I’m currently a medical student in my third year of studies at the University of Ottawa (volet francophone). If you have any questions about the admissions process for MD or MD/PhD programs in Canada, I’d be more than happy to help! Keep in mind that I applied during the 2015-2016 cycle, and so my information may be a bit outdated. You can find up-to-date information about admissions on each Faculty of Medicine website, as well as OMSAS for Ontario medical schools.
What do I want to do with this? When I began medical school, my objective was to become one of the first reproductive endocrinologists (aka: fertility specialists) practicing in Northern Ontario. However, as I’ve progressed through my training I’ve encountered many other aspects of medicine that fascinate me and find myself expanding from a specialist mindset to a generalist approach. I’ve learned that though I derive a great sense of accomplishment from being really, really good at one thing (hence my initial desire to specialize), I’m also someone who is easily bored when I’m only doing one thing. A career that can grow and evolve with me coupled with the lifelong task of becoming really good (and possibly even really, really good) at just about everything sounds like the type of path I’d love to wander down.
After medical school, my current goal is to pursue a residency in internal medicine (with plans of becoming an endocrinologist) and subsequently work a bit in various communities in Northern Ontario. I plan to take a year-long leave at some point to study bioethics (another area that I’m strongly passionate about), and I’m entertaining pursuing a part-time PhD while locuming thereafter – translational research is still an area I’d like to establish myself in. These are longer-term plans, of course – for the time being, I’m focusing on completing medical school and figuring out how best to balance everything (it’s getting easier in some ways and harder in others). 🙂
Posts on Medicine
Note: this study guide was for the version of the MCAT before 2015. It’s a bit sassy. 😉 While the ressources I used are dated, it outlines the way I structured a busy summer while self-studying. It might be of use to people who can’t or don’t want to devote hours and hours a day to studying or spend the money required for a prep course.
Northern demoiselle 