Professor Support HUB - FAQ's - FAFG

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Professor Support HUB - FAQ's

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Professor Support HUB - FAQ's

Faculty Affairs Website

Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page of the Faculty Hub for Wellness, Inclusion, and Professionalism! This resource has been designed to support faculty members in their role of supporting and guiding students at every stage of their academic journey.

Here you will find practical information, essential procedures, and links to key resources covering topics such as well-being, accommodations, absence management, professionalism, and support mechanisms available within the Faculty. The content is organized by program (undergraduate, Pharm.D., graduate, and postdoctoral) to reflect the specific realities and requirements of each.

This guide aims to facilitate access to information, promote consistent practices, and support an inclusive, respectful learning environment focused on the success and well-being of everyone.

FAQ for Undergraduate Medical Education

The Psychotherapy Team provides confidential individual counselling and tailored wellness workshops to support faculty, staff, and learners. Free confidential counselling sessions are available via video conferencing or in person.

To book an appointment with one of our psychotherapists, please fill out the Faculty Wellness Program booking formor contact our office at [email protected].

If you are an active client and have been seen by a member of our psychotherapy team, you already have a client file.

If you’re a new client, please select “No” and follow the steps to book an appointment.

Our platform requires you to complete a verification step for added security. Follow the instructions and provide the information being asked. This includes your last name, date of birth, sex, ID #, and contact information.

Once you've successfully validated your profile and completed the necessary verification step, you will receive an email from the Faculty Wellness Program inviting you to join our Telus Health CHR Connect account, where you can manage your appointments and receive messages from members of our team.

For absences, please ask students to email [email protected]. Clerkship students must also cc. their hospital coordinator.

You can find more information in the Attendance in Clerkship Policy (PDF 291KB).

If you suspect that your student or resident may benefit from wellness support, you can refer them to the Faculty Wellness Program using our Referral form.

Once submitted, a member of our team will review the information and direct it to the appropriate support service.

We strongly recommend informing your student or resident that a referral has been made, as our team will make contact with them to schedule an appointment.

The Wellness Support and Accommodation Team provides assistance with accommodations, individual wellness services for faculty, referrals to care providers, and guidance on enhancing wellness within program curricula.

Within the Faculty of Medicine, we have a Learning Specialist as part of the Faculty Wellness Program. You can refer your learner to book an appointment with our Learning Specialist, who is responsible for overseeing all accommodations.

Fill the Learning Specialist form to book an appointment

FAQ for the Pharm. D. Program

If you’re a new client, please select “No” and follow the steps to book an appointment.

On our Academic Accommodations - Graduate, TMM, Pharm D webpage.

Attendance and active participation in classes are mandatory as part of the Pharm.D. program. Any absence must be reported using the program's absence request form before the class. Justified absences for participation activities (e.g., discussions, quizzes) must be reported, and make-up arrangements must be agreed upon directly with the professor.

When an evaluation (certification, practical, midterm/final exam, ECOS) is missed, the student must also complete the University of Ottawa absence declaration form (Regulation A-8.6) within three business days and provide justification starting with the second absence to an evaluation in the same course. Justified retakes must be completed within 30 days of the scheduled date or during the corresponding reading week (mid-October, mid-December, mid-February, or mid-April).

Attendance is essential to meeting the program's standards of professionalism. Repeated absences (more than three days per term) will be reported to the Success Committee for follow-up.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to meeting the program requirements.

You can find more information on the Regulation on the Undergraduate Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Program webpage under attendance.

FAQ for Graduate Studies & Translational and Molecular Medicine

If you’re a new client, please select “No” and follow the steps to book an appointment.

On our Academic Accommodations - Graduate, TMM, Pharm D webpage.

If it’s regarding a mid-term or final exam, students must submit the Declaration of Absence from an Examination form. For further details, please refer to Academic Regulation A. 8.6. There is an administrative fee related to this submission.

Once the declaration is submitted, it is sent to the Faculty and then forwarded to the professor to inform them of the student’s absence.

NOTE: If the student misses a quiz or any other assessment that is not a midterm or final exam, they must contact the professor directly. The declaration form should not be used in these cases.

Please note: if your current syllabus already includes a policy regarding the submission of medical notes for missed course deliverables, it should be updated to reflect this revised procedure.

Who needs to be informed?

The professor
The student (if ever the request is ever denied)
Accommodation team (if applicable)

What are the responsibilities?

Professor:

The professor must contact the students to inform them of the exam deferral. At this point, arrangements are made between the professor and the students for retaking the missed exam. Typically, these take place during the exam deferral period.

Student:

Submit the Medical Absence Form
Provide supporting documents if need be (2^nd absence in the same course).
The students are also responsible for reaching out to the professor to inform them.

The procedure for students who are absent, due to medical reasons, from a graded course component other than exams. Effective September 01, 2025, students who miss a graded course component (e.g., labs, presentations, papers/reports, or group work) will be required to:

Inform the course coordinators of the absence by email in advance or no later than 24 hours after the missed course deliverable.
Indicate in that email whether they intend to pursue a make-up activity to recover the associated grade.
Submit the Medical Absence Form along with supporting medical documentation within three (3) days of the missed graded activity for review.

