. Answering the interview prompts is just a means by which you demonstrate that excitement and to some that is quite exhilarating. From my experience, as much as I wanted to immerse myself in the scenario and enjoy thinking about these problems, I had to be more realistic, especially since I was placed so low pre-interview. For me... it definitely wasn't as much fun as it was a second chance so there was more pressure on me (whether or not that's appropriate is another discussion)

 

My point still stands on one theme.... "yourself" isn't enough if you only have a narrow vision, or have not comprehended the challenges of wicked problems that continue to exist in our society. Only by continued thinking and being exposed to more information across all aspects of society can you be more adept at the interview. Things like getting more life experience, reading more (newspapers, debate forums etc...), interacting with a diverse group of people more often, can help you develop a wider perspective and sharpen your critical thinking.

 

Hopefully that also clarifies my side as well. Regardless, there's no one way to get in... we can only do the best with what we have. It's more important that you do commit that effort if you want to get in.

[mmd7]

Besides medical ethics, learn about social determinants of health! Then you'll not only be golden for MMI and life, but I'll treat you to coffees and dinners as your new best friend! 

In this vein, if you're looking for a really good real-life book on this read "A Healthy Society" by Ryan Meili. It is a little bit political, but hes a practicing family physician in a low income neighborhood in Saskatoon and gives lots of real life examples of social determinants of health. It's only about 100 pages and it's a really lovely read. Since y'all have an NDP provincial government now, maybe  you'll be more open to the socialist undertones (or not as subtle overtones by the end)