Posts under Reflection

Three Nights in Emergency

  • Posted on: 1 May 2016
  • By: OMSA Admin

As a second year medical student I am still unsure of the field of medicine that interests me the most. Shadowing physicians is a great way to get a taste for different specialties, and that is just what I’ve been doing. Emergency medicine initially appealed to me because it seemed to be a very fast-paced, hands on specialty that deals with acute crises. However, as I spent some time in the emergency department of a local hospital, I found it to be rather different from what I expected. Three patients in

Finding Meaning in Medicine

  • Posted on: 27 April 2016
  • By: OMSA Admin

From learning about the "tough, spidery and tender mothers" of the meninges, to the "gate-keeping properties" of the pylorus (pyle = gate; ourus = guardian), I have had great fun exploring medical etymologies this past year. Medicine is a veritable treasure trove of word origins; it is a discipline chock full of fascinating etymologies and hidden stories. Behind every pathology, process or treatment, it seems, there lies a tale of epic proportions just waiting to be told. Here is but one: 

Something From Nothing

  • Posted on: 14 April 2016
  • By: OMSA Admin

To protect patient privacy, names were altered in the retelling of this story.

I entered the room behind Dr. McDonald and introduced myself to John and his wife. They were an older couple – likely in their 70s – who seemed pleasant.

What is Wellness to Me? One Student's Experience

  • Posted on: 27 January 2016
  • By: OMSA Admin

It is with great pleasure, and a slight bit of trepidation (I’m not used to writing about myself!), that I start off this series of blog posts about wellness. In the coming weeks, you will hear from my colleagues on the OMSA Wellness Committee - a group of driven individuals who are passionate about the self-care and balance in medical students - about their views on wellness.

CaRMS Journey: The Team Behind Every Applicant

  • Posted on: 17 January 2016
  • By: OMSA Admin

CaRMS is like a black box. It is a step in medical school that you always know will come, you realize everyone makes it through, but what exactly happens in between is a mix of rumours, some facts and a healthy dose of faculty injected fear. 

The best I felt I could do to face this was to make lists and be organized which kept me focussed and on track. It avoided going back to re-check my past steps to make sure things were complete. 

Starting early and working on the application nearly daily were

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