Medical School Spotlight: University of Ottawa
What is a typical week for a Ottawa medical student?
It varies between preclerkship (ie. first and second year), and clerkship (third and fourth year). In preclerkship, we would start classes (lectures, case-based small group learning, anatomy/histology/radiology/pathology in the laboratory) usually from 8:30-12:30pm, or sometimes 8:30-4:30pm once per week for the afternoon Physician Skills Development session. We have most of the afternoons off, where students choose a variety of things including preclerkship electives (i.e. observership), extracurricular activities, study, and many more. Clerkship is different, as students have clinical duties during the day (eg. 7:30-5pm for pediatrics).
Why should I pick Ottawa over other medical schools?
There many advantages of attending uOttawa medical school! Notably, as mentioned earlier, we have afternoon flexibilities where we can do different things including preclerkship electives (aka observership) in the speciality you may be interested in, extracurricular activities such as surgery interest group, study, or just city exploration. Additionally, our class size is decent and allows us to know each and everyone relatively well. Furthermore, uOttawa has a number of great teaching programs such as Cardiology and Emergency Medicine.
How can you make your application stand out for this medical school?
Based on the medical students and physicians I’ve interacted with, there’s no straight formula to medical school acceptance. Every applicant is unique in their own way. The best advice is to have a well balanced application – it’s great to have a mix of research, extracurricular activities that appropriately reflect the CanMEDS roles. For instance, you can use team sports competition to illustrate your role as a collaborator or communicator. Additionally, say if you’re involved in an academic research project, try to emphasize how you are meeting the roles of a scholar.
