Policies and procedures

Closeup of notepad kept on table in empty conference room — Faculty of Medicine

Undergraduate Medical Education - UGME

Policies and procedures

Explore our policies and procedures: key to quality, effectiveness and compliance.

University Academic Policies

General

PSD Course/PSD OSCE

A student will be placed in the CSSP if he/she fails the PSD course (PSD OSCE or PSD tutor evaluations) or defers the PSD OSCE.

He/she will have a selected Preceptor for the Transition to Clerkship course to focus on history and physical examination skills prior to entering the first rotation.

In each subsequent rotation, a Preceptor will be selected who is interested in working with students on identified areas of concern, and will provide constructive, timely feedback. The student will not be permitted to participate in the Distributed Medical Education Program or in any community rotations unless permission is granted by the SPEC.

If the student passes the Year 3 Formative OSCE in March, he/she will be removed from the CSSP.

If the student on CSSP does not pass the Year 3 Formative OSCE, he/she will remain on the CSSP.

If the student passes the Year 3 Summative OSCE, he/she will be removed from the CSSP.

If the student does not pass the Year 3 Summative OSCE, the SPEC will review the student’s file and determine the subsequent course of action.

Year 3 Formative OSCE

If a student passes the PSD OSCE but fails the Year 3 Formative OSCE in March, the student will be placed on the CSSP and added to the academic concern list. The student will not be permitted to participate in the Distributed Medical Education Program or in any community rotations unless permission is granted by the SPEC. If the student passes the Year 3 Summative OSCE in September, the student will be removed from the CSSP. However, if the student fails the Year 3 Summative OSCE in September, the case will be brought to the SPEC who will review the student’s file and determine the subsequent course of action.

Year 3 Summative OSCE

If a student passes the PSD OSCE and the Year 3 Formative OSCE but fails the Year 3 Summative OSCE, the student will be placed on the CSSP while completing electives in Ottawa only and will be added to the academic concern list. The student will meet with the Clerkship Director and an intensive remediation program will be set up including one on one mentoring, review sessions on communication skills, and mock OSCEs. The student will retake the Year 3 Formative OSCE. Should a student fail the retake OSCE, the case will be brought to the SPEC who will recommend remediation, repeat of an academic year or withdrawal from the program.

Purpose

To clarify the policy on conflict of interest in clinical placements and to add the portion related to the Objectively Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) in Undergraduate Medical Education. The proposed changes are identified in the document below.

Policy

2.4.1 Pre-clerkship and 2.4.2 Clerkship

Conflict Of Interest In Clinical Placements

Students cannot be supervised in any clinical placements (i.e., core rotation, selective or elective) by a member of their immediate family, extended family including in-laws treating physician or others close to them who could compromise the objectivity of the student’s assessment. In addition, students are not permitted to do clinical placements with his or her treating physician. Students must immediately notify the Medical Education Office or Rotation Coordinators to request reassignment if their assigned placement is in violation of this policy. If a physician has treated a student in the past, they should make efforts to avoid any future situation that would put them in a position of evaluating that student.

Students are not permitted to participate in clinical placements at our affiliated clinical care facilities, including University of Ottawa Health Services, with a physician that has treated them in the past.

Conflict Of Interest During OSCE

The examiner cannot be a treating physician, a student’s family member or have a close relationship with the student. He or she must notify the Exam Center prior to the OSCE if they have a conflict of interest. If during the course of the examination, the examiner finds out he or she has a conflict of interest with a student, the examiner must recuse him/herself and the student is then examined at a separate track after the exam. If the examiner or the student perceives a potential conflict of interest, he or she must terminate the encounter and notify staff immediately. The student will then be permitted to complete the station with a different examiner at the end of the examination.

SENATE REFERENCE: 17:M05:09
EFFECTIVE: August 31, 2017
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
DATE: October 20, 2016
APPROVED BY: Faculty Council
DATE: December 6, 2016
APPROVED BY: the Council of Undergraduate Studies
DATE: June 1, 2017
APPROVED BY: Executive Committee of the Senate
DATE: June 13, 2017

The Faculty puts great importance on support to the students to ensure their success in the medical program. Academic Counselling is provided to students in need after every summative examination in both Pre-clerkship and Clerkship.

Preclerkship

Preclerkship students are identified as needing academic counselling based on their examination results should their mark fall at or below 2 standard deviations from the class average. Students are notified by email of the need for mandatory academic counseling at the time their exam marks are released.

Students must schedule an appointment with their Preclerkship Director as soon as possible after receiving notice to discuss their performance to help identify issues that caused them difficulties with the exam and to identify resources to help them overcome these difficulties. At the meeting the student signs a confirmation letter indicating the date that the meeting has taken place.

Students who have been identified as needing counselling must also attend the examination review session. The Undergraduate Medical Education Office informs students of the date/time. Students have to confirm their participation with the coordinator for the relevant year.

Clerkship

Written examination performance requiring counselling:

Identifying the students: Clerkship students are identified as needing academic counselling based on their examination results should their mark fall at or below 2 standard deviations from the class average.
Informing the students: Students are notified by email by the UGME Office of the need for mandatory academic counselling when they receive their examination marks.
Meeting with Rotation Director: Students must schedule an appointment with their Rotation Director as soon as possible after receiving notice to:
- Review their examination
- Discuss their performance
- Help identify issues that caused them difficulties with the exam
- Identify resources to help them overcome these difficulties.

At these meetings, the student signs a confirmation letter indicating the date that the meeting has taken place and this is forwarded to the UGME Office.

Written examination failure

Identifying the students: Clerkship students are identified as receiving a fail on their written examination should their final grade is less than 60%.
Informing the students: Students are notified by email by the UGME Office of the need for mandatory academic counselling when they receive their examination marks.
Meeting with Rotation Director: In the event of a written examination failure, the clerkship student is required to undergo the same process outlined in the written examination performance requiring counselling above.
Meeting with Clerkship Director: The student must also meet with the Clerkship Director to:
- Review their performance
- Identify potential issues contributing to difficulties
- Become oriented to supporting resources
- Review the process of remediation.

Clinical Rotation Failure

Discussion of clinical failure occurs anonymously at the clerkship promotions committee.
A remediation plan is proposed by the rotation director.
The remediation plan is reviewed, and/or modified and passed at SPEC and other supports are identified as needed.
All students requiring clinical remediation will meet with the clerkship director to review the clinical remediation plan and allocate academic supports if required.
All students also meet with the Rotation Director prior to implementation of the clinical remediation.

Preamble

Note: If students have any specific needs that would make it difficult to follow these procedures, they must contact the UGME Office as soon as possible in order to see whether arrangements can be made.

Examination dates are posted on the UGME website. Students must pay attention to the times of arrival and to the start and end times for each examination. No exceptions will be accepted without proper approval.

Pre-clerkship students will receive an email notification to inform them when the specific group assignment and scheduling of each group is available through the online calendar within two weeks of the examination day.

