Mississauga Academy of Medicine and UTM

Dear Students:

Thank you for participating in our May 18 Mississauga Academy of Medicine and UTM Webinar. We are writing to inform you that due to a technical error, we will be unable to share a recording of this webinar. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience.

In place of our webinar recording, we have prepared this article to share the same information that our panelists, Dr. McClennan, Chad and Rachel, shared with our audience and more. We hope this information is helpful as you look forward to your first year in our medical school at our UTM campus.

Academy and Campus Overview

1. How would you describe the UTM campus? What is it best known for within U of T? Where is your favourite spot on-campus?

The Mississauga campus is a rapidly growing campus with about 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

The campus itself is stunning, the buildings are modern looking but you also get a real sense of the natural beauty across the 225 acres of protected greenbelt along the Credit River (33km west of U of T's Downtown Toronto). The trails at UTM are great for those who like outdoor activities like cycling or jogging. The campus offers a university town feel despite being in a large metropolitan city of Mississauga.  

There are lots of great facilities on-campus. To start, check out our sports facilities that are located very close to our building. There's a beautiful pool, a huge gym and a really nice student area. We are also near a great food court that has recently been renovated and expanded.

2. Can you explain U of T’s academy structure? What makes MAM unique within the MD Program?

Here at Temerty Medicine, there are four academies and each one allows medical students to get to know each other in a smaller group and be part of a community in different parts of Toronto. So, your academy is essentially your academic home here at Temerty Medicine.

The curriculum between the four academies is the same, but you get to participate in these learning activities, including lectures, clinical components and observerships, in a smaller group environment.

At UTM, we have the Mississauga Academy of Medicine (MAM). MAM was established in 2011 as a partnership between the University and Trillium Health Partners (THP). At MAM, you will be one of 54 incoming students and soon find yourself immersed in a supportive, student-focused learning environment. In years 1 to 3, you will divide your time between UTM Campus and Trillium Health Partners (THP) sites, and experience a wide range of clinical practices and support diverse groups of patients. In year 4, you will have an opportunity to expand your training across Canada (and even globally) to continue to build your medical knowledge base, skills and networks to prepare for CaRMS.

What is unique about MAM is that we are a very large bustling community site where we have a lot of engaged faculty and supportive staff. All your courses are taught by local faculty who are very excited about the education process, are a super engaged and dedicated to improving the education in Mississauga and at the same time being part of a big community. So you will get to enjoy best of both worlds - get the local flavour of the community hospital and community environment but at the same time have access to all the academic opportunities that U of T has to offer.

3. Can you tell us a little bit about MAM’s anchor site, the Trillium Health Partners?

Trillium Health Partners (THP), our anchor site, includes Mississauga Hospital, Credit Valley Hospital, and Queensway Health Centre.

THP is one of the largest hospitals in Canada. THP operates over 1300 beds with1200+ professional staff and 2,000+ volunteers.

4. I heard about “specialty hospitals” between academies. How do they work for MAM students?

All MD students will normally have access to our specialty hospitals, which includes the Hospital for Sick Children, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Holland Bloorview and Baycrest, during Clerkship rotations and electives.

Research Opportunities and Shadowing at MAM

5. Are their research opportunities at MAM?

Yes, students are able to get involved in various research projects during their medical studies. You can apply to CREMS Programs research opportunities available at U of T’s affiliated health institutions, and research and quality improvement opportunities available through THP and its affiliates.

We have been working hard over the last few years, making sure that our students have access to both local and other research opportunities at the UTM campus and beyond. Each year we will work closely with our Institute for Better Health and faculty to compile a list of research project and make it available for you on Elentra so that you can explore/pursue research projects that match your interests.

You may further enhance your understanding of practices of medicine via additional extracurricular opportunities, such as quality improvement projects in patient safety. In fact, some of our MAM students have been busy putting together a student driven program called QuEST.  If you are interested in learning more about quality improvement and patient safety visit: https://md.utoronto.ca/mam/quest

Finally, some students are interested in entrepreneurship and Innovation and our very industrious and enthusiastic students have put together the "Entrepreneurship in Healthcare Program" where they invite faculty to give seminars throughout the year. This voluntary program provides students an opportunity to network and learn more about the importance of Entrepreneurship and Innovation to the practice of medicine.

In summary, here at MAM, you will have opportunities to pursue research projects while engaging in additional special and unique programs that are very complementary to developing scholarship and thinking about how to advance your own practice of medicine.

6. Is it common/possible for medical students to pursue research during the school year? Or is it encouraged to leave research for the summer?

Based on your personal situation, you can choose to pursue research either during the school year or during the summer. There are a variety of opportunities that requires different amount of time.

7. Can we do shadowing throughout the year?

You can absolutely shadow a physician as first and second-year medical students via our Enriching Educational Experiences (EEEs) program. EEEs are short-term placements occurring during Foundations organized directly between students and physicians they are interested in shadowing. For more information on the EEE program, please visit: https://md.utoronto.ca/career-exploration  

8. Are MAM students able to shadow physicians at hospitals beyond THP such as UHN, St Michaels, etc.?

Yes

9. Does shadowing influence a student's likeliness to match to a residency program?

No, shadowing does not impact matching to a residency program. It provides you with diverse clinical experiences that can help you inform your choices.

