Interview Preparation

Dr. Brian Goldman takes you on both sides of the gurney, from the perspective of the patient and clinician, in this excellent medical podcast. Learn the varied perspectives of healthcare providers on relevant healthcare issues. The podcast features many guest speakers, ranging from other physicians to members of the community, to provide an insider perspective.

When Breath Becomes Air is a non-fiction autobiographical book written by American Neurosurgeon Dr. Paul Kalanithi. It is a memoir about his life and illness, battling stage IV metastatic lung cancer.

"Amazing account of the patient perspective and what Doctors may not consider about the patient perspective." - Ben

When we need help, we count on doctors to put us back together. But what happens when doctors fall apart?

Funny, fresh, and deeply affecting, We Are All Perfectly Fine is the story of a married mother of three on the brink of personal and professional collapse who attends rehab with a twist: a meditation retreat for burned-out doctors.

"One of the premiere books on what it means to be a physician and the toll it has on the soul. If you want to talk about burnout and the hard truth of being a doctor, read this. Learn from Jillian Horton, a Canadian internist, and her struggles in the Canadian medical system from the outside and inside." - Eric

Vanessa's Law and Mandatory Reporting of Adverse Drug Reactions and Medical Device Incidents

Social Determinants of Health (Health Canada): All applicants should be thoroughly familiar with the social determinants of health (SDOH). Understanding the SDOH is especially important when it comes to discussing public health issues.

This is an education medical ethics site by the Department of Bioethics & Humanities at the University of Washington School of Medicine. It focuses on topics, cases, and principles focused on bioethics. This is the best free resource online recommended by all our staff. We believe it is superior to Doing Right by Hebert.

"Amazing book on compassionate medicine and learning about how to help others in ways that make the most sense to them. Opens up a lot of ideas about multidimensional ways of understanding well-being." - Ben

Podcast for NPR news covering topics from the USA and worldwide.

This manual is prepared for all Interviewers/Assessors taking part in the MMI for the McMaster Undergraduate Medical Program.

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Recent developments in the search for the children of residential schools have shown that there is much work to be done in terms of truth and reconciliation. Medical schools are similarly placing a higher emphasis on justice for indigenous communities. It's crucial that all applicants understand the Calls to Action, the disparities that indigenous communities face, and how to improve the healthcare system for indigenous peoples.

Jordan's Principle makes sure all First Nations children living in Canada can access the products, services and supports they need, when they need them. Familiarize and apply this important concept.

Healthy Debate publishes journalism about health care in Canada by the people whose lives it touches the most, from physicians, patients and caregivers to health journalists, academics, and advocates.

"Great book on ethical behaviour and compassionate medicine" - Ben

Canadian book with clinical cases of bioethics. This book provides a solid introduction to moral principles and ethical reasoning, but we consider it to be low-yield and rather difficult to read. It requires some basic clinical understanding to best understand the resource. We recommend starting with the University of Washington Bioethics site.

"Great book on ethical behaviour and compassionate medicine" - Ben

Provides an in-depth exploration of ethical and topical issues in Canadian medicine.

Stay up to date with national medical news from the Canadian Medical Association.

The Canadian Guide to Med School is an incredible resource. Written by 70+ medical students studying at all 17 Canadian medical schools, it provides advice and resources for every stage of interview preparation. There are several full-length MMI circuits, loads of MMI questions with follow-ups, and other helpful documents.

Many MMI stations will call upon the applicant to propose a health policy that would improve the country. Knowing more about government initiatives to reduce health inequities will always be beneficial, especially with regards to high-yield topics like Indigenous health, rural health, and homelessness. I would recommend checking out all of the links under the "Social development" heading. My personal favourite is the "Housing First" approach under the Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy link; it's a radical but convincing way to end homelessness in Canada while improving social capital and resources for people experiencing homelessness.

Custom videoath worksheet to personalize your responses with examples. Completion of the CanMEDS worksheet is an important part of introspection and the interview preparation.

Familiarize and get comfortable with what the qualities of Canadian physicians and how you can become one. Medical Expert (integrating role), Communicator, Collaborator, Leader, Health Advocate, Scholar, Professional

Health Section of CBC News that is municipal, provincial, and national in scope.

Dr. Danielle Martin tells the story of her grandfather, Jacques Elie Shilton, a hard-working Egyptian immigrant who, months after arriving in Montreal with 10 family members, suffered a devastating heart attack.

Any of the Atul Gawande books will help provide perspectives of physicians. His current books include: Being Mortal (2014), The Checklist Manifesto (2009), Better (2007), and Complications (2002).

"Great for understanding and learning about how patients will have different needs and how even if a treatment doesn’t make the most medical sense to a physician that it can actually be the best option based on what is important to the patient. " - Ben on Being Mortal by Atul Gawande