Students should arrive outside the examination room at least 15 minutes before the examination is scheduled to begin. The name of students arriving after the examination begins will be submitted to the SPEC. Students arriving more than 15 minutes after the examination begins will not be allowed in the examination room and will need to go directly to the UGME Office (room 2046). A member of the office will contact the faculty representative responsible for the examination in order to get instructions on how to proceed.

Before the examination

Written examinations will be placed on the examination tables prior to the students entering the room and be set up with appropriate spacing.

Ten minutes before the start of the examination, students will be permitted to enter the examination room in silence to take their assigned seat. Clerkship students will also be required to sign in while showing their ID badges to the Proctors before taking their seat.

When taking their seat:

Pre-clerkship students must follow the assigned seating when taking their seats;
Clerkship Francophone stream students must take their seat where examinations include a pink evaluation form while Anglophone stream students must take their seat where examinations include a blue evaluation form.

NOTE: Both sets of exams are in bilingual format.

When taking their seat, students must have their student card with them and place it on the table, face up.
Five minutes before the start of the examination, the students will be instructed to start filling in their name on the cover page only and student number on all sheets where it is requested.
Students will be instructed to start the examination when the appointed time is reached. With the exception of name and student number, nothing should be written on the examination until instructed to start.

With the exception of a basic calculator, students are prohibited from using electronic devices or any other communication tool that has not been approved beforehand. Any such device or tool must be shut off, stored and out of reach. Anyone who fails to comply with these regulations may be charged with academic fraud. It is the students’ responsibility to verify which electronic devices or tools are permissible for each examination. You may refer to item 9.4 of the University’s Academic Regulations.

All notes, books, bags, coats and any items not necessary to the examination must be placed in an area not within reach. Only writing implements, tissues, throat lozenges, twist-top drinks or other food items that do not make noise or disturb others during the examination are permitted. Exceptions for food items can be made for students with specific health or religious needs. Any requests for such arrangements must be submitted to your Specialist, Academic Administration at least two business days prior to the examination.

Students must answer the questions posed. If there is no right answer then the question will be eliminated. If there is more than one right answer, then the answer key will be adjusted. These decisions will be taken after the examination in consultation with the Director of Evaluations and based on student feedback taken from the survey included with your examination.

During the written examination, only one student at a time will be permitted to leave for the purpose of using the washroom and will be escorted by a Proctor. Out of respect for fellow classmates, please use washroom if only absolutely necessary. It is expected that students use the washroom before or after the examination.

Students are not allowed to leave the examination early. Students must remain seated and quiet until the end of the examination period. This is to prevent disturbing other students who are still completing the examination.

If the examination contains any problematic questions, they should be noted on the survey sheet provided with your examination. This information will then be tabulated and presented to the SPEC for analysis.

After the examination

At the end of the examination, students will be asked to put down their pens or pencils. No extra time will be provided at the end of the examination to complete it or to fill out your name and student number (this is to be done prior to starting the examination).

Students must put all components of their examination back together using the paper clip provided.

Examinations will not be picked up; each student must return their examination to the assigned Specialist, Academic Administration at the designated location within the examination room. When submitting their examination, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all components are attached.

If the room availability permits, additional time will be allotted to complete the examination evaluation once the examination has been returned. If needed, students can email more comments to the UGME office before the following Monday morning. These comments should be sent directly to your Specialist, Academic Administration.

When leaving the examination room, all papers must be returned to the Specialist, Academic Administration assigned whether or not they have been filled out.

Out of respect for anyone still writing an examination, students should be quiet when in or around rooms where examinations are taking place. Failure to do so may be considered as a lack of professionalism.

In the case of an alarm, or any situation where evacuation of the examination room is necessary, Proctors will ask students to gather in a specific area so that they will remain together in silence (no discussion of the examination is permitted). The group must stay in this location for the duration of the evacuation and await further instructions from the authorities involved. The faculty representative responsible for the examination will determine whether to resume or suspend the examination. If the examination is suspended, then the Faculty will decide on its rescheduling.

University Procedure on cancellation or postponement of examinations.

Examination and evaluation review (Evaluations completed by tutors and preceptors)

Students have a right to discuss their evaluations and feedback comments. They should contact their tutors, preceptors and/or rotation directors to set up an appointment within 10 working days of receipt of the evaluation.

Note that the marks report initially sent following an examination is preliminary. Marks become official after approval by the Student Promotion Executive Committee.

Examinations reviews

All requests for an examination review must be made within 10 working days following the release of the marks. In the event of a student writing a supplemental examination, the student may review the original examination no later than 10 working days prior to the supplemental exam.

Note that the marks report initially sent following an examination is preliminary. Marks become official after approval by the Student Promotion Executive Committee.

Students have a right to review their examination under supervision. Nothing is to be written on the examination itself, or taken away after the review period. During the review session, students are not permitted to work in groups or discuss with each other the marking of their examination. Students will not be able to request a reconsideration of their answer in light of a different interpretation of a question, nor can a student request remarking of their examination. Students can verify that their marks have been added properly. If errors in addition are noted, they will be corrected.

At the end of the review period, when all the arithmetic errors have been corrected, the cut-offs for counselling will be recalculated. Students will be informed that the official review period is over and that the marks are finalized. Individual students will be informed if their standing in the unit has changed.

SENATE REFERENCE: 2019:UGRD-MED:12
EFFECTIVE: April 3, 2012
REVISION: March 17, 2020
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
DATES: October 25, 2011; January 23, 2020
APPROVED BY: Faculty Council
DATES: December 14, 2011; January 28, 2020
APPROVED BY: Council of Undergraduate Studies
DATES: February 16, 2012; March 5, 2020
APPROVED BY: Executive Committee of the Senate
DATES: April 3, 2012; March 17, 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to provide a student-centred approach to consent for physical examination of students by peers and tutors that is respectful of students’ privacy and to provide a clear procedure for negotiating adverse events.

Scope

This document applies to all students and faculty involved in the teaching and learning of clinical skills in the MD Program curriculum. In this document, the term “peers” refers to MD Program students.

Guidelines

Examining peers is part of the Clinical skills training in the MD Program.
Students and tutors may examine head, neck, and limbs typically exposed with T-shirts and shorts. Abdomen and chest (anterior and posterior) and spine exposed by removal of top layer of clothing may only be examined with students’ explicit consent and in accordance with appropriate draping procedures.
Students and tutors will not be expected to examine breasts, the genitals or rectal area.
Students must obtain verbal consent from peers to be examined before each physical examination encounter. Any concerns regarding consenting to peer exam in general should be discussed with the Clinical Skills Directors at the beginning of the academic year.
Students may withdraw verbal consent to be examined at any time. Students are not required to disclose their reasons for withdrawing consent.
Students may decline to give consent to be examined by tutors and peers. Students are not required to disclose their reasons for refusing consent.
Students who refuse or withdraw consent for any component of the physical exam may discuss this decision with either their tutor or Clinical Skills Director. All parties will handle this discussion sensitively and confidentially.
Students may opt to pre-select partners from within the group with whom they are comfortable.
Tutors must not coerce students into consenting to be examined. They should only invite students to volunteer for demonstration purposes who have previously given consent. Any instances of perceived coercion or discomfort should be discussed with the Clinical Skills Directors.
Tutors will have access to ongoing faculty development opportunities to ensure they have clear, ongoing understanding of these guidelines.
Tutors shall not take a refusal of peer participation into account when considering the student’s academic performance.
In the event that peer participation for physical examination is not possible within the student’s group, other avenues to ensure that student learning is not compromised will be implemented (i.e., combining groups, use of standardized patients, etc.).
In the event of discovery of a suspicious finding, inappropriate behaviour, or a breach in confidentiality, tutors and students will follow the adverse event procedures outlined below.

