Student Essential Information

Undergraduate medical education programs in Canada leading to the MD degree are accredited through a partnership between the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) and the U.S.-based Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). Every eight years, MD programs must conduct a full survey of resources, learning environment, curriculum, faculty, and student services in order to maintain accreditation.

This process includes an independently-conducted student analysis and a site visit by a team of external reviewers. The University of Ottawa MD program’s next full accreditation site visit is taking place April 15 to 18, 2018. To learn more about accreditation, visit the official Frequently Asked Questions page online.

An MD program is highly unlikely to lose its accreditation following a survey, however it may have its term of accreditation shortened, be placed on warning, or be placed on probation if it fails to meet several and/or serious components of the accreditation standards/elements. In the past, there have been instances where a Canadian medical school was placed on probation. A school on probation must send written notification of that status to all its students and applicants to its program. A probationary status may harm the reputation of that MD program, and could affect endowment contributions and national rankings. A school on probation will face a post-probation site visit about 18 months after the decision on probation is made. If the conditions that led to the probationary status are not corrected within a reasonable period of time, the school could have its accreditation withdrawn.

The Tri-Council Policy Statement has developed CORE (TCPS 2: CORE) modules that include chapters on:

• ethics and framework;
• scope and approach;
• the consent process;
• fairness and equity in research participation;
• privacy and confidentiality;
• governance of research ethics review;
• conflict of interest;
• multi-jurisdictional research;
• research involving the First Nations; Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada;
• qualitative research;
• clinical trials;
• human biological materials including materials related to human reproduction; and
• human genetic research.

These self-learning modules are assigned to students during the Foundation Unit as well as Units I, II and III.

Students are assessed for their cultural competence and skills in a few ways:

• Through the second year of ePortfolio, students are asked to reflect on such ideas as the diversity of patients and health care colleagues, the evolving social contract between physicians and society, and the individual needs of patients, which include cultural needs different from the physician's own cultural background. Coaches for the ePortfolio program can help students identify and address biases in their thinking when these occur during the process of reflective practice.

• At the end of both Years 1 and 2, as part of their SIM assessment, students write reflective essays on a choice of topics, one of which generally concerns caring for patients from vulnerable groups.
• Several CBL cases present scenarios that require discussion of cultural sensitivity, and participation in these discussions is assessed by the tutor. For example, in Unit II the APC cas diabétique et autochtone covers the sensibilisation aux variations et predisopsitions ethniques de certaines maladies; approches therapeutiques doit prendre en compte les variations culturelles et les preferences culturelles et notamment en cas de nutrition ou activité physique
• Effective August 2018, the Clerkship and Evaluation committees agreed to add a new criteria to the clinical preceptor evaluation form of students: “Communicates well with members of other cultures/backgrounds”. This form is completed throughout Clerkship Year 3.

The MD Program Career Advising Curriculum has the following mandate:

To guide, counsel and support University of Ottawa medical students throughout their process of career considerations.

Objectives:

1. To help students become aware of their personality traits and encourage self-reflection on personal interests, values and goals.
2. To help students gather information on various medical specialties and gauge their interests in these specialties in regards to various domains (clinical experience, research, education and social accountability).
3. To help students reconcile their personal medical academic profile with their best possible medical career options.
4. To help students navigate the decision-making process of selecting their career paths.
5. To guide the students throughout the residency matching process by monitoring and advising on the specific components of application, preparation for interviewing and final ranking strategies.
6. To support students that go unmatched.

MD Program Career Advising Curriculum components:

1. Career Advising Core Curriculum:

This program involves six mandatory phases:

• Self-evaluation through the AAMC Careers in Medicine (CiM) program which is to be completed by the end of Year 2: each student will be registered and mandated to complete all modules of the CiM
• Exploration of options through electives: at least three specialties should be explored
• Attendance at specialty information group sessions
• Meetings with Career Advisory Team members
• Preparation for the CaRMS matching process
• Attendance at the Career Planning Workshop series

1. Career Guide
2. Electives

• Pre-clerkship observerships,
• clerkship electives,
• ten weeks of pre-CaRMs electives and
• eight weeks of post-CaRMs electives
• selectives

Advice on elective choices can be obtained from members of the Career Advisory Team, from Rotation Directors, and mentors/preceptors who are appropriate to a student’s objectives.

