Electives

Given the fluidity of the COVID-19 situation, we will continue to monitor and adhere to the standards set by Ottawa Public Health (OPH). We therefore recommend that you do not make any travel nor accommodations arrangements until closer to the date, in case the elective needs to be cancelled due to changes in direction from OPH, or further to direction from your home school. As no PGME office can predict nor guarantee that there will be no last minute rotation cancellations due to COVID-19 related events, it is incumbent upon visiting residents to be aware that uOttawa cannot compensate trainees for expenses related to rotation cancellations as a result of COVID19 – directives.

Please note that a self-isolation period may be required before entry into any of the hospitals within the Ottawa region. It will be your responsibility to verify this requirement with the program you are going to, and the hospital’s occupational health services prior to arranging your travel and accommodations.

Our electives application system will automatically reject applications that do not meet the 2 month prior to block start rule. 

Thank you for your understanding and attention in this important matter.

1. Seek approval of Program Director by contacting the Program Administrator for desired dates. Do not book any travel arrangements until your elective has been confirmed by PGME.

If you are interested in completing an elective at the Hôpital Montfort, contact emed@montfort.on.ca to secure a placement or call 613-746-4621 ext. 6499.

Please note: for Montfort electives - you must possess basic French language oral and comprehension skills and state, in french, the objectives you wish to attain in the rotation for which you are applying.

2. If you have a CPSO education license already, please continue to the next step

If you do not practice in Ontario, you must apply for an Educational Certificate of Registration from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). This process can take 6 to 12 weeks so apply early. A Confirmation of Appointment will be sent to you electronically from the PGME office once the elective is approved. Once signed, it will be sent to CPSO by the PGME office.

Please note: A criminal record check using the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database, dated no more than six months prior to the desired elective, is a mandatory requirement of the CPSO. For more information visit their site.

3. Complete the online Elective Registration Form and submit it at least two months prior to the elective start date.

After submitting your admission application, you will receive an email from the University of Ottawa.

This email will contain:

• Your student number
• uoAccess login
• Your password required to access your uoZone portal (student portal).

Login to the uoZone account to upload the required admission documents.

The following documents must be attached to your online application*:

• Letter of good standing from your current program director.
• Proof of resident’s membership with the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) or equivalent malpractice insurance.
• Immunization documents (Clinical Placement Requirements Record). Missing documents can be e-mailed to PGmed_Immunise@uottawa.ca

It is strongly recommended that you upload:

• A copy of your medical liability insurance (ie. proof of CMPA membership with effective dates, DARSS, etc.)
• An authenticated copy of a Police Record Check – Vulnerable Sector Search (VSS), dated no more than one year prior to the desired elective start date, or a copy of VSS application receipt.
  • The original must be mailed to the Clinical Placement Risk Management Team: 129 Louis Pasteur Private, Suite 281, Ottawa, ON K1N 1A2. We highly recommend you get a tracking number so it does not get lost. We do require an uploaded copy with your application and the original sent in the mail.
    • *If you do not have all your documents, upload everything you do have and ensure to e-mail missing documents as soon as possible.
      • For immunization follow-ups, e-mail PGmed_Immunise@uottawa.ca, for VSS follow-ups, e-mail cprm@uottawa.ca and for all other inquiries, e-mail pgme@uottawa.ca
• You must complete the following Ministry mandated modules 15 business days before the start of your elective.
  • Visit workplace-safety-modules
  • Click "Sign in"
  • Step 1: click 'I am an external to the Faculty of Medicine’
  • Step 2: click ‘create your profile’
  • Complete form
• Return to workplace-safety-modules to complete the modules. Kindly email the last page of each module as proof of completion to: pgme@uottawa.ca

All of the above requirements must be met before elective training can start. Failure to comply will result in a delay/cancellation of the elective. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.