Adverse events procedures

Discovery of a suspicious finding

During physical examination of students by peers and tutors it is possible that a new concerning or suspicious finding may be discovered, for example, discovery of a mass, a heart murmur, or elevated blood pressure. The goal is to enable the student to obtain timely medical attention.

The following steps will be taken:

The examining student confidentially informs the examined student of the concerning or suspicious finding.
The examining student determines whether the student is already aware of the concerning or suspicious finding.
Both students confidentially inform their tutor.
The tutor asks permission to perform the same physical examination.
If the tutor confirms the concerning or suspicious finding, the tutor recommends that the student seeks medical advice.
The tutor reminds both students of the duty of the examining student to maintain confidentiality regarding the incident.

Inappropriate behaviour

Inappropriate behaviour, is definedas inappropriate use of medical equipment, offensive language, or physical abuse during physical examination of students by peers and tutors. Appropriate steps must be followed if either Tutors directly witness inappropriate behaviour or are alerted to it by a student. The consequence for inappropriate behaviour will vary and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

The following steps will be taken:

The tutor speaks to the student(s) behaving inappropriately.
The tutor informs the student that their behaviour is inappropriate and may be a breach of University or Faculty policy or standard.
For serious breaches of behaviour, the tutor contacts the course director regarding the incident.
The course director checks applicable policies and standards regarding the incident and takes required actions.
If a student has potentially been harmed by the inappropriate behavior, the tutor ensures that he or she seeks appropriate care (i.e. counseling).

Breach in confidentiality

Confidential information about a student may be revealed during history taking or physical examination. For example, students may reveal a history of medical issues, or physical examination may reveal surgical scars. It is possible in these situations that a breach in confidentiality may occur despite students being taught about the importance of confidentiality.

NOTE: Some students may willingly provide specific consent to have their physical findings used for the instruction of others, which would not breach confidentiality.

The following steps will be taken in the case of a breach in confidentiality:

The tutor takes the student(s) who breached confidentiality aside to speak with them.
The tutor informs the student(s) that sharing confidential information without consent is unacceptable and a breach of standards.
The tutor contacts the Clinical Skills Directors regarding the incident.
The Clinical Skills Director checks applicable policies and standards regarding the incident and takes required actions.
The tutor ensures the student whose confidentiality has been breached is informed and, if required, seeks appropriate care (i.e. counseling).

SENATE REFERENCE: 2020 UGRD-MED-04
EFFECTIVE: August 25, 2020
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Contingency COVID-19 Committee
DATE: July 28, 2020
APPROVED BY: Faculty Council
DATE: August 25, 2020

General Information

The students must evaluate their teachers and the teaching program in a mature, constructive and respectful manner. A bilingual, centralized, Internet-accessible evaluation system (One45) is used for the evaluation of individual learning activities, courses as well as teachers. Students receive all evaluations, however, they are only obliged to complete the following:

evaluate the Faculty Member facilitating learning activities labelled as MANDATORY on their schedule and
evaluate the course when they are a member of the evaluation team which occurs at least twice each year.

Students are not required to complete the teacher evaluation forms since attendance at most lectures and laboratories is not mandatory. However, we strongly recommend that all students complete the individual teacher evaluations (lectures and laboratories) since this feedback is extremely important to the Faculty and will lead to quality improvement. Please rest assured that it is not possible to determine the authorship of any online evaluation. The anonymity of the student is guaranteed at all times. However, it is possible to monitor who has submitted their evaluations.

Students have until the due date listed in the evaluation system (One45) to submit a mandatory evaluation (see above for definition of what constitutes mandatory evaluations). Students will get notifications to complete their evaluation. If students do not submit their evaluation before the due date, they will be called to meet with the Pre-clerkship Director in order to explain why they have not completed the mandatory evaluations. The Director will then report back to the SPEC as needed to determine whether or not the student should be placed on internal probation, a note should be placed in the professionalism section of the MSPR, or whether other actions should be taken.

Clinical Preceptors

The students must evaluate their Clinical Preceptors and the teaching program in a mature, constructive and respectful manner. A bilingual, centralized, Internet-accessible evaluation system (One45) is used for the evaluation of individual learning activities, rotations and teachers. There are two mandatory evaluations. Every student must:

evaluate their Clinical Preceptors in each rotation
evaluate the overall quality, organization and teaching at the end of each six week clerkship rotation.

This feedback is extremely important to the Faculty and will lead to quality improvement. Students are also requested to voluntarily complete the teacher evaluation forms for the didactic sessions within each rotation.

Please rest assured that it is not possible to determine the individual authorship of any online evaluation. The anonymity of the student is guaranteed at all times. However, it is possible to monitor who has submitted their evaluations.

Students have until the due date listed in the evaluation system (One45) to submit a mandatory evaluation (see above for definition of what constitutes mandatory evaluations). Students will get notifications to complete their evaluation. If students do not submit their evaluation before the due date, they will be asked to meet with the Clerkship Director in order to explain why they have not completed the mandatory evaluations. The Director will then report back to the SPEC as needed to determine whether or not the student should be placed on internal probation, a note placed in the professionalism section of the MSPR, or whether other actions should be taken.

Examination and evaluation review

All requests for an examination and/or evaluation review session must be made within ten (10) working days from the day following the release of the marks and/or evaluations (i.e. for CBL or clinical rotations).

Please refer to the Examination and Evaluation Review Policy 2019:UGDR-MED:12.

Appeals

Appeal to the Faculty Council Appeals Committee

A student has the right to appeal the grade obtained in a course. A student may also appeal decisions regarding remediation, sanctions for unprofessional behaviours, requirement to repeat educational components, probation, suspension or withdrawal from the MD program as ratified by the Student Promotion Executive Committee (SPEC) or Faculty Council.

Student must submit their request to the Faculty Council Appeals Committee within ten (10) working days after receiving written notice of their final grade and/or decision they wish to appeal. The procedures of the Faculty Council Appeals Committee will apply and is describe under Bylaw 9.3 Faculty Council Appeals Committee.

While a student may appeal a Faculty Council decision regarding withdrawal of the program to the Faculty Council Appeals Committee, he/she will remain on leave from the program pending the results of the appeal.