MD Plus and Residency (Postgraduate Medical Education) Programs

10. I heard about MD Plus programs such as MD/MEng, MD/SLI, and MD/MBA programs. Are they available to MAM students?

MD Plus programs (Master’s degrees in Engineering, Systems Leadership or Health Administration, and Business) are available to all medical students. If you have identified financial need, consider applying for additional funds to better manage costs for completing our Plus programs.

11. Does participating in an MD Plus program add time to your degree?

It depends on the program you pursue. For example, the MD/PhD program may take you 6 to 8 years to complete, while the MD/MEng program is completed concurrently and does not exceed the four years of the MD program.

12. Which residency programs would I be best prepared for as a MAM student?

As a medical student at U of T, you will be well prepared and positioned to apply to many postgraduate training programs across Canada. To explore a residency program of best fit and interest, spend some time shadowing physicians and exploring various specialties via our EEE program, get in-depth exposure on wide range of specialties through your clerkship rotations, and refine your interests via elective placements as a fourth year student! Do not forget to speak to our career counsellors in the Office of Learner Affairs and your mentors (https://temertymedicine.utoronto.ca/mentor-student) as you begin to navigate your career options.

Housing and Commuting

13. I would like to live off-campus. In your experience, what is the commuting experience like for students?

Many MAM students commute from either downtown or other areas across the GTA. If you choose to live downtown, there is a shuttle that runs regularly between St. George and UTM. The commute time varies with Toronto traffic, and can range from between 35 minutes to over an hour.

With the longer commute time comes earlier mornings, especially for clinical skills on Fridays when you need to be at the hospital for 8 am. There is a shuttle for clinical skills that runs from the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex (at UTM) to the THP hospital sites to ease your travel experience on Fridays at 7:30am.

As a side, Chad drives from Stoney Creek and his commute ranges from 35 minutes to around an hour depending on traffic. Rachel lives close to campus. Other students commute from near Niagara and Guelph and manage to make it work. Some students even cycle to class during the warmer weather! Overall, it depends on where you can find a place and whether or not you want to take advantage of downtown Toronto. Chad can’t speak for everyone, but he is planning to move a little closer to the THP hospitals for clerkship.

14. Do we have access to the UTM bus pass as MAM students? Are there shuttles to the different hospitals from UTM (for clinical skills in 1st/2nd year)?

Yes, MAM students have access to the UTM bus pass!

For clinical skills, there are shuttle buses that leave from the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complexes to both Credit Valley and Mississauga Hospitals at 7:30am on Fridays for clinical skills. They will also do the return trip from the hospitals back to UTM at 12:15pm after clinical skills.

With our year, there was also a lot of carpooling once we learned who had cars and who lived nearby. If you drive to the THP hospitals, you can get a parking pass that is $8 per day to a maximum of $40 per month.

Learner Experience: First Year

15. What is your favourite class as a first year medical student? 

The first course you take is “Introduction to Medicine” and is a lot of basic sciences.

Concepts, Patients & Communities 1 and 2 are the following courses, and while they are harder, they are more fun because you get to start thinking about how to solve clinical problems.

Clinical skills is where you get to go to the hospitals and learn how to take patient histories and do physical exams. This is certainly a highlight of first year as you get to practice the aspects of being a physician that you have been exposed to as a patient and what likely drew you towards medicine as a career.

Our other favourite class in first year is Anatomy. At first, the anatomy labs can be intimidating but they are truly a great experience and a place where you learn, see, and reconcile a lot of information that you are only told about in lectures. Working in the anatomy lab is a real privilege.

If you cannot tell, there are a lot of fun courses in medical school that are really well integrated. It makes it hard to pick one favourite!

16. Is it true that some lectures, you can choose to attend at either St George or MAM?

Students are generally encouraged to attend classes at their home campus, because it helps us connect with each other and build a sense of community. This is especially important when a physician is speaking live in your lecture hall, because they alternate between visiting each of the campuses while live-streaming to the other.  That being said, MAM students who live downtown sometimes may choose to attend large-group lectures at the St. George campus.

In any case, if you ever have a scheduling conflict and you cannot make it to class in-person one day, it will be recorded and uploaded to our course website on the same day.  If you did not already get accustomed to re-watching recorded lectures at 2x speed during the pandemic, you definitely will during medical school!

17. How much of the learning is done remotely (e.g. lectures, small group activities)? To what degree do we get to chose whether we want to join learning activities virtually vs. in person?

Students do not have the option of choosing to join learning activities virtually vs. in person as most of the learning is done in-person. Some lectures are recorded for future viewing if students miss a class.  Additionally, in the post-pandemic era, appropriate measures are in place to ensure both learner and patient safety in the clinical settings at hospitals and in the community.

18. How do you recommend taking notes, keeping track of documents? Do you recommend a computer or iPad and so on?

It would really depend on your preference. I personally use an older model PC I’ve had for many years, and it works fine for me.

