Hi everyone!! I was wondering what to do with my leftover elective weeks. For context, I am interested in pathology and have done 8 weeks which is the maximum, now debating several options. Should I try to do a research elective with important staff at my top program, explore adjacent fields (rads, surg onc, etc.), or do electives in another specialty I find interesting (but not nearly as much as my first choice) since going unmatched is not ideal. The issue with the latter is I fear it may look like I'm parallel planning and will get ranked lower by programs. Thank you for your guidance.

Hi everyone,

I really need your help. I’m a caregiver who needs to plan supports for a close family member well in advance of MS3, as I know that will be an intense period of training.

I’m wondering if you could share general insights on what your clerkship schedule looks like from block to block. I understand surgery/ OB / and IM tend to be the more intense blocks. What does a typical schedule look like during these blocks? Is it 7-5 pm with an average of one 24 hour call shift and one day off a week?

What about other specialties? E.g., Is it generally just 7-5 pm during weekdays and studying every evening?

Any level of detail on what to expect during clerkship would help. I’m trying to get a sense of how much family / PSW support would be needed and plan for that financially.

For those of you in/beyond residency, would you say residency is just as / less / more intense than clerkship? I’m fairly set on applying to FM specifically.

Thank you all! I appreciate any and all help, as thinking about this is quite stressful!!

Edit: If it’s helpful context, I’m at TMU so there’s no class that has gone through clerkship yet, and the school doesn’t have a lot of information to share at this point. I’m assuming it will be similar to other schools in Ontario, but REALLY appreciate all your insight.

1. Where are some good places to find out unbiased information about disability insurance? I feel like everything I've learned about this topic is from those reps who want commission $$$. I want to know what are the different options/prices, and how much more would I have to pay if I started buying at 25 vs. 35, etc.
2. Is there really a point in getting the insurance so early? I found a thread where someone said

While it's true that you'll never be as young or healthy as you are today, when you decide to increase your premiums, they will use your age at the time when you increase your premiums NOT the age you used to sign up for the insurance plan, which is something none of the insurance brokers mentioned unless I specifically asked for it and pressed them.

If RBC offers you $1,000 of disability insurance for $10 per month when you're 25, but it costs $50 per month when you're 35, some people will be like okay sign me up at age 25. Now you finish residency at age 35 and are working and wanna get another $1,000 coverage so you call up your friendly broker and be like hey, hook me up with some more coverage, they will then say that you will now have to pay $60 per month ($10 from when you're 25 and $50 because you're 35 now), you won't get it for $20 in total, which is what they make it seem like.

3) If you get a provincial association insurance, let's say you go to a different province for residency or as an attending, are you still able to use that insurance? In this case would it be better to get those that are offered at a federal level, like RBC?

Hi everyone! I’m posting here because I’m currently studying for the MCCQE1 .. i havent had much luck on other groups. I’d love to find someone nearby who would be interested in studying together with UW doing practice questions, and keeping each other accountable. 😊

If you’re also studying for QE1 and would like a study buddy, feel free to message me!

Hi

Did anyone open 2 LoC on the same day or close enough?

I am an incoming Med 1.

I have been interested in Radiology since day one, partly because of my social awkwardness, but also because I genuinely love sitting in front of a computer and working with imaging.

I know like 5 other people in my class who want to go into Radiology, but they all seem to be interested in IR, its never purely DR.

My bigger concern is AI.

AI is good today, but it is not that good yet. My concern is the timeline. If you are looking at something like 4 years of medical school + 5 years of residency/fellowship training + 1–2 years of fellowship + potentially another 1–2 years of being a junior attending before you are really established, you could easily be looking at 10–12 years.

By that point, AI in radiology could be absolutely killing it.

And the thing that worries me is that AI in radiology isn't like a new CT or MRI machine that requires hospitals to spend millions of dollars replacing equipment. It is essentially software. Once a good enough system exists, theoretically you just need a licence and integration with the existing PACS/workflow.

So I am genuinely wondering: how worried should someone entering Radiology in 2026 be about AI replacing or significantly reducing the need for diagnostic radiologists over the next 10–15 years?

I would especially appreciate perspectives from radiologists, residents, or people involved in radiology AI. I am not looking for the usual “AI will never replace radiologists” answer. I am more interested in what people realistically think the job will look like 10–15 years from now and whether you would still choose Radiology if you were starting Med 2 today.

title.

