Students in the NMP undertake four years of medical education training as part of the UBC MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP). Core clinical training (known as Clerkships) takes place during Year 3 with the support of physicians who combine patient care with teaching. 

Which rotations have you enjoyed the most, and why? 
This may sound cheesy, but I’ve enjoyed every rotation throughout the year! My favourite part of clerkship has been getting to interact with patients and all of the real-world experiences and learning that I’ve had. If I had to choose a couple rotations, I’ve enjoyed all of the surgical rotations the most, I absolutely love being in the OR! I have always loved learning about anatomy, and seeing it applied to a patient and their problem has been really interesting.

Any favourite patient or preceptor encounters that you have had that will stay with you?
On my first call shift in General Surgery I went to an emergency surgery at about 0500h for a patient with perforated diverticulitis. The surgery was exciting and I got to be the first assist, so felt super involved for the whole thing. The patient was really sick, and I got to follow them through their entire hospital stay (about 2 months!). It was so inspiring seeing this patient’s perseverance as they recovered, and it was also so rewarding to see them get healthy and eventually get discharged home!

For you, how has the transition into clinical learning in Clerkship challenged you the most as a learner?                
The most challenging thing about this year was finding time to study the objectives for exams when it feels like there is already so much time you’re giving to the day-to-day materials/duties. For instance, in some rotations you start at 0700h (or earlier!) and don’t finish until past 1800h. Then if you think about reading around the cases and patients you saw that day, preparing for what’s to come tomorrow, squeezing in dinner/walking the dog/family time, and getting to bed early… finding the motivation to study beyond that is quite exhausting. But every day on the job is so much fun, and I realized we were learning so much during the days that it’s ok to take a night off every once in a while to relax!

Has your Clerkship experience so far helped you decide which specialty area you would like to apply to?
Yes, I think (and hope) so! I still have a lot of questions and worries about CaRMS, but I do have a shorter list of career ideas that I’m interested in (and I also have a list of career options that aren’t for me, which is equally as important!). Luckily we still have our electives in front of us, so hopefully I will have it narrowed down even further by the time the CaRMS deadline rolls around. Otherwise, I am hoping to enjoy our final year of medical school and soak up as much information as possible!