All of your tutorial classes, communication classes, and professional competencies classes (ProComp) will be located in the Michael G. DeGroote Center for Learning and Discovery (MDCL).
Your Interviewing, Examining, and Clinical Reasoning classes (IER) will be held in the Centre for Simulation-Based Learning Home (CSBL) in Health Sciences Center (HSC).
The Health Science bookstore is located on the first floor of HSC. The Registrar’s Office and Financial Aid is located in Gilmour Hall on central campus (number 20 on the map)
MDCL is number 52 on this map and HSC is number 37 (circled in purple) on the map below (click the map for original & larger image)
If you need an extra pen, a photocopy of a placement form, or just want to chat with the directors of the program, pop into the PA office. It is located on the second floor of MDCL - MDCL 2205.
Should I do any prep work before September?
No. It probably won’t help. Enjoy your last summer off. However, if you’re keen, you can take a look at this document: Approach to PBL Practically - A Guide for Students by Students created by the DeGroote School of Medicine that describes what Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is. PBL is the method in which all of your classes will be delivered.
What is the first week schedule like?
Upon admission into the program you will receive an orientation package. This package will include all the information you will need and details on what to expect for your first week.
What books and tools will I need? Where can I buy them?
You will receive a list of what you need in your orientation package, so don’t worry about getting everything right away. This will include mandatory equipment, as well as highly recommended material. All of these items can be purchased in the Health Science bookstore located in the hospital (which is different than the main campus bookstore located in Gilmour Hall). You get multiple campus tours in the first week of orientation, and this will definitely be one of the stops!
Main Bookstore Location: Gilmour Hall (GH) B-101 Health Sciences Bookstore Location: Health Sciences Centre (McMaster Hospital) Level One, Red Section (HSC 1G1)
It really depends on the amount of detail you would like to go into and the background you have in that certain topic. For example, if you have a kinesiology background, you may potentially not need to spend as much time on tutorial during the MSK unit, but more time during the hematology or infectious disease units in comparison to someone with a microbiology background. Everyone has a different style and approach of prepping for tutorial. You will find resources that you like to use all the time, and will also find yourself having to look for new resources with each new area that is covered. Some weeks you will have one case/set of objectives to cover, other weeks you may have three; therefore, time required can really vary.
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MPASA is the Student Association for McMaster's Physician Assistant Education Program in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed on this website are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the institutions to which they are affiliated.