Info on Sask Med??

[PARTY cal]

Hello,
Can someone please provide me with some info on your med program. I have not heard a lot about it, and this board seems very quiet.
So, What is the teaching format (PBL or Traditional? How does this med school rank to others in Canada? Which med school is Sask most similar to? How many OOP applicants are accepted??

Any other info would be great

Thanks

[kosmo14]

Hi PartyCal I hope I can answer most of you questions.

I will start out by saying that I really enjoy med here at UofS. We have some really good profs., and like every other schools some not so good ones, but the good ones outnumber the bad.

Our school currently runs on the traditional format of teaching. I say currently because it is changing. The college is in the process of making some pretty dramatic changes to the curriculem, all of which look to be really positive.

As far as ranking med schools, I don't think you can rank medical schools as each has its strengths. A couple of our strengths are small class size, and I have been told our clerks get considerably more independance than at other schools, therefore producing very strong clinicians. Our students are able to match into thier 1rst choice specialty about 90% of the time, and they match into all sorts of specialties at almost every school. Therefore we remain competitive when it comes to residency.

Downsides to UofS: Research, library, its damn cold here in the winter.

There are usually 6 spots reserved for OOP residents. In this years class we have 1 from Dalhousie, 1 from UofC, 1 from Simon Fraser, a couple more from NS (not too sure what school).

I think that UofS is a great med school, and I wouldn't choose any other at this point.

Hope this helps.

[PARTY cal]

Hi Kosmo14,

Thank you so much for the information...UofS sounds great. I really like the idea of having the opportuniy to see patients in the first year. I know that at UofA you are not in the hospital unitl after second year. I don't understand why some people say UofS is not a great medical school?

I just received notice about an interview, so I am really excited about that. Can you describe to me what the interview format will be?

Thanks

[kosmo14]

When you arrive you will sign in at a table, then you will be assigned to an usher, one of the 1st year meds. This person can show you around or just talk to you. Take advantage of this person. My usher last year was awesome and I actually walked into the interview without any nervousness. When it is time for your interview the usher will lead you to your interview room, most likely an office. There are 4 interviewers: 1 physician, 1 upper year med student, 1 faculty member (may also be a physician), and one community member. The interview is 45 mins. It goes extremely fast, and before you know it the 5 minute warning knock is given, signifying 5 minutes to go so wrap it up.

My interview started with "Tell me about yourself", and then from there it goes pretty much where you want it. Take that opportunity to highlight what you want them to focus on. Know your current events internationally, nationally, and provincially (Sask. and the province you come from-some OOP people I know were asked questions related to their home province).

My biggest advice is relax, enjoy your conversation. UofS interviews are pretty laid back.

Good luck, and I hope it goes great.

As far as people thinking UofS is not a great medical school, that generally comes from stupidity. It is pretty hard to judge the quality of a different medical school if you don't attend it. I would never pass judgement on another school in Canada because I would have no basis for that judgement.

[QM6]

Hey,

Just want to echo what kosmo14 said - U of S is a great school, and its rep for graduating excellent clinicians is well deserved. This Christmas I came home and did an observership at the Regina General Hospital and got to see some of the JURSIs/clerks in action, the amount of exposure and cases you see is phenomenal. What's more, the small class size will definitely make the four years a fun and amazing time.

The U of S interviews are really relaxed, you have the freedom to talk about most anything; the only "complaint" I had was that the interview room was a bit tight for 4...

I found a U of S med student site, duke.usask.ca/~ss_sms (http://duke.usask.ca/~ss_sms) - don't know if it'll have any info though.

Good luck!

[doctorbones]

The one thing that I didn't like about the Sask interview compared to others was the number of interviewers. It is difficult to maintain eye contact with 4 different people. To better prepare yourself for this factor, I suggest doing a mock interview with a comparable group of people. And remember, pause before every question, as to avoid blurting things out, don't rush, there is no need to, just relax.

Some of the questions I remember being asked were:
-What I thought about Saskatchewan
-My opinion on the situation in Afghanistan
-My involvement in cultural activities
-The last book I read

Some of the questions I was asked at other schools include:
-Thoughts on various ethical dilemmas (examples: If I had a patient with an STD would I inform their wife of the risk? If I knew a colleague was doing something wrong, what would I do?)
-How I work within small groups
-My thoughts on approaching health care with respect to certain cultural or religious groups, would I change the way I approach the situation?
-How do I deal with stress?
-How we should go about dealing with doctor shortages
-How would my friends describe me?

Last year there were 5 OOP students accepted to U of Sask out of 168 OOP applicants (34 obtained interviews). I was accepted off of the wait list as were others in the class. The OOP waitlist moved fairly fast since Sask is not everyone's first choice to live. So even though the numbers seem daunting, there is definitely a decent chance of gaining OOP admission. In order to pass the interview you need a score of 16/24. Last year interview scores of people who got in ranged between 16-24, and I know of an OOP student with a score of 16. This score was converted to a score of 25, and the remaining 75 points is obtained from your GPA for your best two years. This year there are 2 OOP students from Dalhousie, 1 from Saint Mary's, 1 from Simon Fraser and 1 from U of C.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

[PARTY cal]

Kosmo14, QM6, and doctorbones,

Thank you very much for the information. I am so excited now to visit the school and have my interview. UofS sounds like a great place for me and I look forward to learning more about the school.

Can one of you tell me if we will receive a tour of the medical school and hospital?

Once again thank you for the help

[QM6]

Hey partycal,

We got a really informal tour with two of the first years of the school and Royal University Hospital (connected to the school by a tunnel - crucial in Saskatchewan winters, let me tell you!). By "informal" I just mean it wasn't really scheduled or anything, just a bunch of us were hanging out after our interview and we asked for one. Maybe kosmo14 or doctorbones are planning a social/orientation programme this year?

It's true about the interview though - with 4 ppl all watching you it's hard to keep eye contact with all of them. Sometimes at other interviews they say you need to try to bring everyone in to the discussion (usually the community person), but here I would say not to think about it too much, just concentrate on your answers and saying what you mean to say.

Good luck!

[doctorbones]

I asked Heather in admissions today about tours, and she said that there were ones last year although they hadn't planned for them this year yet. She said that there will be ushers at the interviews. She will ask our class for volunteers after the break. So even if there are no formal tours planned, take advantage of your interview usher. I'm sure they wouldn't mind answering all your questions and showing you around a little.:D