To encourage you to consider doing some of your placements in a Francophone minority community, the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS) – University of Ottawa Chapter offers bursaries to pay a portion of your travel expenses. Whether or not you are a student admitted through the CNFS, these are available to you. Take advantage of them!

• View the CNFS placement reimbursement policy

• Apply for financial support for trainees through the CNFS

• Apply for the IELTS test refund

IELTS Test Refund Policy

For the past few years, some provinces have required students to pass the IELTS - International English Language Testing Services test in order to do an undergraduate medical internship. Francophone Affairs, which wishes to support students in doing out-of-province internships in Francophone settings, realizes that the costs associated with such a test could have an impact on the ability to do an internship in that province. Therefore, in order not to limit students in their choice of internships in provinces other than Quebec and Ontario, Francophone Affairs is willing to consider reimbursement for these tests under the following conditions:

• The Reimbursement Request Form (only available in French) must be completed and submitted for approval prior to the start of the internship.

• Proof of payment and confirmation of successful completion of the test must be included with the reimbursement request.

• Priority will be given to CNFS students.

Specific requirements for CNFS students:

• We recommend that you complete the IELTS test at the end of your 2nd year. Since the mandatory 3rd year internships will take place in French-speaking minority communities across Canada, we encourage you to complete the necessary steps with the various provinces as soon as possible to facilitate your internships.

• Reimbursement of test fees may be requested before an internship has been officially approved.

Specific conditions for non-CNFS students:

• The language test must have been completed in anticipation of an upcoming internship during pre-externship or externship. Proof of internship or proof of steps taken must be provided with the request for reimbursement.

• Only a request for reimbursement for an IELTS exam combined with an internship in a province requiring it will be considered.

Since funds are limited, Francophone Affairs reserves the right to refuse a request for reimbursement. If you have any questions, please contact Geneviève Côté at [email protected] or come to Francophone Affairs, room 2211 in Roger-Guindon Hall.

Update : July 2021

These electives are offered as part of a student exchange and collaboration agreement between the University of Ottawa and the Université Paris-Descartes, and between the University of Ottawa and the Université Claude Bernard 1 in Lyon. They take place in hospitals affiliated with these internationally renowned institutions.

Eligible students

Fourth year students (Francophone and Anglophone streams) who are able to work in French.

Dates and duration

It is advisable that the elective be completed after your CaRMS residency matching application deadline and before the start of interviews for residency positions.The elective is ideally 3 weeks long, but at least 2 weeks. No other option will be approved.

Candidate selection

A selection committee established by Francophone Affairs:

• will evaluate all applications and select candidates

• will apply for elective approval to the Vice-Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education and the Clerkship Director for the selected students. 

• will request approval from the Faculty of Medicine’s Global Health Office.

A response will be sent to you by email.

Submit an elective request

You are required to:

1. Complete the application form (only available in French)

2. Attach a cover letter explaining:

   1. why you want to do an international placement

   2. what makes you an ideal candidate

   3. what you hope to gain from the experience.

Submit your request by emailing [email protected].

All documents must be submitted by May 5, 2019, at 11:59 p.m.

Prerequisites

You must make sure that:

• The elective will not take place during a period when a mandatory selective must be completed.

• You have fulfilled your responsibilities in the residency application process in a timely manner.

• Your academic record is in good standing.

If any one of these three conditions is not met, the elective cannot take place.

My clinical placement is approved! What do I do now?

1. Forward the requested documents to the various offices involved:

   1. Paris-Descartes placement list

   2. Claude Bernard Lyon 1 placement list

2. Choose 5 placement opportunities (in order of preference). The placement offered will be determined based on availability. Various specialties are available:

   1. Internal Medicine and most of the subspecialties of this discipline

   2. General Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, Cardiology

   3. Visceral, Thoracic and Digestive Surgery

   4. Emergency Medicine (SAMU and emergency services)

   5. Etc.

This international health rotation will allow you to choose your areas of interest and to be supervised by Beninese and Canadian physicians in addition to working in teams with Beninese students and residents.

Eligible students

Fourth year students in the Francophone stream and residents who are able to work in French. 

N.B.: This rotation is equivalent to an elective for 4th year medical students and a rural rotation for family medicine residents.

N.B.: Individuals with respiratory problems should know that Cotonou is a very polluted city.

Date and duration

This rotation is offered once a year, usually in November, and lasts 4 to 5 weeks.

Candidate selection

A selection committee established by Francophone Affairs will evaluate all applications and select candidates. Interviews will be held in March.

Submit an elective request

All requests must be submitted in writing by emailing [email protected], by noon on February 10, 2020, and accompanied by the following documents:

• the completed and signed form

• a letter of intent explaining:

  • your past activities in international health, if applicable

  • your interests in international health and medicine

  • your reason for applying

  • what you expect from the placement

  • what you think the placement will bring to you

  • the qualities that will make you fit in well in a developing country and in a group setting

• a curriculum vitae including: last name, first name, address, email, telephone, pager

Prerequisites

Pre-placement courses are organized from May to October. At least 4 courses must be attended in order for you to be considered an eligible candidate for the placement.

Placement locations

Placements are offered in both urban and rural settings. You can choose from among several locations, depending on your interests:

• Placements in a clinical dispensary (Cotonou)

• Hospital placements with internal medicine services (Cotonou)

  • Gastroenterology

  • Cardiology

  • Pediatrics

  • Hematology

  • Obstetrics

  • Psychiatry

  • General Surgery

  • Urology

  • Orthopedics

  • Emergency

• Placements in perinatal care at Maternité Lagune (Cotonou)

• Placement in pediatric care, general surgery and obstetrics (Abomey)

• Consultation service with dispensary and teaching in a remote village (Kolli)

• Buruli ulcers placement (Allada)

• Rotating placement in emergency, medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics in a hospital environment (Tanguieta)