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#TipsforEMexams: Dr. Christopher Hicks shares his EM Exam Tips

In Mentorship, TipsForEMExams by Teresa ChanLeave a Comment

Name: Chris Hicks, MD, MEd, FRCPC, Survivor of the 2009 Royal College EM exam Where are you now? Emergency physician, trauma team leader at St. Mike’s in Toronto.  Associate program director, FRCP-EM training program, University of Toronto.   My Tips: ​Learn to think like an examiner.  It may surprise you to learn this, but the people who concoct the FR exam are actual humans, just like you and me.  You should read chapters with an …

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#TipsforEMexams: Heather Murray’s Exam Tips

In Mentorship, TipsForEMExams by Heather Murray1 Comment

Survivor of the 1997 exam (wow… does the exam really go that far back?) There is not much to add to the excellent tips already posted. But here I go with my tips. Incidentally they are the same things that I frequently tell my children! Answer practice questions – over and over again. There is a whole pile of evidence which supports what you already know: highlighting an article or a textbook is …

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#TipsforEMexams: The Psychological Science of Exams

In Mentorship, TipsForEMExams by Teresa ChanLeave a Comment

So, I ran into my friend Meghan McConnell the other day and we got chatting about how to make examinations less of a horrible experience. Dr. McConnell is a PhD researcher in the world renowned Program for Education Research & Development at McMaster University. Her research interests are in the area of how emotions influence training, assessment and performance of healthcare professions. Considering her interests and expertise, I thought it would be great to …

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#TipsforEMexams: Aaron Sibley presents his EM Exam Tips

In TipsForEMExams by Teresa Chan1 Comment

The snowball nomination fun has begun!  Originally I nominated Rob Woods, when then nominated Aaron Sibley from Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS).  Rob is currently an examiner for the RC exams, but he has kindly sent along some really good tips for studying that do not violate the terms of his confidentiality re: the exams. – TChan p.s. Also, we are still waiting on previous nominees… Heather Murray Chris Hicks *** Name:  Aaron Sibley, Survivor of …

CaRMS Personal Letters: You in 500 words or less

In Mentorship by Brent Thoma12 Comments

Originally posted on September 16, 2013.  Staff Review added on October 1, 2014. More than any other component of the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS) process, personal letters seem to give medical students trouble. Most people find it hard to define themselves in general, let alone in a 500 word essay written for a critical audience with their career hanging in the balance. However, this reflective exercise is a right-of-passage for Canadian medical …

CaRMS CVs: Writing them Right

In CaRMS Guide, Mentorship by Brent Thoma7 Comments

Originally published by Brent Thoma on August 31, 2013.  Expert reviewed and re-published on September 23, 2014. How time flies. About 4 years ago at this time I was in Edmonton on an Emergency Medicine elective when the CaRMS website opened to applicants. The next few months were a blur of an empty word document in need of a personal letter, many frantic e-mails to my references (that I tried to make sound …