Appeal to the Senate Appeals Committee

Prior to appealing to the Senate Appeals Committee, the student must have submitted an appeal to and received a formal decision from the Faculty of Medicine Faculty Council Appeals Committee. If not satisfied with that decision, the student may submit an appeal to the above-mentioned Senate Committee within 10 working days from the date he or she received the decision of the Faculty Council Appeals Committee.

The Senate appeals procedure is described here.

Please click here to see the Appeal process workflow (PDF).

SENATE REQUEST NUMBER: 2018:UGRD-MED:07
EFFECTIVE: March 20, 2018
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
DATE: May 11, 2017
APPROVED BY: Faculty Council
DATE: June 13, 2017
APPROVED BY: Executive Committee of the Senate
DATE: March 20, 2018

The purpose of the Policy on Financial Support for Travel Expenses Incurred During Mandatory Clinical Rotations is to provide partial reimbursement for students assigned by the Faculty to rotations outside the region.

This policy does not cover expenses for electives.

Eligibility

Students enrolled in the Undergraduate Medical Education Program at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine are eligible for financial support to assist with travel and accommodations expenses incurred as part of a mandatory clinical clerkship, the Physician Skills Development course, the Community Preceptor Program, Community Service Learning and Community Week placements.

The table in Appendix A sets out the established allowances.

Conditions

Travel expenses

To be eligible for reimbursement, students must be completing their mandatory rotation outside of a 25 km radius from Roger Guindon Hall. The following address should be used for calculations: 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa ON, K1H 8M5.
Students must use their own vehicle for transportation.
Parking fees, vehicle rentals and Uber or taxi fares are not eligible travel expenses.
Expenses for travelling to and from the rotation site are reimbursed according to the kilometre allowance established under University policy, specifically Procedure 16-14.
The Faculty and the University cannot be held liable for any damage to a student’s personal vehicle as a result of travel to and from rotations. Students must therefore check with their insurance company to determine whether they need to obtain additional insurance.
Students without access to a personal vehicle are expected to travel to their assigned clinical placements using available public transportation. Clinical sites in the Ottawa region are considered accessible, and students may not decline placements at these locations. Please refer to Appendix A for the list of locations.

Accommodations expenses

When students complete a rotation at a site 100 km or more from Roger Guindon Hall, the Faculty reimburses them for accommodations expenses.
The Faculty identifies low-cost accommodation options — to see the list, students should contact their co-ordinator.
If the Faculty has no identified accommodations around the rotation site, a sum of $40 per day is allowed, up to a maximum of $200 weekly (weekends excluded). In this case, the travel allowance is limited to one round trip per week. Exception for placement in Kenora, Ontario, an additional allowance of $400 will be provided to cover 5 weekends.

Rotation sites

The purpose of this policy is to encourage students to complete their mandatory clinical rotations in a hospital or community setting outside the Ottawa region. The policy also aligns with travel requirements for the mandatory rotations in the MD-FM program and expanded rural stream.

The Faculty reimburses expenses for travel to remote sites if these expenses are not already subsidized through the programs in the next section.

Subsidized sites

Rotations subsidized through the Indigenous Program

See the reimbursement policy for mandatory rotations under the Indigenous Program.

Rural rotations subsidized through ERMEP or ROMP

Community Week is organized with our partners, the rural rotation networks. Ministry of Health funding for these networks allows medical students to have rotations organized, and travel and accommodations expenses paid.

Note: Students may choose to commute between the rotation site and their home on a daily basis, but if they do so, they will receive no reimbursement for their travel since accommodations are provided.

Student reimbursement will be provided in accordance with Rural Ontario Medical Program (ROMP) Travel and Accommodation Policy and Eastern Regional Medical Education Program (ERMEP) Expense Guidelines reimbursement policies, as specified on their websites.

Rotations funded by the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS)

See the CNFS’s financial support policy (in French).

Reimbursement

After the end of a rotation

Students must fill out the expense form within 10 business days of completing their rotation.
For travel expenses, a map of the distance travelled, in Google Maps, must be provided.
The form and map are to be submitted to [email protected].
Students must submit their evaluation within 10 business days to be eligible for reimbursement.
The Faculty reserves the right to reject a student’s reimbursement request for failure to adhere to the conditions.
Once a reimbursement request is approved, it will be processed, and the reimbursement will be provided via direct deposit within six weeks.

Last updated: December 17, 2025

Appendix A - Reimbursement of travel expenses for mandatory clinical rotations

Expenses for electives are not eligible for reimbursement.

Travel

The following distances in kilometres are for a round trip.

A 50 km round-trip distance to RGN has been deducted from the total distance.

The reimbursement rate is according to the kilometre allowance, which is updated annually — see Procedure 16-14.

In these examples, an allowance of $0.625 per kilometre has been used.

Bourget (36.4 km): $22
Casselman (51.4 km): $31.10
Clarence Creek (41.2 km): $25
Embrun (26.4 km): $16
Hawkesbury (158 km): $95.59
Osgoode (28.4 km): $17.18
Pembroke (252 km): $152.46
Rockland (25.6 km): $15.49
St. Isidore (89.2 km): $53.97

Placement sites accessible by public transportation with a regular bus schedule:

Bells Corners
Barrhaven
Blackburn Hamlet
Gloucester
Kanata
Nepean
Orleans

Accommodations

Maximum reimbursement amount: $200 per week

Mandatory rotation sites eligible for accommodations:

Hawkesbury
Pembroke

For all other sites, the Faculty must approve accommodations in advance.

Goal

The purpose of this policy is to provide financial support to students in the Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) Program who are doing a core rotation in an indigenous community, by partially covering their travel and housing costs. It reflects the Indigenous Program commitment to its mission: to increase the presence of First Nations, Inuit and Metis health professionals to better meet the health needs of indigenous communities and contribute to their well-being.

This policy only applies to core rotations that take place in indigenous communities. Electives are not applicable in this case.

Eligibility

Who is eligible for financial support?

Students enrolled in the Indigenous Program of the MD Program at the Faculty of Medicine completing a core rotation in third year in an approved indigenous community.
Any other student doing a placement in an indigenous community may submit a special request. If the request is approved, financial support will be granted according to the same terms as for students in the Indigenous Program. If a request is not submitted, the program’s general reimbursement policies will apply.

Financial support is capped at an amount determined annually and communicated when the application is approved. The table in Appendix A shows the allowances for the currently approved sites.

Placement sites

Placements covered by this policy must take place in an indigenous community recognized by the Indigenous Program.

Currently approved site: Kenora, Ontario

Other sites will be added gradually. A site may be recognized as an eligible indigenous community following assessment and approval by the Aboriginal Program placement team.

All placements must be pre-approved by the office of Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) and the Indigenous Program.