19. What is the assessment structure in first year?

During Foundations, (Y1 & Y2), students’ competence is assessed in different ways. Your final grade in a course, however, will be transcripted as “Credit (CR)” or “No Credit (NC)” grades. For more information, please refer to https://md.utoronto.ca/faq/assessment-faq

20. What kind of supports are at MAM for students? OLA is downtown – does this mean I have to go downtown for appointments?

The Office of Learner Affairs (OLA) supports our students on both the St. George and UTM campuses. MAM students will not have to travel downtown to access OLA services. To learn more about OLA services and supports available to medical students please visit, https://meded.temertymedicine.utoronto.ca/office-learner-affairs

Clerkship

21. During Clerkship, will I be doing all of my rotations at MAM or will I get to do some rotations downtown? Can I do electives at downtown hospitals as a MAM student? 

As a MAM student, you will spend the majority of your time learning directly on THP clinical units across three sites under the supervision of clinical staff.

22. Our student contract noted that we might have to travel to Peel, Vaughan, and Durham during our program - would this occur during clerkship?

There are a couple of opportunities in Vaughan for clerkship, but this may change in the future.

23. Could you speak more about what it looks like if a student chooses to do a Clerkship at SickKids?

It would only be for the paediatric clerkship rotation, which is 6 weeks (3 weeks at a hospital and 3 weeks in community setting). 

24. Is there a particular dress code for Clerkship (when at hospitals / community sites)?

While there is no dress code per se, students should dress in a professional manner (e.g., business casual) that is appropriate for clinical activity.

Student and Campus Life @ MAM

25. Are there many social activities at MAM? Will I meet the students who attend school downtown? Does MAM/UTM have its own dedicated student clubs for MAM learners? How do we get involved?

There are many social activities at MAM. UTM has its own intramural program and our class has had teams in soccer, badminton, dodgeball, and volleyball. Informally, there is also a group of us that go rock climbing just about every week, and we often go out to restaurants, movie theatres, mini golfing, and more. The MAM student reps and administrators also organize a holiday party, bowling night, and skills nights like our suturing workshop. Frankly, it is hard to be bored at MAM!

Additionally, you will all get to meet FitzGerald, Peters-Boyd, and Wightman-Berris students during O-Week and at any events held downtown. There have been social events at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and many more. MAM students can also attend any skills nights or workshops that happen at downtown sites, such as the hands-on interventional radiology event and anesthesia skills night. Within our student government and clubs, there are MAM-specific student positions (VP MAM, hospital reps, course reps, etc.) and global positions for all medical students (e.g., Medical Society Affiliated Positions). There are so many ways to get involved that it can be overwhelming, so be sure to attend clubs night when it is announced and keep your ears open for things you are really interested in! You will eventually be added to a Facebook group that all medical students at U of T use to browse and post various opportunities, and you will see that there are too many to keep track of!

26. What does it look like getting involved in extracurriculars while in Mississauga?

Students can get involved in a variety of ways depending on your personal interests. They are many student clubs, special interest groups and organizations you can join. To learn more please visit here https://www.uoftmedsoc.com/clubsinternal   and here https://www.uoftmedsoc.com/clubscommunity.

Orientation and Transition to Medical School

27. For Chad/Rachel: Was there anything you wish you had done before starting med school, either a personal activity or prep for med school?

Everyone had a slightly different summer before starting medical school - some worked a lot, others finished research projects, some traveled and others relaxed. Chad had every intent of reviewing some basic science materials before starting school, but he ended up just relaxing and spending time with friends and family. He can say that he has zero regrets. Rachel spent most of her time working throughout the summer, but she made time for friends/family/relaxing, and she also didn’t study ahead whatsoever. Most of our peers would suggest spending the summer doing whatever you’d like to do, and don’t worry about being unprepared coming into medical school (apart from doing the registration requirements and finding a place to live, of course). You’ll learn everything you need to know as you go!

28.  Is it normal to feel so nervous at this stage, even with an acceptance in hand?

Definitely! The application process is grueling and it is the culmination of years of hard work during your undergraduate degree and beyond. After receiving an acceptance, you are suddenly responsible for completing summer registration requirements, meeting deadlines, and you may be facing the prospect of planning a move. On top of that, there is always the voice in your head asking if you will be as successful as your classmates and whether or not you will be able to keep up with the coursework.

Rest assured, everything is going to work out and you will love the program! There will be so many classmates, administrators, and instructors who will help you succeed. Try your best to relax and take it easy this summer – you deserve it!

29. Will there be any MAM tours planned before school starts?

We are trying to get a tour organized over the summer for those who may be interested. Please join the UTM 2T7 Facebook group for updates on this and to get additional information.

30. When is O-week?

August 21-26, 2023

31. Where is O-week held? Are O-week events MAM specific or are they for both campuses? Is it the same for all academies?

While many O-week activities will be held on the St. George campus, you will also have an opportunity to connect with your MAM peers during academy-specific events (“Academy Day”).

32. Is there a stethoscope ceremony? And are friends/family members allowed to attend?

Yes, and please stay tuned for more information from our O-week team.

33. What date do classes start?

The first day of classes is Monday, August 28, 2023.