Everyone knows there's a doctor shortage in Canada. Yet every year, thousands of potential future doctors are turned away.
First-year medical students dissect a cadaver at a gross anatomy lab. Many applicants never get that chance. Photo: Charles Dharapak/The Canadian Press
First-year medical students dissect a cadaver at a gross anatomy lab. Many applicants never get that chance. Photo: Charles Dharapak/The Canadian Press
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In 2009, there were almost 5,000 qualified applicants to the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton alone. Only 194 were accepted. At Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine in Halifax, only 102 of almost 700 applicants made it in. It's something that happens at med schools across the country every year. What are these applicants lacking? What are they missing to make the final cut?
Maybe nothing.
There just aren't enough seats at Canadian medical schools.
For med school hopefuls, there are plenty of hoops to jump through: writing the MCAT, getting prerequisite courses, tons of volunteer work, hunting down reference letters, and filling out supplementary applications. Despite the overwhelming requirements, thousands of Canadians manage to jump through these hoops every year. But the vast majority are turned away. Even with a high GPA and great extracurricular experience, there are no guarantees. Because of caps set by the government, med school seats are extremely limited, despite the shortage of doctors across the country.
"We have excellent candidates every year that have to be turned down," acknowledges Dr. Evelyn Sutton, Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean Admissions at Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. "We need more seats."
But Dr. Sutton is quick to add that it's not as simple as just adding more seats. "The capacity of each medical school to continue to provide quality education depends on many things. Physical limitations such as lab space and classroom size for example, vary from school to school. In addition, increased class size usually means the need for more teachers.
"Clinicians are not the only teachers in medical schools, but they do carry a significant burden of both undergraduate and postgraduate training. And, because of the physician shortage, most are already overworked and doing more than one job."
One thing is certain, the competition to fill those limited seats is fierce. So what does it take to get into med school in Canada today, and what are applicants' chances?
Some med schools — such as McMaster and the University of British Columbia — set relatively low minimum GPA requirements: a 70-per-cent grade for UBC and a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for McMaster. At first glance, it might appear that even those with less-than-perfect marks have a great shot at getting into med school, right? Wrong.
In 2009, the entering class at UBC had a GPA of 84.06 per cent, and at McMaster, a 3.89. For those who were successful at getting into McMaster, 112 of them had a GPA between 3.9 and 4.0. You might be able to apply with a 3.0, but you're definitely not going to get in.
However, at every med school in Canada, it isn't all about the marks. A near perfect GPA isn't an automatic seat anywhere.
When asked what the Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie looks for in an ideal candidate, Dr. Sutton said, "It's the complete package." An applicant has to be able to show they can handle a full work load, along with extracurricular activities, said Dr. Sutton. "Being smart isn't enough."
Applicants also need to be involved in their communities, with a full life outside of their school work. One of Dalhousie's successful applicants was a World Champion Jump-Rope Skipper. "Of course, it's not the only reason why she got in," said Dr. Sutton, adding that they're looking for people who also have excellent time management skills.
"Medicine is no way as glamorous as it looks on TV."
At McGill's Faculty of Medicine in Montreal, Dr. Saleem Razack, Assistant Dean at the office of Admissions, says that in addition to a holding a high GPA, the ideal candidate has a combination of intellectual abilities, excellent communication skills, and is highly articulate. He agrees it's highly competitive.
"Admissions to medicine is tightly controlled."
For those applicants who make it to the interview stage, most med schools in Canada now use the Multiple Mini Interview. There are ten stations, each presenting a unique scenario or question for med school hopefuls to overcome. Typically, you have two minutes to read the instructions, and then eight minutes to respond.
Some med schools give example scenarios on their websites, such as "the parking garage." A garage attendant witnesses you backing into a neighbouring car, knocking out its left front headlight and denting the left front fender. He gives you the name and office number of the owner, and tells you that he's calling ahead to the car owner, Tim, who's now expecting your visit.
Enter Tim's office.
Having to confront an angered car owner might sound stressful. But that's the point. Dr. Sutton says the mini interviews provide some insight into an applicant's ethics, communication, and problem-solving skills. Which means there's a bright side: You don't have to study for the interview. You're being tested for personality traits, and you either have them, or you don't. Other than doing something really stupid, like showing racist tendencies, there aren't any deal breakers set in stone, either.
"A first great or a first terrible impression don't seal the deal either way," said Dr. Harold Reiter, Chair of the M.D. Program Admissions at the School of Medicine at McMaster University.
Emily Lehan knows first-hand just how challenging getting into med school can be. The biological science grad from the University of Guelph is currently attending the University of Waterloo to upgrade her marks after applying to med school and not making it in. "I could only apply to two schools, though, with the prerequisites I had."
For those select few who do land one of those rare seats, job prospects after graduation are pretty much unlimited. Guaranteed work in your chosen profession — how many other jobs can promise that?
But what happens if applicants don't make it in?
"If I don't make it into med school, I'll go ahead with a PhD," says Russell Sterrett, in Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo. "I doubt that I'd consider applying to med school outside of Canada."
Joshua Abraham, a biomedical sciences student at the University of Waterloo, who hopes to eventually do missionary work overseas, has a backup plan if he doesn't make it in. "If I do not get accepted to med school on my first application I would apply for graduate work in the area of biology and then reapply after having that completed. I would also apply to [med schools in] the United States."
For Emily Lehan, her plan B is applying to med school again. And again.
"My plan B is currently in action, and that is to improve the qualifications on my application until I can get in. For me, becoming a physician is not something which I decided on a whim. I plan to apply the old adage 'if at first you don't succeed, try and try again' to my medical school application process. In the interim I will continue to pursue careers in various aspects of health care."
When asked what his best advice is for anyone serious about making it into med school, Dr. Barry Ziola, Director of Admissions and Student Affairs at the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, said it takes more than just excellent marks to get into medicine.
"Work hard, play hard, study hard. Make yourself a well-rounded applicant."
Special to The Globe and Mail
