Pre-Clerkship
Much like Term II, the rest of pre-clerkship is set up in a course-based systems review. This means that your learning will be focused on different systems in condensed blocks, such as the endocrine and renal system or the cardiorespiratory system. You will also keep up with your clinical skills throughout the year both with standardized patients and in the hospital. Second year involves preparing for clerkship as well as studying, so it stays pretty busy!
Clinical Clerkship
Clinical clerkship is when you get the opportunity to put what you know into practice. No longer the lowest on the totem pole—now the second lowest—you will work with staff physicians and residents in clinics and hospitals. You will have many of the responsibilities of a physician, like being on call, without the perks, like being paid, but you will find that some of the fastest and most permanent learning occurs during this phase.
Clerkship is split up into various core rotations like family medicine, pediatrics and general surgery, with additional time set aside for clerkship electives in areas of your choice. Core rotations might be done in Kingston, or you might be in other communities across Ontario. Elective rotations can occur across the country, and some people even go abroad!
CaRMS — The Canadian Residency Matching Service
You will probably hear about “The Match” within the first few months of medical school. Despite the unnerving name, it is not something that you need to worry about until you start clerkship. For now, it is good to know that it exists.
The Match is the aptly-named process of—you guessed it— matching you to a particular residency program after medical school. Interviews for CaRMS occur in the winter term of fourth year and then you rank your choices of programs. The programs also rank the applicants and then a fancy computer matches you to a residency program. Queen’s has a great reputation of having most of its students match to their first choice of program. For more information, visit www.carms.ca.
MCCQEs — Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examinations
You might think that at the end of fourth year, all you have to do is graduate and you’re ready to head to residency, but there’s one last step - writing yet another big exam. To become a practicing physician, you also must write, and pass, the MCCQEs to register as a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) in order to practice in Canada. These exams take place at the end of clerkship after the CaRMS process has been completed. For more information, visit www.mcc.ca.