Given the fluidity of the COVID-19 situation, we will continue to monitor and adhere to the standards set by Ottawa Public Health (OPH). We therefore recommend that you do not make any travel nor accommodations arrangements until closer to the date, in case the elective needs to be cancelled due to changes in direction from OPH, or further to direction from your home school. As no PGME office can predict nor guarantee that there will be no last minute rotation cancellations due to COVID-19 related events, it is incumbent upon visiting residents to be aware that uOttawa cannot compensate trainees for expenses related to rotation cancellations as a result of COVID19 – directives.

Please note that a self-isolation period may be required before entry into any of the hospitals within the Ottawa region. It will be your responsibility to verify this requirement with the program you are going to, and the hospital’s occupational health services prior to arranging your travel and accommodations.

Our electives application system will automatically reject applications that do not meet the 2 month prior to block start rule. 

Thank you for your understanding and attention in this important matter.

1. Contact the University of Ottawa Program Director or Program Administrator for the desired program and desired dates.
   
   If you are interested in completing an elective at the Hôpital Montfort, contact emed to secure a placement or call 613-746-4621 ext. 6499.
   
   Please note: for Montfort electives - you must possess basic French language oral and comprehension skills and state, in french, the objectives you wish to attain in the rotation for which you are applying.
2. If you have a CPSO education license already, please continue to the next step
   
   If you do not practice in Ontario, you must apply for an Educational Certificate of Registration from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). This process can take 6 to 12 weeks so apply early. A Confirmation of Appointment will be sent to you electronically from the PGME office once the elective is approved. Once signed, it will be sent to CPSO by the PGME office.
   
   Please note: A criminal record check using the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database, dated no more than six months prior to the desired elective, is a mandatory requirement of the CPSO. For more information visit their site.

3. Complete the online Elective Registration Form including the signature of the University of Ottawa Program Director and submit it at least two months prior to the elective start date. Please note that the elective cannot be processed without the approval of the University of Ottawa Program Director.

After submitting your admission application, you will receive an email from the University of Ottawa.

This email will contain:

• Your student number
• uoAccess login
• Your password required to access your uoZone portal (student portal).

Login to the uoZone account to upload the required admission documents.

Visit workplace-safety-modules 

• Click "Sign in"
•  Step 1: click 'I am an external to the Faculty of Medicine’
• Step 2: click ‘create your profile’
• Complete form
• Return to workplace-safety-modules to complete the modules. Kindly email the last page of each module as proof of completion to: pgme@uottawa.ca

1. The following documents must be attached to your online application:
   - Letter of good standing from current program director.
   - A copy of an active medical protection with the CMPA.
   - Submit a copy of a Canadian citizenship or permanent residency card to pgme@uottawa.ca
   - You must complete the following Ministry mandated modules 15 business days before the start of your elective.

2. Apply for a Canadian Medical Protection Association (CMPA) Membership for the period of your elective.
3. Provide proof of immunization documents (Clinical Placement Requirements Record) to PGmed_Immunise@uottawa.ca.
4. Mail an original copy of a Police Record Check – Vulnerable Sector Search (VSS), dated no more than one year prior to the desired elective start date, or provide a copy of VSS application receipt. The original must be mailed to the Clinical Placement Risk Management Team: 129 Louis Pasteur Private, Suite 281, Ottawa, ON K1N 1A2. We highly recommend you get a tracking number so it does not get lost.

All of the above requirements must be met before elective training can start. Failure to comply will result in a delay/cancellation of the elective. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.

Electives for International sponsored Visa trainees and/or U.S. citizens currently training in a postgraduate program in the U.S. or outside Canada are not currently offered.

The purpose of an observership is to gain knowledge and expertise concerning health care and services, such as patient care procedures, within a hospital or healthcare organization.

Observerships may be arranged with the individual programs in the Ottawa regional hospitals by contacting the Program Director in the hospital in which you wish to have observer status. * Resident Observerships are not available in the Core Internal Medicine Specialty.

Arrangements are not provided by the Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) office of the University of Ottawa and observers do not register with the PGME Office.