University of Calgary Medical School

This is another background post for those who are interested. There are 17 medical schools in Canada, all accredited by the same licensing body. What this means is that all the schools provide you with more or less the same 'quality' of education. The programs might be different in structure but each student has to pass the same exams at the end.

So, what makes Calgary unique and why did I choose it? Firstly the reason I went to Calgary is it felt right. That seems sort of nebulous and strange for a 'scientist' but there are some decisions you have to trust your gut on and this was one of them. The other thing is I had no guarantee of a spot at Queen's, even though I was on the list. I could have received word that I had a place the day after I took my name off the list, on the 25th of August or not at all and I wasn't prepared to gamble.

Calgary is a young school - the medical school started around 1970 and as such has a reputation as a 'young' school. It is innovative and on the cutting edge of clinical research as well as pedagogy. The biggest difference from the vast majority of Canadian schools is the 3 year program. Barring major sickness and failures I will graduate in May of 2012 which is less than 3 years away. Only one other Canadian school has this kind of program so it makes Calgary stand out. Instruction is based on 'schemes', cases, and presentations. Instead of taking five different classes - anatomy, pathology, pharmacology, microbiology, etc we have 7 different courses over the first two years of our degree. These courses have names like 'Blood, GI, and Fever'. We will study various presentations (e.g. a patient comes in with anemia) and then learn the various pathologies that could lead to anemia. Each course has a large number of lectures regarding the various components (anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, etc) but they are directed towards the specific presentation and case at hand. Our learning in the first two years comes in three forms - lectures, small group learning, and clinical core group learning. In small groups we discuss cases, lectures are self explanatory, and in clinical core group settings we visit the hospital and meet patients with the ailments we are discussing, as well as practicing clinical skills like intubation.

The third year of med school will be composed of the clerkship. During these 54 weeks we will go through a number of different rotations in the various core specialties - internal medicine, surgery, family medicine, ob/gyn, etc....and in three years I'll have an M.D.

All that will be left is to get into a good residency program, then perhaps a fellowship, and then find a job somewhere;-)