NATURE OF THE PROGRAM

During their undergraduate training, the students acquire the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to recognize, understand and apply effective, efficient strategies for the prevention and management of the most common and most severe health problems. The program integrates the basic and clinical sciences throughout the four years. It also emphasizes health promotion and disease prevention; it is responsive to individual needs and abilities and to the changes occurring in society and the health care system.

Emphasis is placed on self-learning; principles and facts are learned in a multidisciplinary fashion, in the context of clinical problems. Whole-class lectures and seminars are used to discuss basic concepts, explore new developments and provide overviews of the biomedical sciences fundamental to the practice of medicine. Training occurs in ambulatory, primary, secondary and tertiary settings, and the students function as members of the medical team in collaboration with other health professionals.

The training fosters trust and compassion, communication skills, ethical professional conduct and patient advocacy.

The program is scheduled over four calendar years and is divided into two stages. The first stage includes 70 weeks of study of essential biomedical principles and consists of 13 multidisciplinary blocks. The students learn communication and clinical skills in an integrated fashion with the study of body systems. The second stage of two calendar years duration is devoted to clinical clerkships; an extended period of fourteen weeks is available for elective study.

LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION

The language of instruction is English. Problem based learning in the preclinical years is presently available in French for two groups of seven students in both year one and year two with francophone tutors. Other activities in French are being developped in all four years of the program. It is planned that by the year 2000 all instruction will be available in both languages.

If you are a Francophone applicant, take note that you will probably be placed in a francophone group if you are admitted.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Candidates meeting the following requirements can apply for admission to the first year of the four-year program offered at the Faculty of Medicine:

Have successfully completed three years of full-time university studies (minimum of five full-year courses a year) in any undergraduate program leading to a bachelor's degree, including four specific prerequisite courses:

One full-year course in general biology or zoology, including laboratory sessions; one full-year course in Humanities or Social Sciences: (ex: literature, history, languages, logic, philosophy, psychology, expository writing, sociology, anthropology, art history etc.); Two of the following full-year courses in Chemistry:

a) General biochemistry (without laboratory sessions)
b) General chemistry (with laboratory sessions)
c) Organic chemistry (with laboratory sessions).

The description of these prerequisite sciences courses offered at the University of Ottawa are appended to this document.

These prerequisite courses must be completed before the beginning of June preceding registration.

Equivalences are determined by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ottawa.

N.B. Meeting the above requirements does not guarantee admission.

Furthermore, in selecting students, the Admissions Committee reserves the right to assess, in each applicant's program, the level of difficulty of completed courses and their relevance to future medical studies at the University of Ottawa; the Committee also considers the candidate's results in these courses.

Admission for special students or mature applicants, as described in the University of Ottawa "General Admission Requirements," does not apply to the Faculty of Medicine.

Students from a Québec cegep cannot apply directly to the medical program of the University of Ottawa. CEGEP graduates must first complete an additional two years of full-time undergraduate university studies to be able to apply for admission to the first year of the medical program. They also have to meet the requirements above.

Students from Ontario secondary schools who intend to pursue medical studies must ensure they have the math and science O.A.C. courses that qualify them for the university science courses mentioned above.

CITIZENSHIP

Only applications from Canadian citizens or permanent residents are accepted (Proof of permanent residency status must accompany the application.) However, there is one exception to the rule: eligible children of the University of Ottawa alumni.

Aboriginal students are particularly invited to apply.

MCAT

Starting with September 1999 admissions, applicants will no longer be required to write the Medical Colleges Admission Test (MCAT) to be eligible for admission.

INTERVIEW

Candidates must also undergo an interview, and the rating of the interview is taken into account in the selection process.

DEPOSIT - ADMITTED CANDIDATES

A one-hundred-dollar ($100) deposit fee must accompany an acceptance of an offer of admission. This deposit is not refundable, but is considered as a payment toward tuition fees (certified cheque or money order only).

FIRST AID COURSE (St. John's Ambulance) and BASIC RESCUER COURSE (CPR)

A St. John's Ambulance course is strongly recommended. Persons admitted must also have completed a (CPR) Basic Rescuer Course (level C) the summer before they register. They must produce a certificate before registration.

IMMUNIZATION RECORD

Before registering for first-year medicine, students must submit their immunization record form (completed by their physician) to the Dean's Office. This form accompanies the offer of admission.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF MEDICINE

All documents for application to the first year of medicine are available through the Faculty or through OMSAS (Ontario Medical School Application Service). Kits are available in July of the preceding year.

OMSAS
P.O. Box 1328, 650 Woodlawn Road West
Block C
Guelph, Ontario N1H 7P4

N.B. The last date for receiving applications by OMSAS at the above address is October 15, 1998 for September 1999 admissions.

ADMISSION POLICY

Introduction:

The Admissions Committee, under the authority of the Faculty Council, has the following responsibilities:

1. Examine and evaluate all applications

2. Select, on a competitive basis, the eligible candidates who are best suited for training in medicine, according to the criteria approved by the Faculty Council.

Policy:

1. Academic excellence is the primary selection criterion used by the Admissions Committee. As such, the Committee assesses marks and compares the applicant's record with those of the other applicants.

2. The Admissions Committee primarily considers those eligible candidates who have maintained a weighted average of at least B+ in the last three years of their undergraduate university studies.

Given the limited number of places, meeting the above criteria does not guarantee admission.