Conditions

Travel expenses

Travel expenses are reimbursed up to the maximum amount provided by the policy.
To be eligible for reimbursement, the core rotation must take place within a 25-km radius of Roger-Guindon Hall. To calculate the distance, please use the following address: 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8M5.
Travel expenses to get to your placement site will be reimbursed as per the kilometre allowance stated in the University’s Procedure 16-14.
Students may claim expenses for gasoline, public transportation, plane tickets or other expenses, provided they submit the required supporting documents.
Carpooling is accepted, but only the student driver can claim a refund.
Expenses for car rental are not covered, except in extraordinary circumstances approved in advance.
The Faculty and the University assume no responsibility for damages to a personal vehicle used by a student for travel. Students must therefore check with their insurance company whether they need to obtain additional insurance.

Housing expenses

Expenses for accommodation will be refunded by the Faculty for placements that are more than 100 km away from Roger-Guindon Hall.
A sum of $40 per day is allowed up to a maximum of $200 weekly (weekend excluded). In this case, the travel allowance is limited to one round trip per week.
Students must indicate in their application whether they require accommodation.
Expenses must be reasonable and low cost.
In case of emergency (e.g. weather conditions, unforeseen circumstances), additional temporary accommodation may be reimbursed subject to approval.

Reimbursement procedure

Prior to the placement

Students must complete the approval request form and submit it to the Indigenous Program coordinator at least 10 days before departure.
An official approval is sent to students by email.
Any changes to the itinerary or costs must be communicated as soon as possible.
A request for cash advance can me made in writing to [email protected]

After the placement

Students must complete the request for reimbursement within 10 business days after completing their placement.
For travels, include a “Google Mapˮ showing the number of kilometres covered for the journey.
Submit the form and the « Google Map » to [email protected]
Students must submit their evaluation within 10 business days to be eligible for a refund.
If the conditions are not respected, the Faculty reserves the right to decline the request for reimbursement.
Once the expense claim is approved, it will be processed, and reimbursement will follow within 6 weeks by direct deposit.

Additional information

Reimbursement is conditional on completion of the placement and submission of documents within the specified deadlines.
Students should always favour low-cost options.

Updated on: July 7, 2025

Preclerkship

Preamble

To successfully complete pre-clerkship, a student must pass the following courses:

Year 1: MED 1107 Community Week, MED 1200 Introduction Unit to the Profession, MED 1201 Foundations Unit, MED 1202 Unit I, MED 1302 Physician Skills Development (Part 1), MED 4101 Eportfolio on Core Competencies (Part 1)*
*no grade attributed until the end of the 4th year
Year 2: MED 2201 Unit II, MED 2202 Unit III, MED 2203 Unit IV, MED 2109 Mandatory Clinical Week, MED 2302 Physician Skills Development (Part 2), MED 4102 Eportfolio on Core Competencies (Part 2)*, CLI 2101 Transition to Clerkship Part 1**
*no grade attributed until the end of the 4th year
**new course effective spring 2021

Courses

Introduction Unit (MED 1200)

To pass the Introduction Unit, a student must attend all sessions and meet expectations on all mandatory assignments. Students must comply with the Attendance Policy in Pre-Clerkship. A student with 1 or more absences may be required to meet with the Director of Pre-Clerkship. The case of a student with a failure to meet expectations, including not attending 1 or more sessions, will be discussed by the Student Promotion Executive Committee (SPEC) who could recommend remediation or sanctions up to repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

Foundations Unit (MED 1201), Unit I (MED 1202), Unit II (MED 2201), Unit III (MED 2202) and Unit IV (MED 2203)

To pass these courses, a student must complete all sections of the examinations and receive an overall unit grade of 60% or more, meet expectations on all mandatory assignments and meet expectations overall on Case-Based Learning (CBL) sessions.

A student who obtains a failing grade for a unit must write a supplemental examination. To be promoted to the next academic year, students must achieve an overall mark of 60% or more on the supplemental examination.

The case of a student with a failure in meeting CBL expectations or mandatory assignments will be discussed by the SPEC who could recommend remediation or sanctions up to repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

Deferred and Supplemental Examinations of a Unit

The date and time of deferred and supplemental examinations are determined by the Undergraduate Medical Education Office.

Students may have a maximum total of 2 deferred assignments, deferred examinations, supplemental examinations or combination thereof in 1 academic year.

In the case of a deferred assignment or examination, the unit final grade will be released to the student once all mandatory components have been successfully completed.

In the case of a unit supplemental examination, to be promoted to the next academic year, students must achieve an overall mark of 60% or more on the supplemental examination.

The case of a student with a failure on a supplemental examination will be discussed by the SPEC who could recommend remediation or sanctions up to repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

The grade obtained on the supplemental exam replaces the final examination grade in the course. Only the grade obtained after the supplemental exam appears on the student’s transcript.

However, a note on the transcript will indicate that this grade was obtained as a result of a supplemental examination.

Physician Skills Development (PSD) Courses

Physician Skills Development (Part 1)—MED 1302

To pass this course, a student must:

obtain an overall pass on PSD tutor and Community Preceptor Program evaluations; and
obtain a pass on the PSD Year 1 summative Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

In the case of a deferred OSCE, the student must complete the year 1 OSCE the following academic year and obtain a passing grade.

A student who obtains a failing mark on the OSCE will receive a failure grade for the course. The student must complete the year 1 OSCE scheduled the following academic year and obtain a passing grade. This OSCE serves as the supplemental OSCE. The case of a student with a failure on the supplemental OSCE will be discussed by the SPEC who could recommend remediation or sanctions up to repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

The grade obtained on the supplemental OSCE replaces the final grade in the course. Only the grade obtained after the supplemental OSCE appears on the student’s transcript. However, a note on the transcript will indicate that this grade was obtained as a result of a supplemental examination.

Physician Skills Development (Part 2)—MED 2302

To pass this course, a student must:

obtain an overall pass on PSD tutor and Community Preceptor Program evaluations; and
obtain a pass on the Year 2 PSD summative Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).

In the case of a deferred OSCE, the student must complete the year 2 OSCE the following academic year and obtain a passing grade.

A student who obtains a failing mark on the OSCE will receive a failure grade for the course. The student must complete the year 2 OSCE scheduled the following academic year and obtain a passing grade. This OSCE serves as the supplemental OSCE.

The case of a student with a failure on the supplemental OSCE will be discussed by the SPEC who could recommend remediation or sanctions up to repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

For the overall PSD course (Part 1 and Part 2 combined), a maximum of one (1) deferred or supplemental OSCE is allowed to be promoted to year 3. The case of a student who surpasses this maximum will be discussed by the SPEC who could recommend remediation or sanctions up to repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

For more information, please consult the University’s Policies and regulations website.

Transition to Clerkship Part 1 (CLI 2101)*

*completed at the end of year 2

To pass this course, the student must attend all sessions and obtain a pass on the preceptor evaluation. Failure to do so will result in a remediation plan recommended by the Clerkship Promotions Committee, to be completed in the summer prior to Transition to Clerkship Part 2. The case of a student with a failure of remediation will be discussed by the SPEC who could recommend remediation or sanctions up to repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

Transition to Clerkship Part 2 (CLI 3301)*

*completed at the beginning of year 3

To pass this course, the student must attend all mandatory sessions and obtain a pass on the preceptor assessment. Students must successfully complete this course prior to starting their clinical rotations. If a student fails to meet the objectives of the course, their performance will be reviewed by the leader of Transition to Clerkship and presented to the Clerkship Promotion Committee as well as the SPEC. Recommendations may include remediation, repetition of an academic year or dismissal from the program.

