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Preparing for interviews can be hard and scary. If you don't have a background in healthcare, or ethics, it can be even more overwhelming to tackle the Multiple Mini Interview used by most Canadian medical schools these days. The following books were used in my preparation for medical school interviews at University of Toronto Temerty School of Medicine, Queens University Medical School, and Dalhousie Medical School. Now that I am a first year medical student, I have come to realize the books that were most helpful and prepared me, not only for interviews, but for entering medical school as well.
The Canadian Health Care System
It is important to become well versed in issues in the Canadian healthcare system - there are MANY that could come up on interview day. You may come across questions like: - "What do you think the biggest issue is in the Canadian healthcare system?" - "What is one change you would make to improve healthcare in Canada?" These books will prepare you and provide context to responding to questions like these.
#1 -> Matters of Life and Death: Public Health Issues in Canada
Andre Picard This book is an easy read, with short columns and chapters organized into major topics in public health such as the elderly, mental health, and long term care. You can refer to particular topics you are less knowledgeable on, or read the whole thing. This is my number 1 recommendation for Canadian premeds to read before interviewing. Description: "Health issues have long occupied top headlines in Canadian media, and no journalist has written on public health with more authority or for as many years as André Picard. Matters of Life and Death collects Picard's most compelling columns, covering a broad range of topics including Canada's right-to-die law, the true risks of the Zika virus, the financial challenges of a publicly funded health system, appalling health conditions in First Nations communities, the legalization of marijuana, the social and economic impacts of mental illness, and the healthcare challenges facing transgender people." Find it on Amazon Canada by clicking the title, the image below or following this link. If your interview is coming up soon, get free 2-day shipping with a 6 month trial of Amazon prime! Sign up here
#2 -> Better Now: Six Big Ideas for Improving Healthcare for All Canadians
Dr. Danielle Martin This book provides the valuable prospective of an actual practicing physician in Canada, who is able to explain major issues in the healthcare system and feasible changes that could improve them. From establishing better relationships, to national drug coverage, you will definitely learn something from this book. Description: Dr. Danielle Martin sees the challenges in our health care system every day. As a family doctor and a hospital vice president, she observes how those deficiencies adversely affect patients. And as a health policy expert, she knows how to close those gaps. A passionate believer in the value of fairness that underpins the Canadian health care system, Dr. Martin is on a mission to improve medicare. In Better Now, she shows how bold fixes are both achievable and affordable. Her patients' stories and her own family's experiences illustrate the evidence she presents about what works best to improve health care for all. Better Now outlines "Six Big Ideas" to bolster Canada's health care system. Each one is centred on a typical Canadian patient, making it clear how close to home these issues strike. Find it on Amazon Canada by clicking the title, the image below or following this link.
#3 -> Treating Healthcare: How the Canadian System Works and How it Could Work Better
Raisa Deber A shorter, excellent read into the Canadian healthcare system, and some proposed improvements. Description: "Canada has been among the world leaders in recognizing the multiple factors that impact health. Focusing on Canada’s health care system, Raisa B. Deber provides brief descriptions of some key facts and concepts necessary to understand health care policy in Canada and place it in an international context. An accessible guide, Treating Health Care unpacks key concepts to provide informed discussions that help us understand and diagnose Canada’s health care system and to clarify which proposed changes are likely to improve it - and which are not. This book provides background information to clarify such concepts as: determinants of health; how health systems are organized and financed (including international comparisons); health economics; health ethics; and roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders, including government, providers, and patients. It then addresses some key issues, including equity, efficiency, access and wait times, quality improvement and patient safety, and coverage and payment models. Using analysis rather than advocacy, Deber provides a toolkit to help understand health care and health policy." Find it on Amazon Canada by clicking the title, the image below or following this link.
Ethics and Decision Making
Ethical scenarios are key to medical school interviews and the "MMI". Deciding on the spot can be tricky when you are not used to dealing with ethical scenarios, or when you do not have the background knowledge to base decisions off of. The following book provides ample background on a wide variety of medical ethics scenarios. #4 -> Doing Right: A Practical Guide for Medical Trainees and Physicians Philip C. Hebert This is the tried and true text for medical ethics. The chapters are easy to read, and there are so many scenarios discussed. It will get you thinking about how to approach ethical situations, and the different factors at play. This book is so highly discussed and ranked, I'd suggest at least coming through it if you want to be at the same level as other interviewees (assuming you have not had any background on medical ethics in your studies.) Description: "A case-based approach that provides the advice and skills medical practitioners need to help patients and overcome ethical challenges Now in its fourth edition, Doing Right offers healthcare trainees and practitioners alike a comprehensive, user-friendly guide to contemporary biomedical ethics. Taking an applied case-based approach, this engaging text explores complex ethical issues through real-life scenarios, making it relatable to all types of healthcare professionals." Find it on Amazon Canada by clicking the link above, the image below or via this link.
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