It's that time of the year again when medical students are examined on their clinical skills. This exam is what's known as the OSCE (Objective structured clinical examination). This exam has the exact structure as MMI (multiple mini interviews). In fact I believe MMI was created based on the structure of OSCEs. Basically, there are 10 stations. Each station has a stem about a patient. Based on the information provided by the stem, you'd have to either take a history or perform physical exams, if not both. Although UofT curriculum includes a weekly clinical course (ASCM - Art and Sciences of Clinical Medicine), we really don't get much practice for many of the clinical exams. This makes preparing for OSCE that much more challenging.

Here is a list of what we are expected to know:

As some of you may know, admission offers just went out today. A HUGE CONGRATS to those who've made it! For those who are less fortunate - never give up. Many people gained admission to medical school after many tries, so the dream ends only when you stop trying. I've just started two threads in the forum - one for people who've received admission offers to share their achievement and to discuss what had made them successful. Another thread was created for those who've either gotten wait-listed or was declined of admission to discuss areas that may have went wrong as well as how they can improve.

I'd like to start this blog with a short video:

It's no secret that the medical profession is prestigious. The society often looks up to physicians and equates the word "doctor"  with "intelligence, wealth, and importance". It's no lie that physicians play an important role in society. But what are the consequences of putting the medical profession on such a high pedestal? Not only can it breed a sense of elitism and entitlement within the medical profession, it can also motivate people to pursue a career in medicine for all the wrong reasons.

When most people hear about plastic surgery, they think nose jobs, breast augmentation, botox, etc. Mental references to Dr. Christian Troy from Nip/Tuck may come to mind - the cash, the cars, the glory, and the girls.  Even among premeds and medical students, plastic surgery can often be viewed as a superficial specialty with a cushy income. Is this general perception accurate? Based on my exposures, I'd have to say no. To quote Dr. Borschel, "The goals of plastic surgery are threefold: (1) to alter surgically the form and function of anatomy - either normal or pathologic; (2) to improve quality of life; and (3) to preserve life itself. Just to get a sense of the breadth of the field, the following sub-specialties all fall into the realm of plastics surgery: 1) Cosmetic surgery 2) Burn surgery 3) Craniofacial surgery 4 .....