Community Week (MED 1107)

To pass Community Week, a student must obtain a pass on the preceptor evaluation. The case of a student with a failure on the Community Week preceptor evaluation will be discussed by the SPEC and the recommendation may include remediation, repetition of an academic year or dismissal from the program.

Mandatory Clinical Week (MED 2109)

To pass Mandatory Clinical Week, a student must obtain a pass on the preceptor evaluation. The case of a student with a failure on the Mandatory Clinical Week preceptor evaluation will be discussed by the SPEC and the recommendation may include remediation, repetition of an academic year or dismissal from the program.

Electives (non-mandatory)

All elective placements must be pre-approved by the Faculty of Medicine. Please refer to the procedures and guidelines for planning electives on the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine Electives website.

Professionalism

A course, longitudinal component, elective or rotation may be failed despite adequate demonstration of knowledge and clinical skills due to a failure in the domain of professionalism. Any student registered in the MD Program is expected to adhere to the professional standards of the Faculty of Medicine and demonstrate professional behaviour within coursework and clerkship, as well as outside of the classroom and clinical setting when the student is clearly identifiable as a medical student. Any unprofessional behaviour in an official setting or communication will be brought to the attention of the Vice-Dean of UGME, and may lead to remediation and/or academic sanction, which may include internal probation, recording on the Medical Student Performance Record, failure of a course, longitudinal component, elective or rotation, or dismissal from the Faculty of Medicine, based on the recommendations of the SPEC.

Please see the Professionalism website for more information.

SENATE REFERENCE: 2019:UGRD-MED:09
EFFECTIVE: June 4, 2019
REVISION: September 13, 2022
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
DATES: May 23, 2019; June 23, 2022
APPROVED BY: Faculty Council
DATES: June 4, 2019; August 29, 2022
APPROVED BY: Council of Undergraduate Studies
DATE: September 8, 2022
APPROVED BY: Executive Senate Committee
DATE: September 13, 2022

There is a clear expectation that teachers and students arrive on time to all curriculum sessions and that the start and end time are respected, as scheduled. Understandably, there are unforeseen circumstances where a teacher may be late for a session or becomes unavailable at the very last minute. Should this be the case, we ask that teachers, students and UGME staff to adhere to the following guidelines.

Students - If a lecturer has not arrived in class or virtually by the scheduled start time

Within the first 5 minutes, the class president (or delegate) must contact the UGME office.
- Year 1: [email protected]
- Year 2: [email protected]
The UGME course coordinator will attempt to contact the teacher to confirm the expected arrival time.
- For 1 hr lectures: If the lecturer is unable to arrive within the first 15 minutes of the scheduled start time (in person or virtually), the session will be cancelled and reschedule later in a timely fashion.
- For 2hrs + lectures: If the lecturer is unable to arrive within thirty (30) minutes of the scheduled start time (in person or virtually), the session will be cancelled and reschedule later in a timely fashion.
If the lecturer is unavailable to reschedule within the next 24 hrs and is unable to find a replacement lecturer, the lecture materials will be provided to students. When possible, the lecturer will provide a voice-over presentation and/or schedule a Q and A review session (virtually).
The UGME Office (blocky1 and blocky2) will communicate the information to students in a timely fashion.

Students - If your CBL or any other small group session tutor has not arrived by the scheduled time

Within the first 5 minutes, a student in that group must contact the UGME office.
- Year 1: [email protected]
- Year 2: [email protected]
The UGME course coordinator will attempt to contact the tutor to confirm the expected arrival time.
If the tutor is unable to arrive within the first 15 minutes of the scheduled start time the session, the UGME course coordinator with enact the following:
- Year 1 CBL: Students will be displaced in other groups. If the CBL room is at maximum capacity, students and tutors will be transferred to a larger room (if one is available).
- Year 2 CBL: Students will be instructed to remain on site and to complete the CBL session without the tutor. Generated questions can be reviewed with the tutor at the next session.
- Years 1 and 2 PSD: Students will be displaced in other groups. If the CBL room is at maximum capacity, students and tutors will be transferred to a larger room (if one is available).

Lecturers and tutors - If you are running late or have an unforeseen situation that prevents you from attending your lecture/session.

Contact your course coordinator as soon as possible.

Year 1 Units: [email protected]
Year 2 Units: [email protected]
SIM sessions: [email protected]
PSD sessions, anglophone stream: [email protected]
DAC sessions, francophone stream : [email protected]
ePortfolio coaches: [email protected]

If you do not know who to contact, please email [email protected] or call the UGME main line at 613-562-5800 x8551.

Accreditation Standard 8.8

The Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) Program ensures that medical student pre-clerkship is educationally sound and supportive of student well-being, and that the time medical students spend in mandatory educational and clinical activities during their pre-clerkship is appropriate. The Curriculum Committee and program leadership implement and monitor processes that balance scheduled learning, independent learning and personal time, consistent with accreditation expectations.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on the expected amount and distribution of time medical students spend in scheduled educational and clinical activities during Years 1 and 2. This standard is intended to provide guidance in terms of the length of the school day and total weekly hours dedicated to educational and clinical activities.

Statement

Students will typically spend approximately 35 hours per week in scheduled learning activities, averaged across the academic year.
In addition to the scheduled activities below, students are expected to dedicate, on average, 15 hours per week to unscheduled learning time, including preparatory and independent learning. This time may include preparatory readings and assignments, self-learning modules, group projects, online educational modules and other assigned learning activities.

The overall workload (scheduled and unscheduled learning combined) is designed to align with a full-time academic commitment, with approximately 35 hours per week of scheduled learning and 15 hours per week of unscheduled learning on average.

Scheduled learning activities

Required curricular activities with a defined time and location (in-person or virtual), include but are not limited to:

Large-group teaching sessions
Case-based or small-group learning
Clinical skills sessions and simulations
Anatomy or laboratory sessions
Observerships/electives and community-based learning

Unscheduled learning activities

This learning occurs outside of scheduled curricular time, and may include but is not limited to:

Preparation for sessions
Self-learning and other mandatory modules
Review of course materials
Independent study
Completion of assignments or other mandatory requirements

These estimates are intended to guide curriculum planning and are not prescriptive limits for individual learners.

Guiding principles

The pre-clerkship curriculum is designed around a balanced academic workload that aligns with a standard, full-time academic week.
Estimates of unscheduled learning time represent averages for a typical learner and are used to inform curriculum design rather than to impose limits.
Protected time for independent learning supports self-directed learning and must be respected when deciding on scheduling.
New curricular activities should not be added without considering the total workload and the potential removal or modification of existing activities.