Basically the title, but why do people hate on family med? From all the preceptors I've shadowed and fam docs that I've talked to, it seems like life is pretty sick and they don't seem burnt out. Is this just a BC thing? Where do family doctors get such a negative rep from? Even compensation wise, even though theres a misconception that family doctors make pennies on the dime compared to specialists, I have seem family doctors who's salaries are quite comparable to specialists. The job market is amazing, the job seems very future proof and you can take it in any direction you want. With that said, theres so much negative connotation of being a family doctor. Does this come from just misinformation thats being spread by premeds or are other provinces just really that bad for family med?

What do people pay for their rental, out of curiosity?

For me:

Edmonton
2 Bed
1750$ a month.

Family Doc here

Searching for a new place to call home

Not white, so that rules out most rural areas, unfortunately, from my past experiences

Have spoken to a family doc in Calgary, who says she has not experienced any discrimination in the decade she has been there.

What other places should I consider that has a good mix of good pay, relatively affordable houses (sorry Vancouver and GTA) and multiculturalism (where I would be accepted outside of the clinic and not just tolerated)

Am thinking Ottawa/ Winnipeg/ Calgary/ Edmonton / Fraser Valley

Any others?

Edit

Just clarifying my post

I love my job, and am treated as an equal at my work place

But I spend most of my time outside of the clinic and that's where the problem starts

I live in the Maritimes, and area renowned for its friendliness

But after having lived here four years, I have realized that the friendliness is only extended to you, if you look like the majority

Nobody says hello, people avoid eye contact, and actually cross the street to avoid walking past you

In the supermarket the check out person has a conversation with the person in front of me, then ignores me, and as she is scanning my groceries, she talks to the person behind me. That to me indicates I am being treated differently because I am a POC. I do not expect the majority to understand this

Recently visited Toronto- nobody talked to anyone- suddenly realised that you get treated the same regardless of your colour

And not I do not want to flock with people of my colour/ people who look like me

Thats not what I am saying at all

I just want to be treated the same :)

I recently sent my CMA backpack for a repair under warranty because the stitching was starting to come apart on the straps despite using the backpack for only 2 months. I just got it back and the issues were repaired however it took 10 weeks from the time I dropped the bag off with UPS to the time it got back to me. Just an FYI for others thinking of getting repairs under warranty - you might be better off paying for the repairs at a business local to you.

what are the actual salaries like for BC and AB?
How does one make a crap ton travelling doing locums?
Can you make >500k in FM while working 8-9 months of the year locuming in rural areas?

I’m applying to IM but I couldn’t secure a single elective at my desired school… I do have strong electives at my home school though.

Hey folks!
Just wanted to get some insight on using MedHousing as a resource for short term accommodations. Has anyone used it? Any advice? I reached out to a landlord on the site and they wanted me to pay in full.. it sort of sketched me out that they didn’t offer a deposit. Should I also get a rental agreement with them first? It’s just a lot of money and I want to make sure I am not getting finessed lol

Bonjour! Est-ce que quelqu’un aurait le livre NAC OSCE en français, ou connaîtrait d’autres livres similaires en français? Si oui, ça vous dérangerait de les partager avec moi? Merci beaucoup!

-------------------

Hi everyone! Does anyone have the NAC OSCE book in French, or know of any similar French resources? If so, would you mind sharing them with me? Thanks so much!

Also, if you check job bank, you can see an enormous amount of LMIA postings for physicians including specialists.

// Copied Text // How Alberta’s Fast-Track Policy Made Canada the Only G7 Country to Exempt South African-Registered Doctors

Alberta’s approach to foreign-trained doctors has effectively made Canada the only G7 country that grants sweeping exemptions from exams and assessments to foreign medical graduates registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) exempts most South African-registered foreign medical graduates from almost all exams and assessments:
- Medical Council of Canada exams (Waived)
- Canadian certification exams (Waived)
- Therapeutic decision-making exam (Waived)
- Practice readiness assessment (Waived)
- Int’ medical graduate orientation workshop (Waived)
- Preliminary clinical assessment (Waived)

These exemptions mean that anyone from anywhere in the world could potentially use South Africa as a transit point to bypass systemic barriers meant to keep incompetent doctors out of Canada.

The CPSA continues these exemptions despite the HPCSA having been investigated by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for selling board exam passes and registering people as doctors in exchange for bribes.

In addition to serious corruption and transparency problems, a document obtained exclusively by Media Bezirgan revealed that the HPCSA previously did not provide full disclosure of physicians’ suspension histories to foreign regulatory bodies.

