WHO Report on Antimicrobial Resistance

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a report on antimicrobial resistance. It has made headlines around the world and this global threat to public health is currently receiving widespread global attention. I have attached a brief news clip that gives a general overview of the situation as well as the entire WHO report.

Rise of Superbugs

WHO Report on Antimicrobial Resistance

Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) Tips and Sample Questions

So this week is the week that the Michener Institute is conducting multiple mini interviews (MMIs) to assess candidates on their ability to respond to various scenarios. Some of them are obviously related to healthcare and other scenarios focus on other areas. There might also be an acting station in which you must interact with the actor regarding a specific scenario. I really enjoyed the MMI circuit and found it much better than a traditional interview. It is a really interesting approach and McMaster University has published many articles on its efficacy.

The scenarios you encounter will be different than the ones you have used to practice so get used to thinking on your feet and logically working through a problem. Make sure to get a good night sleep before the interview and don't be too nervous during the circuit. If you think you did badly on a station, don't dwell on your mistakes and focus on the other remaining stations. The circuit will go by pretty quickly and most people have really good things to say about it once it is finally over. Best of luck if you have an interview this week :)

I have posted a bunch of sources with sample questions and I encourage you to check them out. Also practice as much as possible with a friend and have them formulate followup questions for you. I found that really useful for getting used to responding within the time limit.

Sample MMI Questions

Sample MMI Questions

Sample MMI Questions

Sample MMI Questions

Sample MMI Questions

Medical Laboratory Student Society (MLSS)

I was the first year representative during my first year of the medical laboratory science program at the Michener Institute and I'm very honoured that my classmates voted for me to be president for second year. The image below is the official MLSS logo that a student from a few years ago designed.

Awards Ceremony

I received an entrance scholarship from the Michener Institute last fall. It was an honour to be a part of the awards ceremony and hear more about the other award winners.

Research at Mount Sinai Hospital

I have been volunteering in the rapid response lab at Mount Sinai Hospital for over a year and I recently sent my resume up to the microbiology lab in the hope that they would have some volunteer positions available over the summer. I ended up doing an interview and getting a research assistant position with them over the summer. Dr. Susan Poutanen is one of the lead microbiologists and infectious disease consultants at Mount Sinai Hospital and her research focuses on the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and development of new testing methods. Barb Willey is the senior technologist that will supervise the summer research projects that will focus on developing new testing methods for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CREs). I'm really excited to be a part of their research team over the summer and I will try to update this blog once I start in June.

I have attached a link to a really interesting interview with Dr. Susan Poutanen. She also has tons of published articles that can be found with a simple google search so check that out if you have the opportunity :)

Interview

WASP System

This is an automated system used by large microbiology labs. The microbiology lab at Mount Sinai Hospital recently implemented this to process various specimens. It automatically streaks plates so they are ready for incubation. I had the chance to see it in action when i went on a tour of their lab. 

WASP System

Antimicrobial Stewardship

The first link that I have posted is a great overview of antimicrobial stewardship and its growing importance as antimicrobial resistance becomes a major threat to public health. This video was created by the Mount Sinai Hospital and University Health Network Antimicrobial Stewardship Program and I highly encourage you to check out both the video and their website for more information :)

Why is Antimicrobial Stewardship Important?

Mount Sinai and UHN Antimircobial Stewardship Program