Vitals

School Matters Clerkship

Although our lives may be full of extracurricular activities, being a student of medicine is the priority right now. The difficult bit is that while we were all experts in the field that we came from, we’re still learning to become experts in medicine. As a result you may find that things aren’t going quite as smoothly as they used to. For tips on how to keep up your “A” game, there is the School Matters section. Here you’ll find tips on simple things like where to go if you have a question, all the way up to deciding if your study style needs a complete overhaul. Have a look and take what you need. Happy studying.

Suggestions

Getting away from the classroom is exciting, but it can also be a bittersweet experience when you enter a challenging new environment. Thankfully, there are a number of resources to make this transition as smooth as possible – providing information on what you will do and what will be expected of you. To that end, we’ve gathered some resources from the Student Affairs Committee (SAC), Learner Equity & Wellness (LEW), and added a few of our own to complete the picture. There’s a fair bit of work ahead and getting used to call isn’t easy, but don’t forget the basics: keep doing what you love, listen to your body, and take care of yourself.

Resources

General

  • Overview of clerkship, contacts, and more from Schulich Medicine: London  Windsor
  • Professionalism standards – important to understand the expectations inside and outside of clinic: Policies & Standards
  • SAC Clerkships resources – links to tips, elective and selective info: SAC Guides
  • LEW Clerkship info page – important links and info about clerkship: Year 3 Orientation
  • Watch your email for the survival guide from SST and other resources passed down each year.
  • CaRMS: Overview of 2016 Match Year. Main CaRMS site: CaRMS
  • CFMS Matchbook – Link (login required)

Preparation

  • If you prep beforehand advice has been not to use Toronto Notes or USMLE prep material, make you own notes from case reviews and general resources then compare your notes with the above references texts.
  • CMA members receive access to point-of-care apps such as RxTx and DynaMed Plus along with access to ClinicalKey which includes text books, guidelines, and more. CMA Benefits
  • Having some clinical experience pre-clerkship can help ease anxiety about the transition. Some opportunities:
    • Observerships – Set up on Single Sign On: SSO
    • Non-Credit Summer Electives: Link

Taking Care of Yourself

  • Cook food early and freeze single serving portions.
  • Bring food to work, and more food when on call.
  • Choose a few important hobbies/passions, keep them up during clerkship.
  • Clerkship can be a stressful time.  Make sure to know the signs for yourself and be able to spot them in others.  We are all in this together. Wellness Matters.

 

Contacts

Learner Equity & Wellness Office – 519-661-4234 (x84234)  equity.wellness@schulich.uwo.ca  (London).   519-253-3000 (x4302) (Windsor)

Student Support Team – sst@meds.uwo.ca