r/MedSchoolCanada

Hey everyone! Hoping to get some guidance on ordering my stethoscope. Upper-year students from my school mentioned that there isn't a school group order, so I might as well order my stethoscope now.

I checked both Surgo Surgical Supply and Stethoscope.ca. Although it's slightly more expensive, I'd prefer to go with Stethoscope.ca, as I like that I can pick and see the font for the engraving. The one issue I'm coming across is that, although the site mentions they do free engraving, I seem to be getting a $6 charge whenever I try to add an engraving. Also, I've been trying to purchase through the student program, and some of my classmates have mentioned that they got a discounted price by going through that option, but I don't see any discount being added.

Wondering if anyone else had similar issues/found a solution? For context, I'm looking at a Littmann Classic III Stethoscope with an original price of $153 (no engraving) or $159 (w/ engraving) on stethoscope.ca. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m 27 and currently working at a health tech startup in NYC. I have the option to start medical school in Canada this year, and I’m trying to think carefully about the tradeoffs before making such a big career change.

I’ve always been interested in medicine and find the clinical path meaningful, but I’m weighing the length of training, lifestyle, opportunity cost, and what the day-to-day reality of medical school, residency, and practice actually looks like.

For context, I’m currently earning over $250k/year, so the opportunity cost is a real consideration.

I’d really appreciate perspectives from current Canadian medical students, residents, or physicians, especially anyone who entered medicine later or left another career. Are you happy with the decision? What do you wish you knew before starting?

Thanks in advance.

Hi folks, incoming MS1 and I’m just wondering what I can do to get ahead. I know that specialties are getting more competitive, and all I know at this point is family med is not appealing to me in the slightest. I have very few connections to medical doctors through family, so wondering what I can do right now to start

Anyone have thoughts on the ortho programs in Canada? Looking to hear about culture, operative exposure, work-life balance, strengths/weaknesses.

An incoming MS1 curious about volunteering while in school. Are there opportunities to volunteer through clubs/via the program or are most of your positions in external organizations? Thanks in advance!

Hey guys. I am a med3 going into med4 planning on applying pathology. Wanted to see what people think about DMP programs across the country.

I've read the Mac is pretty malignant but besides that I haven't really heard much about any of them. FWIW I am undecided on what fellowship I want to do, I am mainly interested in surgical pathology but I figure deciding on a specific fellowship is something to think about after matching into path.

I am also more interested in eventually doing practicing in the community rather than being super-hyper academic FWIW.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

MS1 here, starting this September! I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by the lack of a clear "roadmap". Outside of just passing classes, I’m trying to figure out how to structure my time, especially since I'm mostly undecided on a specialty (I have a slight interest in EM from prior first-responder work, but I really want to explore broadly).

I would love some advice from upper years and residents on a few specific things:
Research & ECs: How crucial are these during pre-clerkship? Are they strictly for CaRMS building, or do people use them primarily to test out specialties? What types of extracurriculars or research should I actually be looking into right now?

Shadowing & Networking: How do you actually initiate early shadowing, and how much does networking matter at this stage compared to clerkship?

Matching: Am I overthinking the match timeline by worrying about it this early? What actually moves the needle most for a successful match when you're still undecided? Do they look at grades at all?

Would love any insight on how you balanced curriculum survival with early residency portfolio building. Thanks so much!

So I failed a block in year 1. The faculty is having me take a term off essentially and repeat the course when it’s offered next year. I was told that there is still a possibility to graduate on time with my class. It’ll go on my transcript and MSPR. Just want to know how this will affect CARMS for competitive surgery specialties and what I should do? Feeling quite hopeless at this point and not sure what to expect moving forward.

incoming med student, just had a couple advisor meetings with scotiabank, and have picked up on some niche advice that i would not have known otherwise.

- tenant insurance is apparently offered at a discounted rate via OMA

- was told that even if i don't contribute to my FHSA, i should still open it to have my 5 years of contribution room because you can reduce your taxable income but being aware of the 15 year time limit to buying a home with it (so opening it around third/fourth year)

any other advice thats not immediately known?

Hey! I'm about to start my second year of medical school in Ontario, and I'm feeling pretty anxious about residency and choosing a specialty.

I'm looking for advice from physicians or residents who have been through this before.

I don't come from a medicine background and I'm the first person in my family to pursue anything in healthcare. Before medical school, I genuinely didn't realize how early you had to start thinking about specialization, or that the decision would likely shape the rest of your career.

I've always known that I value a positive team environment, being surrounded by kind and respectful colleagues, and having a lifestyle that I'll still enjoy when I'm 50. Going into medical school, family medicine seemed like the obvious fit because it was really the only model of a physician I knew.

Then I started shadowing. Someone I was close with previously (not any longer) introduced me to psychiatry. I never considered it before but decided to give it a chance and I ended up becoming really interested because it seemed to fit me surprisingly well. I did a lot of qualitative research in undergrad, and I've realized that's just how my brain likes to think. Every psychiatry team I've shadowed has been incredibly supportive and welcoming, and the research I've been involved in has been some of the most fulfilling and least stressful work I've done. I especially loved consultation-liaison psychiatry.

