Not sure how the Canada stuff came up, but I'm going to weigh in anyway.
@Kevin47 you've either been misinformed or have misinterpreted what people have told you. The only way that med school can be seen as a "joy ride" in Canada is that schools are extremely supportive, and if you start to struggle they'll pull out all the stops (tutors, mentors, counsellors) to help you get back on track. From what I've heard US schools tend to be that way as well, as both countries have extremely low attrition rates. Whoever told you that at Western you're fine if you're getting 20% was probably using hyperbole or making a joke that you didn't get. Courses being P/F doesn't mean that med school becomes a joke.
Residents are allowed to unionize in Canada, so (at least in Ontario) their mandatory hours are slightly less than in the US, but ultra-competitive residencies like ortho expect residents to voluntarily spend that extra time at the hospital anyway so they're no less intense. Getting into a competitive residency is just as hard as well. Maybe you ran in to someone who complained that their spot was taken by someone less qualified because they "knew someone", but that doesn't mean that that's how things are done in Canada. You land a competitive residency by impressing during your rotations and getting great evals. Getting along with staff can only help your chances, but it doesn't replace the tremendous amount of work that goes into pursuing a competitive specialty. You want ENT? Better start doing research in your first year.
And about the malpractice thing, just because you witnessed some cases doesn't mean that Canadian hospitals are death traps filled with incompetent residents who are only there because they networked. Malpractice insurance is actually much less in Canada, mainly because Canadians are significantly less litigious than Americans. You can rest assured, though, that if idiot residents were killing people because they went to a P/F med school, that would swiftly change.
@Stagg737
. Bye