Scheduled learning activities are generally delivered during regular weekday hours, but this may vary due to assessments, academic events, holidays or special curricular activities. Normally, no required learning activities are scheduled on weekends, except in rare circumstances approved through UGME processes. Protected time for scheduled learning activities may only be replaced with additional required activities in exceptional circumstances approved by the pre-clerkship director or delegate. Non-curricular or extracurricular events must not be scheduled during mandatory curricular activities.

Oversight and monitoring

The Curriculum Committee, in collaboration with UGME leadership, is responsible for monitoring compliance, reviewing workload data and addressing concerns. Students, teachers or administrative staff members should initially bring their concerns regarding breaches of this policy to the attention of the unit leader, and if their concerns are not satisfactorily resolved, they should send them to the assistant dean, Academic Implementation for review. Finally, if there is disagreement with the decision of the pre-clerkship directors and the assistant dean, Academic Implementation, the Curriculum Committee may decided to consider an appeal.

SENATE REFERENCE: 17.M05.04
EFFECTIVE: August 31, 2026
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
DATE: February 18, 2026
APPROVED BY (revision): Faculty Council
DATE: April 14, 2026
APPROVED BY: Council of Undergraduate Studies
DATE: April 6, 2017
APPROVED BY: Executive Committee of Senate
DATE: May 18, 2017

Clerkship

Purpose

This policy is to clarify failure during a core clinical rotation (Year 3 core rotations and Year 4 mandatory selectives). The policy establishes a clear guideline on what constitutes a failure with regard to a core clinical rotation as opposed to a summative written examination. For summative written examinations, please refer to the policy of Summative Written Examination Policy—3rd Year Clerkship.

Professional programs, such as medicine, utilize experiential learning and clinical experiences to provide hands-on learning in a variety of clinical environments so that students can better understand the impact of the disease process on an individual, their family, and their community and, apply and consolidate their medical knowledge prior to their transition to residency. The longitudinal aspect of clerkship provides opportunities for direct observations and assessment in the clinical environment in graduated fashion to the end of their fourth year. As such, a high volume and variety of clinical experiences are required to ensure the safe care of patients and the learner’s ability to meet the program objectives.

Policy

Year 3 Core Clinical Rotations

Core clinical rotations in 3rd year:

Family Medicine
Psychiatry
Internal Medicine
Acute Care (Emergency Medicine and Anesthesia)
Pediatrics
Mandatory Selectives
Surgery
Obstetrics and Gynecology

Core clinical rotations are evaluated on a Pass/Fail system. To obtain a pass during a core clinical rotation, the student must pass the overall clinical performance evaluation, complete all mandatory components for that rotation and obtain a mark of 60% or more on the summative written examination. Passing of the clinical performances is discussed below.

Year 4 Core Clinical Rotations

Core clinical rotations in 4th year:

Mandatory Selective in Surgery
Mandatory Selective in Internal Medicine

Core clinical rotations are defined as four (4) weeks of mandatory selectives in 4th year. Two (2) weeks in internal medicine and surgery respectively. Clinical rotations are evaluated on a Pass/Fail system and based on clinical performance only.

Clinical Performance

To pass the clinical component of the rotation, all clinical objectives and mandatory components must be achieved. This is evaluated during the core rotation by direct and indirect observations of the student and captured through a variety of rotation-specific assessments, mandatory elements, and formative feedback. Progression through the rotation will be assessed by the Rotation Director at the mid-rotation assessment and at the final assessment with exception during Year 4 core rotations which only have the final assessment. Though a student may be achieving the rotational objectives by the mid-rotation mark, it is no guarantee that rotational objectives will be achieved at the end of the rotation. Students must be actively involved in their learning throughout the rotation.

A pass for clinical component will be accorded by the Rotation Director if it is assessed that the learner has demonstrated adequately the clinical skills required during the core clinical rotation and have had sufficient clinical exposure.

If there is inadequate evidence, conflicting assessments, missing mandatory components or failure to meet the clinical performance objectives despite adequate clinical exposure, a failure will be accorded.

If a learner was unable to complete the clinical rotation due to a leave of absence or health-related concerns, an “in progress” will be accorded until which time a reintegration plan is determined and the learner returns to their studies. This will allow the learner to be supported for a return to the clinical environment to ensure adequate clinical exposure to achieve the clinical rotational objectives.

Students with a clinical failure who have completed the rotation can write the examination at the scheduled time. However, if the learner fails the examination, they cannot use the clinical failure as grounds for an appeal.

All clinical remediation plans must be completed prior to the start of the 4th year. Students cannot be excused from clinical activities in ongoing clinical rotations to remediate outstanding elements of previous clinical rotations.

Failure of two (2) clinical rotations will automatically be discussed by the Student Promotion Executive Committee (SPEC). This may result in a delay in graduation. SPEC could recommend, but not limited to, repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

Professionalism

A course, longitudinal component, elective or rotation may be failed despite adequate demonstration of knowledge and clinical skills due to a failure in the domain of professionalism.

Any student registered in the MD Program is expected to adhere to the professional standards of the Faculty of Medicine and demonstrate professional behaviour within coursework and clerkship, as well as outside of the classroom and clinical setting when the student is clearly identifiable as a medical student. Any unprofessional behaviour in an official setting or in an official communication will be brought to the attention of the Vice-Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education, and may lead to remediation and/or academic sanction, which may include internal probation, recording on the Medical Student Performance Record, failure of a course, longitudinal component, elective or rotation, or dismissal from the Faculty of Medicine, based on the recommendations of the SPEC.

SENATE REFERENCE: 14:M05:07
EFFECTIVE: August 19, 2014
REVISION: September 1, 2022
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
DATE: November 19, 2013; June 23, 2022
APPROVED BY: Faculty Council
DATE: March 18, 2014; August 29, 2022
APPROVED BY: Council of Undergraduate Studies
DATE: September 8, 2022
APPROVED BY: Committee of the Senate
DATE: August 19, 2014; September 13, 2022

ELE4931: Enrichment Course Procedure – Undergraduate Medical Education

Definition

The enrichment course takes place after Year 4 of medical school. Students can apply for enrolment in the course if they remain unmatched in the second iteration of their residency match to a postgraduate residency program and have not yet graduated, as long as they fulfill the criteria stipulated in this document.

Purpose

The purpose of an enrichment course is to allow students who have not been matched to a residency program to complete additional clinical experiences. The exposure to additional clinical experiences, which must be done in a variety of disciplines, will assist them with career exploration.

The course is intended to support students who have made reasonable attempts to engage in the CaRMS matching process in good faith.

Eligibility

Participation in the enrichment course is voluntary. Acceptance to the enrichment course is at the discretion of the Vice-Dean of UGME.