The funny thing is, I never imagined myself in psychiatry before medical school. Honestly, I didn't even know the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist until recently. But looking back, I spend a ridiculous amount of my free time watching psychological analyses of TV show characters, so maybe I've always been interested without realizing it. I also wonder if I've had some internal resistance because of the stigma around psychiatry. It's never been a field I really allowed myself to seriously consider until now.I also don't want to feel like I am only pursuing a specialty because someone I used to be close with introduced me to it.

At the same time, I've noticed that I haven't really given other specialties a fair chance. Aside from psychiatry, I only shadowed orthopedics and ophthalmology during first year. Part of that was simply not having enough time between studying, research, and extracurriculars.

But I also wonder if I'm subconsciously avoiding exploring more competitive specialties because I don't think I want to do what it takes to match into them. I came into medical school with the goal of protecting my own well-being and not making medicine my entire identity.

The part I'm struggling with is this: whenever I talk to classmates or upper years pursuing ophthalmology, dermatology, anesthesia, or other competitive specialties, I get this nagging feeling that if I don't at least try for one of those, I'm somehow wasting this opportunity. I'm in a stage of life where I'm single, don't have children, and have relatively few responsibilities. Part of me wonders whether this is the one time in my life where I could chase something highly competitive if I wanted to.

What confuses me is that psychiatry genuinely feels like the best fit. If I ignored prestige and competitiveness completely, I think it's where I'd naturally end up.

But I'm not completely at peace with that decision. I worry that I'm settling too early because people say psychiatry has a good lifestyle and is less competitive, rather than because I've fully explored what's out there.

I had an upper-year tell me they were applying to ophthalmology knowing they might not match, and that if it didn't work out they'd happily do internal medicine instead. It made me wonder whether I should also just pursue a competitive specialty, not because I necessarily want it more, but so that years from now I can tell myself I really explored my options and won't have any regrets. This is what actually prompted me to shadow ophthalmology and despite not liking fast paced stuff, I've noticed I've kind of been pushing myself to seek out opthomology opportunities.

On the other hand, I know that pursuing a competitive specialty would probably change my entire medical school experience. It would mean more pressure, more research, more networking, more stress, and sacrificing some of the balance that I specifically came into medicine wanting to protect.

I guess my question is: how do you know whether you're choosing a specialty because it's genuinely the right fit, versus because you're unconsciously limiting yourself versus because you've been influenced by what other people are doing? How do you balance wanting to keep doors open with not spending four years chasing something that doesn't actually align with the life you want?

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who's gone through something similar!

I know residency is really hard. But what is life like after residency. Hours worked? Days off?

I don’t want to be weird here. I had a very abusive ex when he was in med school and I moved to get away from him. Recently, I learned he matched to a program but I have no idea where in Canada it is.. I assume it was either an emerge or family med residency. I just wonder if there’s a way to figure out where he is so I know if he’s in my vicinity or not. I just want to know for my own sanity.

I'm an incoming R1 in family medicine and I have never fully grasped derm. I have a hard time differentiating the various lesions and feel like a lot of the time I'm guessing.

Anyone have really good resources for the general practitioner??

TYIA!

Incoming MS1 and am quite stressed about finances and trying to plan everything out! Does anyone have a spreadsheet they use that they’d be willing to share? I saw Budget Your MD has one, but it’s $14.99, has anyone tried that?

Also any tips in general on keeping up with expenses, budgeting, and managing an LOC in general as a med student would be appreciated!

Basically the title, but if any upper years have any insight on how to stand out during rotations (especially for surgery), tips on asking for reference letters, should you ask to stay late and come in on the weekends?

Thank you :)

Edit: Thank you for all the responses <3

Hey everyone, I'm wondering if anyone knows how having a pre-existing condition affects disability insurance coverage?

I'm an incoming medical student at UBC. I attended the financial presentation put on by the university the other day, and in it they mentioned that having a pre-existing condition will complicate the insurance coverage. Personally, I have a permanent disability. Although it's been super well managed, I could have a flare up in the future that could force me to take time off school.

Anyhow, if anyone has experience with this and feels comfortable sharing, I'd love to hear what you have to say.

Sometimes I feel like I have become a worse person since I started medical school almost a year ago... I feel like I no longer have joy for anything or anyone. At this point, I feel like the only thing motivating me to study is how much I fear failure, and not particularly any love of the material. I was unable to make close friends, don't really find the mandatory lectures helpful (I mostly learn from third party resources), and I am just tired all of the time.

I feel like everyone else in my class is enjoying medical school a lot more than I am and I feel like a total freak. Is it normal to feel such a lack of energy and sadness during medical school?

Im a non trad, non medicine/bio/chem background. I took the MCAT last year and studying went well but I know its mostly 1st year undergrad level content on the MCAT. All the advice I see for incoming students is to not study during the summer before school starts but im wondering if non-trads feel the same way? Im worried that if I dont prepare somewhat in the summer, the material wont come as easily to me or I'll have basic conceptual gaps which will set me behind.

For the non-trads finished MS1/2, did you study before MS1 and whether you did or didnt, how did it go?

I am not sure if this is too early to think of, but I am an incoming MS1 and was hoping to return home to Toronto and settle/practice there. I'm not going to a program in Toronto, so I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to set myself up for a better chance to match back?

TYIA