3. Candidates must undergo an interview to gain admission. The Faculty interviews only those candidates with a weighted average that reaches a minimum cut-off determined each year by the Admissions Committee, this minimum average varies according to the following order of priority among applicant categories:

Franco-Ontarians, aboriginals

Residents of underserviced areas

Bona fide residents of the Ottawa- Outaouais region

Those of the province of Ontario

Those of other provinces.

This order of priority reflects the mission statement of the Faculty of Medicine.

Candidates registered in a graduate program of studies may have to meet additional criteria outlined in the "Guidelines for inviting graduate- student applicants to an MD program interview" and "Guidelines for admission of graduate-student applicants to the MD program," both of which are appended.

4. Following the interview, the Faculty gives a composite score (marks and interview) for each candidate and draws up a preliminary list based on these scores. The Admissions Committee then reviews each application. Other factors may, at this point, be taken into consideration when ranking each candidate on the final list. Offers of admission are made according to this final list.

5. The size of the first-year class is limited to 84 students.

6. Gender, race, age, religion and socio- economic status play no part in the selection process.

7. No applicant is offered a place until an official and final transcript is sent by the student to OMSAS.

8. Fraudulent applications may lead to prosecution.

9. Other factors being equal, preference is given to candidates with an active knowledge of the University's two official languages.

10. Offers of admission are sent in the spring and during the summer before the proposed date of registration, until the class is full.

11. Once admitted in the first medical year, students may ask to have a deferred registration. Deferrals are granted under special circumstances, and requests are decided upon by the Admissions Committee.

TRANSFERS

Because of the differences in curriculum among Canadian faculties of medicine, no transfer applications can be accepted.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

For more information on admission requirements, please contact:

Admissions - Faculty of Medicine
University of Ottawa
451 Smyth Road, Room 2045
Ottawa, Ontario
K1H 8M5

Telephone: (613) 562-5409
Fax: (613) 562-5420

E-Mail: admissmd@uottawa.ca

Internet Site: http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/med/

Descriptions of prerequisite science courses offered at the University of Ottawa (drawn from the Faculty of Sciences 1997-1999 calendar).

BIOLOGY (with laboratory sessions)

BIO 1110. INTRODUCTION TO CELL BIOLOGY (3 hours of lecture per week, 2 hours of lab per week, 4 credits). Origin and chemistry of life; structure of cells and organelles in relation to their functions; organisation, replication and expression of genetic material; cell cycle; intracellular traffic; extracellular matrix and intercellular communication; differentiation and cell types. Corequisite: BIO 1109 for Science students who did not complete OAC Biology.

BIO 1111. PHYSIOLOGICAL CONCEPTS (3 hours of lecture per week, 2 hours of lab per week, 4 credits). Bioenergetics including photosynthesis, anaerobic and aerobic metabolism. Membrane transport, communication between cells, and the cellular physiology of nerve and muscle. Homeostatis: from cell to whole organism. Prerequisite: BIO 1110.

CHEMISTRY Two of the three following combinations (A, B, C)

A. GENERAL CHEMISTRY (with laboratory sessions).

CHM 1310. PRINCIPLES OF CHEMISTRY (3 hours of lecture per week, 2 hours of lab per week, 4 credits). Chemical bonding, molecular geometry, chemical equations and quantitative relations, gas, liquids and solids, solutions, redox reactions, electrochemistry, kinetics and equilibrium, ionic equilibria, acids and bases in solution, pH. Eight 3- hour laboratory experiments (spread over 13 weeks) illustrating the principles of chemistry. Prerequisite: OAC Chemistry, or both CHM 0210 and CHM 0216, or equivalent.

CHM 2312. DESCRIPTIVE INORGANIC CHEMISTRY (2 hours of lecture per week, 2 credits). A review of simple concepts in bonding and acid-base theory. A survey of the chemistry of the elements and their relation to the periodic system. Prerequisite: CHM 1110.

CHM 2116. LABORATORY OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY (3 hours of lab per week, 2 credits). A laboratory course to accompany CHM 2312. Corequisite: CHM 2312.

B. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY (with laboratory sessions)

CHM 1320. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I (3 hours of lecture per week, 2 hours of lab per week, 4 credits). Classification, identification and structural characterization of organic compounds. Properties, preparation, and commercial significance of hydrocarbons, halogen derivatives, alcohols, ethers, aromatics, and selected polymers. Mechanisms of organic reactions, and basic principles of organic stereochemistry. Eight 3-hour laboratory experiments spread over 13 weeks. Prerequisite: CHM 1310.

CHM 2120. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II (3 hours of lecture per week, 3 credits). Synthesis and reactivity of carbonyl compounds, organic acids and their derivatives, nitrogen-containing compounds, sulfur derivatives, simple aromatic compounds. Survey of the chemistry of carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids and peptides, and selected heterocycles. Prerequisite: CHM 1120.

CHM 2126. LABORATORY OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II (3 hours of lab per week, 2 credits). Laboratory work associated with CHM 2120. Corequisite: CHM 2120.

C. BIOCHEMISTRY (without laboratorysessions)

BCH 2140. INTRODUCTION TO BIOCHEMISTRY (3 hours of lecture per week, 3 credits). The chemistry and biological properties of carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and vitamins. Prerequisite: CHM 2120.

BCH 3120. GENERAL INTERMEDIARY METABOLISM (3 hours of lecture per week, 3 credits). The properties of enzymes, bioenergetics, the metabolic and nutritional role of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids. Prerequisite: BCH 2140.