1. Career Advisory Team:

• Student Affairs Office (SAO) Advisors
• Academic Advisor (AA)
• Mentors
• Vice Dean UGME
• Assistant Dean Academic Affairs
• MD Career Advisors

• CBL rooms are reserved for the MD program (24 hours per day). When not in use for learning events, students can use them to study.
• TOH has made improvements to their policies and procedures to manage their lockers and added 32 lockers to their Civic and General campuses.
• A dedicated call room for medical students on their OB/GYN rotation has been established at the TOH General campus.
• An additional lounge reserved for MD students has been built in a convenient area close to CBL rooms. The lounge has an eating area with access to a kitchen and is equipped with audio-visual equipment that includes two large screens.

Previously, male students have indicated in responses to surveys they are being denied equal opportunities to participate in certain required clinical encounters in the Ob/GYN rotation. A review of the T-Clerk responses comparing completion rates for these encounters has shown that there is equal or greater participation in these experiences for male compared to female students.

All residents are made aware of MD student learning objectives prior to engaging in teaching activities through the following:

• mandatory one-day orientation session (at the start of residency) which includes a session that covers MD program educational & learning objectives
• residents and fellows are required to complete a mandatory e-learning module entitled: “Teaching Medical Students: A Toolkit for Residents”
• residents and fellows have an action assigned to them via their One45 account to confirm that they have reviewed the rotation specific and overall objectives as well as required clinical encounters

before each block, PGME sends a message to residents to remind them to review the MD program objectives and required clinical encounters.

• Discuss the grade or concern with respective Pre-Clerkship or Clerkship director
• If not satisfied with the grade or wish to appeal an academic sanction for professionalism issue approved by the Student Promotion Executive Committee (SPEC), you may request a grade review or appeal academic sanction to the Faculty Council Appeals Committee according to the following procedure:

1. First level of appeal:
   1. Notify the Chair of the Faculty Council Appeals Committee in writing (a Notice of Appeal and a Statement of Appeal) within a maximum of ten (10) working days after receiving their final grade and/or academic sanction.  Include a) the title of the course, the grade assigned or the academic sanction being appealed, b) the grounds for the appeal, c) other relevant documents. The Chair of the Faculty Council Appeals Committee will acknowledge receipt of the appeal.
   2. Chair or his/her delegate may, at his/her discretion, extend time limit at request of appellant where exceptional circumstances exist.
   3. Chair of the Faculty Council Appeals Committee will provide a copy of the Statement of Appeal and supporting documentation to the Chair of the SPEC within five (5) working days. The Chair of SPEC or a delegate will be invited to provide a Responding Statement and supporting documentation in response to the student’s Statement of Appeal within ten (10) working days. The Chair of the Faculty Council Appeals Committee will forward a copy to the student.  The Chair (or a delegate) may, at his/her discretion, extend this time limit at the request of the Chair of the SPEC where exceptional circumstances exist.
   4. Following receipt of the Statement of Appeal and the response from the Chair of the SPEC, the Chair of the Faculty Council Appeals Committee, or his/her delegate, will send the documentation to the members of the Faculty Council Appeals Committee and will schedule the appeal within fifteen (15) working days.
   5. The Committee will meet to consider the appeal and inform both the student and the Chair of the SPEC of the decision within ten (10) working days.
2. Second level of appeal: Appealing to the Senate Appeals Committee

You may approach the Senate Appeals Committee to contest decisions handed down by the Faculty of Medicine. For more information please view the Senate appeals procedure web page.

• Alert your clinical instructor of your accident and seek first aid;
• Be sure to go to the emergency department for assessment and treatment;
• Complete the uOttawa incident form
• Advise your liaison officer as well as the Clinical Placement Risk Management Office (613-562-5800 ext. 3391)

In order to ensure your well-being and health as well as that of your patients, you are required to complete the uOttawa incident form within 24 hours after the accident and contact the Clinical Placement Risk Management office if:

• you suffer an injury (scalpel cut, needle prick, etc.) in the clinical setting or when the incident could have resulted in being injured because of a violation of the occupational health and safety standards;
• the injury results in an absence from the clinical setting.

Students are encouraged to self-declare if they are experiencing academic difficulty. You can contact your Director (Pre-Clerkship or Clerkship), the respective Unit Leader or Rotation Director; the Academic Advisor, Student Academic Success Service (SASS), the Assistant Dean Academic Affairs, or your Faculty Mentor. Any of these individuals can inform you of resources available and will be able to assist you.

Students identified by the MD program as having academic difficulties are required to attend mandatory counselling sessions and are also informed of all of the optional and additional support services.

You are advised how to obtain disability insurance during the first sessions offered within the four-year financial curriculum. The course is entitled Financial Management 101 for Medical Students and includes managing risk and disability insurance.

In addition, information sessions on the importance of obtaining disability insurance and how to obtain it are organized with representatives from the OMA and other financial institutions. Students can also access a video of the sessions via Student Zone.