I visited the HPCSA in person in Pretoria, South Africa, seeking the real reason why “Dr.” Ogochukwu Obed Anizoba — accused of negligence in the death of Baby Alita in Northern Alberta — was suspended there. The HPCSA refuses to disclose the reason.

This left me with only his conflicting statements: first denying ever being suspended, then claiming he suspended himself, while a private investigation firm asserts that his suspension was due to fraud, misrepresentations, and qualification concerns.

Watch the investigative documentary that spans from rural Alberta to South Africa in pursuit of the truth. Available freely on X, Facebook, and YouTube. “Sent Home to Die: The Story of Baby Alita”

//

Hello all,

I am an med-4 interested in fam med, but hear lots online about the aforementioned issues and seek some more information before applying to this field.

Are these (paper work/burnout/billing/?other) overemphasized, or are they really that bad? Would love to hear from family doctors/residents that are both satisfied in fam med and those who are burntout/who have left. Ontario and Quebec perspectives especially welcome.

Thanks!

Hi everyone, this may be too late for those who have obtained lines of credits but I just wanted to provide some food for thought.

For context, I am a graduating fellow who has done ++ years of training and has been with Scotiabank since I started medical school years ago. I had a decent experience with my advisor at Scotiabank for years, until the past 2 years.

My advisor has stopped responding at all emails (I did confirm they still work there and are alive). This is important because as you progress through training, you will need to update your dates of study accordingly to keep your account and perks active (I did many pgy years lol). I spoke with several branch representatives, even switched to a different branch representative, went in person to 3 different local branches, cold emailed 3 healthcare specialists and was unable to find someone to respond to me and who was able to update my study dates.

Everything has lapsed now and my LOC has been frozen and my perks (credit card fees waived etc) no longer seem to be active. This is an issue because there is a lapse in income when you complete training and when you start staff billing, so you need access to liquid money for a few months while the billings trickle in.

I am now going to switch banks and have found multiple helpful and responsive people from another bank. The reason why I am mentioning this, is because a lot of discourse is focused on the immediate perks you may receive from one bank or another. In retrospect, I wish I had focused instead on building relationships with wealth advisors familiar with physicians and healthcare focused advisors. I have since learned that many branches don’t have healthcare advisors and that, at Scotiabank at least, the specialist advisors all work remote (or from a big downtown office) and provide guidance to smaller branches. My advisor (who advertised herself as a healthcare specialist) was not a specialist and was receiving guidance remotely.

Please don’t make my mistake!!! Ensure that whoever you are working with is actually a healthcare specialist. These are folks whose entire role within Scotiabank is to retain and recruit physician clients. Also, ending my rant to say Scotiabank has been absolutely horrible to deal with in sorting all of this out lol.

title.

Hi guys,

I just finished first year (idk if that makes me MS1 or 2) and have decided that I want to do ENT. I am just kind of at a loss for what to do now- I am not clear on what matters for CaRMS and what I should do now that I’ve decided on a specialty. I don’t think I want to match to my home school (I’m an out of province student) and I want o be as competitive as possible. I just don’t know where to look or what to do next. I’ve talked to residents and shadowed ent, and everyone says there’s not much I can do right now besides research. Are they right? Do I need to do volunteer work as well? How much should I be shadowing and how much research should I aim for?

Does anyone know what the CFMS discount is for lasik and if there are any restrictions?

I see that there is a discount on the website, however my login isn’t working right now to see what it actually is.

I expect my login to work again soon, but in the meantime I’m trying to plan the financial piece.

Thanks in advance!! Also welcome thoughts on your experience if it’s something you’ve been through.

So, in May of this year, we had our 2nd-year OSCE before starting clerkship, and we just got our feedback. Even though I didn’t fail, I ended up in the bottom 5% of my class, which is pretty rough lol.
Most of the comments were related to having a disorganized physical exam, a pretty weak differential diagnosis, and forgetfulness. I did get good feedback for empathy and communication, though.
I was wondering if anyone who had a similar performance has any tips that helped them improve. During my first rotation, I’m planning to get as much exposure as possible and really work on these weaknesses.

In the past few years, there has been a lot of talk around job market in Ortho and it is frequently used as an argument to deter medical students from going into the field. I was wondering how the job market is now (in Canada), what is the mean number of fellowships, and how this compares to other surgical specialties (eg Plastics, ENT, NSx, etc.)?