{"id":2342,"date":"2011-11-14T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2011-11-14T13:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindonmed.com\/?p=2342"},"modified":"2016-01-25T16:36:33","modified_gmt":"2016-01-25T21:36:33","slug":"canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/old.mindonmed.com\/2011\/11\/canada.html","title":{"rendered":"Medical School in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I was recently contacted by Jessica, a 21-year old 2nd year medical student at the University of Alberta in Canada, offering to teach us about Medical Education in Canada! She complete 3 years of undergrad in Vancouver, BC – her focus of study was Microbiology. Jessica runs the blog Atalanta’s Antics<\/a> and also tells me she’s a film nut, choir director, hockey pseudo-player, actor, pianist and BBC fan. This chick is the dictionary definition of well-rounded, y’all.<\/p>\n

If you’re new around here, let me explain. This post is an extension of the Medical Education Mondays<\/a> series I started a while back. In addition to random Med Ed information, I’ve had an array of fabulous guest bloggers share info on medical school in the United States, Belgium, United Kingdom, Spain, Egypt, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Greece, South Africa and the Dominican Republic. You can see these cool posts, as well as the rest of the Med Ed Monday series, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jessica’s Talks Medical School in Canada (frank additions by me are in orange<\/span>):<\/h3>\n

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Getting In:<\/h2>\n

At what age does one typically begin medical school?<\/strong>
\nIt varies. I started when I was 20, but I’m a bit young for my class since I got in after only 3 years of university. Technically, you only have to finish 2 years of undergrad to apply for the University of Alberta, but it’s extremely competitive at that point. Most people get in after finishing their Bachelor’s degree, so that makes them about 22-23 years old. There’s also a lot of Master’s and PhD students, as well as people who had a career before applying, so ages can range anywhere from 21 to 40.\u00a0Other schools are different \u2013 some require a finished degree, while others essentially require a Master’s to be competitive.<\/p>\n

What exams does one have to take to get in? <\/strong>
\nThe big one is the MCAT, just like in the United States<\/a>. It’s a 5-hour with 4 components:<\/p>\n

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  1. Physical Science (ex. physics, inorganic chem).<\/li>\n
  2. Biological Science (ex. biology, organic chem).<\/li>\n
  3. Verbal Reasoning (i.e. reading comprehension).<\/li>\n
  4. Writing Sample.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The first 3 are multiple choice and each are bell-curved and scored out of 15 (i.e. one year, getting 49\/52 may be a 14, another year may be a 12). The writing sample is ranked from J (lowest) to T (highest), so you end up with something like 10-9-10 R (29R)<\/span>. For the year I wrote it, I got a 11-11-11 Q (33Q)<\/span>, which was about the 86th<\/sup> percentile.<\/p>\n

    In addition to the MCAT, you also have to interview at each school you’re invited to, usually using the Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) format. This consists of a series of stations, each with a different topic or ethical dilemma to discuss with an interviewer. So, you’re not judged solely on one interview by one panel, but rather on multiple topics by multiple people.<\/p>\n

    Is there any required pre-requisite coursework?<\/strong>
    \nThis also depends on the school. The U of Alberta requires some general chemistry, organic chem, biology, physics, English, statistics, and biochemistry. Other schools like the University of Calgary don’t have a set list of courses.\u00a0That being said, you don’t have to be a science major to get in – in our class we’ve even got a photography major and a carpenter!<\/p>\n

    Is it a competitive occupation? <\/strong>
    \nYes. The acceptance rate is about 10% across the country, with about 50% of those getting interviews being accepted. Doctors are in extremely high demand right now, so they can make excellent money. It’s not uncommon for people to apply for several years before getting in. I applied to 3 schools and got interviews for all of them. However, I think due to my age, I was rejected from 2 and waitlisted for the school I’m in now. A few weeks later I was accepted, but there are a lot of excellent, intelligent people rejected each year.<\/p>\n

    What are you called at this stage of training? <\/strong>
    \nBefore getting in, you’re just an undergrad student. Some people identify themselves as “pre-med,” but given the 10% acceptance rate, I think it’s a bit presumptuous.<\/p>\n

    Being In:<\/h2>\n

    How long is it?<\/strong>
    \nFour years.<\/p>\n

    How are the years broken down?<\/strong><\/p>\n