The Wellness Office will assess each submission and communicate with the students should there be additional information required. If there is a valid medical reason for the absence, the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office will notify you accordingly.

Important: For missed examinations, including midterms and final exams, students must complete the Declaration of Absence from an Examination form. For further details, please refer to Academic Regulation A.8.6.

NOTE: If the student misses a quiz or any other assessment that is not a midterm or final exam, they must contact the professor directly. The declaration form should not be used in these cases.

FAQ for Postgraduate Medical Education

To book an appointment with one of our psychotherapists, please fill out the Faculty Wellness Program booking form or contact our office at [email protected].

If you are an active client and have been seen by a member of our psychotherapy team, you already have a client file.

If you’re a new client, please select “No” and follow the steps to book an appointment.

The Wellness Support and Accommodation Team provides assistance with trainee accommodations, individual wellness services for faculty, referrals to care providers, and guidance on enhancing wellness within program curricula.

Within the Faculty of Medicine, we have a Learning Specialist as part of the Faculty Wellness Program. You can refer your resident to book an appointment with our Learning Specialist, who is responsible for overseeing all accommodations for our trainees.

Fill the Learning Specialist form to book an appointment

Refer the residents to the resources below:

Your Contract – PARO for vacation, educational leave, and sick time.
Program and Hospital Policies for scheduling and documentation requirements.
- It is essential for trainees to reach out to their program administrator or hospital director regarding policies specific to their hospital or program. Additionally, many of our hospital partners and programs maintain internal SharePoint sites, which provide trainees with direct access to this information.

Residents are entitled to paid medical leave for illness or injury. Please refer to our Medical Note Procedure for PGME webpage for more details.

Residents must notify their program (PD and PA) of any absence due to illness.
- A medical note is required for medical leave exceeding 7 days.
- Medical notes must be submitted to the Faculty Wellness Program (FWP) at [email protected]. The FWP will then inform PGME.
- If the resident requires a prolonged medical leave greater than until the end of the appointment or for six (6) months, whichever occurs first, they may be eligible to receive pay and benefits through Long Term Disability (LTD). Further details on LTD and other entitlements regarding illness or injury are addressed in Section 14 of the PARO-OTH Agreement.

For additional information on medical leave, please reference the PARO collective agreement and the Residency leaves of absence.

If you suspect that your resident may benefit from wellness support, you can refer them to the Faculty Wellness Program using our Referral form.

Once submitted, a member of our team will review the information and direct it to the appropriate support service.

We strongly recommend informing your student or resident that a referral has been made, as our team will make contact with them to schedule an appointment.

A learning plan is typically required when a supervisor identifies that a resident may benefit from structured guidance to meet expected competencies. This can occur when patterns emerge suggesting that additional support, clarification of expectations, or targeted skill development is needed. Learning plans are designed to be supportive, formative tools that help residents focus their efforts and succeed in their training.

In most training programs, supervisors are responsible for creating and implementing learning plans. Programs usually manage this process internally using established assessment tools such as:

In-Training Evaluation Reports (ITERs)
Field notes
Direct Observation of Learner Performance (DOLPs)

These assessments help identify concerns early and guide next steps. When issues persist, they are typically reviewed within the program through formal committees such as:

The Competency Committee (CC), which reviews trainee progress and identifies areas needing additional support.
The Residency Program Committee (RPC), which provides oversight and determines whether further interventions or formal processes are required.

In most cases, these processes occur without the direct involvement of Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME), unless the situation escalates to a point where formal PGME oversight is required.

Refer the resident to ressources below:

Policy on Professionalism - FH | Faculty of Medicine for expectations and processes.
Report mistreatment | Faculty of Medicine for harassment/mistreatment cases.
UGME and PGME Professionalism Committee - FH | Faculty of Medicine for escalation procedures.

You can access further resources on The PGME Central SharePoint Site webpage.

Please use your University of Ottawa credentials to log in to SharePoint.

Resources for every program

The Uncovering the Hidden Curriculum website has modules to help educators incorporate the above skills into their teaching.

The Adapted Exam Centre works with professors and the faculties to organize, administer, prepare and proctor in-person and online exams for students registered with the Academic Accommodations Service, under which it operates.

Guidelines for Professors

Below are several examples from other universities that offer helpful guidance and information, which you may wish to refer.

Beyond the Stethoscope: Alternative Careers in Health Care

If you are unsure whether a situation constitutes a Professionalism Concern, you may seek guidance from the appropriate Responsible Faculty Authority (e.g., Supervisors, Program Director, Assistant Dean, Vice-Dean of your Academic Program

Concerns may also be submitted through the Faculty of Medicine online Reporting Tool, which will be directed for review, investigation, and follow-up.

You can also direct your concerns to the Faculty of Medicine Office of Professionalism and the University of Ottawa’s Human Rights Office.

