UWO PRE -MEDICAL SOCIETY

ACADEMIC INFORMATION SESSION #1OCT. 19 , 2009SUNG HO UM

Preparing for Medical Schools

Objectives

What to expect?

Why medicine? Why not?

Medical schools

Application process

Resources/Websites

Why medicine?

ChallengingRewardingStabilityPlentiful employment opportunitiesOpportunities:

Clinical Teaching Research Administration

Why not?

DemandingPhysically and emotionally tiringMany years in school and trainingRequires support from:

Family Spouse Colleagues

Process

1. 3 or more years of undergraduate Possibly a graduate degree

2. Medical school: 3-4 years

3. Post-graduate training (Residency): 2-5 years

Depending on your specialization

Curriculum

3 to 4 years depending on the school No summers for a 3 year program

Year 1 & 2: basic and clinical sciences, pre-clerkship

Year 3 & 4: Clinical clerkship / electives (rotations)

Medical Schools

6 in Ontario

Most are 4 year programs McMaster is 3 years

100-250 students per school every year

~19,000 applications for 943 spots (2009)

http://www.ouac.on.ca/omsas

Application process

Ontario Medical School Admission Service (OMSAS)

American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS)

Out of province – individual websitesFactors:

Academics: GPA + MCAT Autobiographical Sketch, Personal statement, Short

answers Reference letters Geographical status

Academics

>80% average to be competitive

OMSAS GPA scale is used AMCAS and other schools have their own scale

Convert each grade into GPA and take the average

Some schools neglect summer/part-time marks

Different GPA formulas exist

GPA calculation

Academics

Example:Biology [80%] = 3.7Chemistry [84%] = 3.7Physics [85%] = 3.9Psychology [89%] = 3.9Calculus A [90%] = 4.0Calculus B [79%] = 3.3

Average = 84.5%GPA = (3.7x2 + 3.9x2 + 4.0x0.5 + 3.3x0.5)/5 =

3.77

Academics

MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test)4 sections:

Physical Sciences Verbal Reasoning Writing Sample Biological Sciences

Scaled score: PS,VR,BS 1-15; WS J-T5 hour examhttp://www.aamc.org/mcatPrep courses / materials available

Autobiographical Sketch

Maximum of 48 entries7 categories:

Education Employment Volunteer Extracurricular Awards/Accomplishments Research Other

Verifiers

Reference Letters

OMSAS requires 3 letters

Confidential Assessment Form + Letter

Referees should be individuals who know you well

Subject areas to be covered: Character, personal qualities, and academic capabilities

Qualities

MaturityTeam workRelate to othersIntegrityProblem solvingLeadershipCommunicationWell-rounded

Other considerations

SWOMEN

Rural Area

Out of Province

Aboriginal status

Refer to OMSAS guide or school websites

Interviews

The final stepTraditional formatMultiple Mini Interview (MMI) format

8 minute interviews, 12 stationsEthical, current issuesPrepare to talk about your activities

Practice! Mock-interviews

Start early

Work hard

Talk to people

Find out if this is for you

Be well-balanced

Resources/Websites

OMSAS: http://www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/

AMCAS: http://www.aamc.org/amcas/

MCAT: http://www.aamc.org/mcat/

Online forums exist but not official

Questions?

Summary: OMSAS / AMCAS

GPA calculations / MCAT

Biographical sketch / Letters of reference

Contact me at sum2@uwo.ca with more questions.