The Faculty of Medicine encourages progressive stages of intervention to handle a professionalism concern:

Informal intervention “Cup of Coffee conversation” is appropriate for minor, single incident and may involve direct feedback about the behaviour, along with encouragement to reflect on it.
Reporting for incidents that requires intervention is appropriate for behaviour that is serious, repeated, or concerning and constitutes a professionalism concern inconsistent with the Faculty of Medicine’s Professionalism Standard and Core Values.

Anonymous reports of a Professionalism Concern will be considered by the Faculty of the Medicine if it consists of sufficient, substantive and verifiable information.

Anonymous reports may limit investigation and appropriate follow-up with the reporter to ensure that the concerns are appropriately addressed.

Professionalism Concerns can be submitted through the Faculty of Medicine online reporting tool by a person who is witness, directly involved in a situation or an individual in a leadership position. Reports are referred by the Office of Professionalism and forwarded to the appropriate Responsible Faculty of Authority for follow-up.

Professionalism Concerns may also be brought directly to a Responsible Faculty Authority (e.g., Supervisors, Program Director, Assistant Dean, Vice-Dean of your Academic Program)

Learners, Faculty members and Faculty Staff can expect a fair, confidential, and structured process during the investigation of a professionalism concern,

The faculty’s ability to provide updates regarding professionalism investigations is limited. In instances where a report has been reported anonymously and there is no means of contacting the reporter, the faculty is unable to share follow up information or seek clarification.

Once a report is shared to the faculty, the process is as follows:

Once the report is submitted to the Faculty of Medicine Reporting Tool, the Faculty is notified and begins gathering information and meeting with those involved

Providing an opportunity to respond and provide additional information or clarification

Offer supports of the Wellness Office at every stage of the process to both the reporter and respondent

Identify the stages of interventions as appropriate

Possible review or investigation by a Responsible Faculty Authority

Confidential handling of information and review of findings

The information shared with the reporter is limited to confirm that the concern has been received and reviewed through the established process. To maintain confidentiality and fairness the specific details about the steps taken or any outcomes regarding remediations plans are not disclosed to the reporter.

Communication of final recommendation and any required actions will be shared with the respondent and the appropriate faculty authority.

Professor Support HUB - FAQ's

FAQ for Undergraduate Medical Education

How can my learner book an appointment with the Faculty of Medicine’s psychotherapy team? arrow_drop_down

How do I deal with absences for illness? Who needs to know, and what are learners required to do? arrow_drop_down

If I suspect a learner requires wellness supports, how and to whom do I refer? arrow_drop_down

Where can my student get additional information about academic accommodations? arrow_drop_down

FAQ for the Pharm. D. Program

How can my learner book an appointment with the Faculty of Medicine’s psychotherapy team? arrow_drop_down

Where can my student get additional information about academic accommodations? arrow_drop_down

If I suspect a learner requires wellness supports, how and to whom do I refer? arrow_drop_down

How do I deal with absences for illness? Who needs to know, and what are learners required to do? arrow_drop_down

FAQ for Graduate Studies & Translational and Molecular Medicine

How can my learner book an appointment with the Faculty of Medicine’s psychotherapy team? arrow_drop_down

Where can my student get additional information about academic accommodations? arrow_drop_down

How do I deal with absences for illness when it's a mid-term or final exam? Who needs to know, and what are learners required to do? arrow_drop_down

Professor:

Student:

How do I deal with absences for illness when students miss a quiz or any other assessment that is not a midterm or final exam? Who needs to know, and what are learners required to do? arrow_drop_down

If I suspect a learner requires wellness supports, how and to whom do I refer? arrow_drop_down

FAQ for Postgraduate Medical Education

How can my resident book an appointment with the Faculty of Medicine’s psychotherapy team? arrow_drop_down

I suspect my resident requires accommodations, where can I refer them to? arrow_drop_down

What is considered protected time for residents, and how do I manage this time off? Academic, didactic, health appointments, personal time, etc. arrow_drop_down

How do I deal with absences for illness? Who needs to know, and what are residents required to do? arrow_drop_down

If I suspect a residents requires wellness supports, how and to whom do I refer? arrow_drop_down

When do I have to provide a learning plan to a resident? What is the process when I suspect there is some academic improvement required? arrow_drop_down

My resident has had a professionalism incident reported against them. What is the protocol, and how can I support the resident? arrow_drop_down

To access additional resources that can help support your resident, please see the information below. arrow_drop_down

Resources for every program

How can I incorporate the hidden curriculum (executive function, communication, critical thinking, intra-and interpersonal, and social accountability skills) into my teachings? arrow_drop_down

Guidelines for Professors: Notifications, Procedures and Inclusive Classroom Best Practices arrow_drop_down

What supports are available if I am considering a career outside of clinical medicine? arrow_drop_down

Who should I contact first if I am unsure whether a situation requires a formal report? arrow_drop_down

When should I report an incident versus addressing it informally with the respondent How about anonymous vs. non-anonymous reports? arrow_drop_down

Where do I submit a report for a professionalism concern? arrow_drop_down

What can be expected during the review or investigation of a professionalism concern? arrow_drop_down