Current-year students must have actively participated in both the 1st and 2nd iterations of CaRMS and have been unsuccessful.
Students who wish to participate in the enrichment course must have the written support of the Assistant Dean Student Affairs. The letter of support must accompany the student’s application.
The student must submit, in writing, the rationale and goals for the proposed Enrichment Course request (see Application Process below).
The Vice-Dean UGME will require a “confirmation of eligibility for the Enrichment Course” letter from CaRMS. The student must initiate this request by emailing [email protected]. This letter, addressed to the Vice-Dean UGME, will stipulate that:
1. The student participated in that year’s CaRMS match, both rounds 1 and 2, and did not match;
2. Student meets the following criteria:
  1. In the first iteration of the match - Applied to at least three programs in at least two CaRMS entry disciplines (thus applied to a minimum of six total programs). An exception to this clause would be an application to Family Medicine alone (given societal needs, the number of positions in this field, and the historical match rates to Family Medicine). An application to Family Medicine alone would still require meeting the minimum of six total programs applied to;
  2. In the first iteration of the match - Ranked at least two programs in at least two CaRMS entry disciplines (thus a minimum of four total programs ranked). An exception to this clause would be an application to Family Medicine alone (given societal needs, the number of positions in this field, and the historical match rates to Family Medicine). An application to Family Medicine alone would still require meeting the minimum of four total programs ranked;
  3. In the second iteration of the match - Applied to and ranked (including programs where the student may not have had an interview) at least four programs, in one or more CaRMS entry disciplines.
Prior to the approval of enrichment course enrollment, the student must receive approval from the UGME office regarding the feasibility and acceptability of the proposed presentation of schedule.
Planned schedules for the Enrichment Course may be modified or the Enrichment Course may be canceled should academic or professionalism issues arise during the Enrichment Program.
The course will start in the Fall semester following the fourth year of study.
Prior to scheduling the Enrichment Course, the UGME staff will ensure that the Enrichment Course will not disadvantage other learners. While an attempt will be made to schedule the student in the particular time/location/discipline requested, this may not be possible due to clerkship/elective capacity limitations.
In their deliberation on enrollment, the Vice-Dean UGME will expect the student to provide a plan/overview of their Enrichment Course. The Vice-Dean UGME reserves the right to mandate the conditions of the Enrichment Course in order to maximize the student’s chances of a successful subsequent match.
Students who meet the criteria for a receipt of a “confirmation of eligibility for the Enrichment Course” letter from CaRMS will meet with the Vice-Dean UGME.
During the Enrichment Course, the Student will focus on preparing for an application to at least three specialties. The Vice-Dean UGME will expect the breakdown of electives as per the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) diversification policy:
1. “The National Student Elective Diversification Policy mandates that medical students in Canada cannot spend more than eight weeks in any single entry-level discipline during their electives. This policy aims to ensure students have a broad exposure to various specialties and do not solely focus on a single area, potentially limiting their understanding of other career options.”
The student must prove their participation in the mandatory career planning activities for Year 4 students with the Student Affairs Office (SAO) including the CV, personal letter review and mock interview.
The Enrichment Course will be contingent upon operational resources, with the input from the Clerkship Subcommittee, the Elective Director, and department for any discipline that is to be included in the Enrichment Program.

A candidate for the MD Program must complete all degree requirements within seven (7) academic years of the date of initial registration in the MD Program (including the enrichment course) to be eligible to graduate at spring convocation as per the time limit to complete degree policy. Senate reference: 11:M05:03.

Important Considerations

Availability of the enrichment course is at the sole discretion of the Vice-Dean, UGME.

Students who are participating in the enrichment course will defer their graduation from the MD Program until the completion of the enrichment course.

Students will not participate in any clinical activities of the enrichment course until they receive approval from the Vice-Dean, UGME.

Enrichment Course Requirements

Students must maintain registration at the University of Ottawa to ensure appropriate insurance coverage at all times.

All the rules, regulations, policies, and practices of the University and the Faculty of Medicine MD Program will continue to apply during the course.

Registration will be for the Fall semester and tuition will be at the same rate as incoming 4th year students. It is important to note that OSAP does not recognize the Enrichment Course and as such financial aid will be limited.

Students will begin the enrichment course in the Fall term following the Year 4 spring promotions meeting.

This enrichment course is a one-time opportunity and cannot be repeated.

LMCC preparatory sessions and materials will also be available if they were unsuccessful on the first attempt of the LMCC part 1 exam or have deferred writing until the Summer.

Please refer to the course description.

Electives will be registered with the MD Program in the same manner as they are in the remainder of the MD Program.

Assessment of the Student during the enrichment course will be in the same manner as that of clerkship in Years 3 and 4 of the MD Program. A plan of evaluation of the student during each of the rotations or electives during the Enrichment Course will be the same as that of clerkship in Years 3 and 4.

The implications of an incomplete, unsatisfactory or failed student evaluation or grade of an elective during the enrichment course will be the same as in the remainder of the MD Program. Consequences are outlined in the MD program policies and procedures in Clerkship Requirements for passing 4th Year Clerkship.

Student Affairs will continue to provide students with access to all its services including wellness and career advising during the enrichment course.

Students will be required to meet with the Assistant Dean, Student Evaluation and Promotion or delegate at the 8-week mark (mid-point of the course) for a progress review and career counseling session.

Students who voluntarily withdraw from the enrichment course prior to completion will be subject to the University’s regulations and deadlines for dropping courses.

Application process

Students must submit to [email protected] a document of 1500 words maximum that addresses each of the following:

Reflection on 1st and 2nd iteration of the CaRMS match and factors that likely contributed to an unmatched status
Services utilized during the 1st and 2nd iterations of the CaRMS match
An outline of planned clinical electives for the enrichment course, highlighting the primary goals and objectives that participating in these clinical activities will help support the student’s subsequent CaRMS match
A planned strategy for next year’s CaRMS match
Identification of mentors and/or collaborators, within or outside of the Faculty, who will be supporting the student through the enrichment course.
Letter of compliance from CaRMS
Letter of support from the Assistant Dean Student Affairs

Deadline to submit the application is 14 calendar days after the results of the 2nd iteration of the CaRMS match are released.

Once applications have been received, the Vice-Dean, UGME, will review applications and submit a written letter of acceptance or refusal no more than 3 weeks after the results of the 2nd iteration of the CaRMS match are released.

Reimbursement

Students who are on the financial aid list will be eligible to receive up to 70% of the value of tuition in reimbursement for admissible expenses (i.e. transit fees, accommodation fees (not meals) and elective fees). Original receipts must be submitted to [email protected].

To obtain information on how to apply for financial aid please contact:

Financial Aid and Awards
For questions about OSAP, financial aid and scholarships

Desmarais Building
55 Laurier Avenue East, Room 3156
Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5
Canada
[email protected]

Approved UGEC: November 26, 2025

Rationale

The proposal to mandate a Clerkship (3rd and 4th year of the MD program) rural/community rotation was requested to fulfill accreditation requirements and to meet current and projected societal needs. The Faculty is accountable to society to educate the appropriate numbers of generalists and specialists necessary to provide comprehensive health care to Canadians. Accreditation standards require that students have clinical experience in primary care in Family Medicine and the general specialty disciplines. Students must also understand health care delivery at all levels as part of the requirements for licensure. In addition, there is evidence that experience in rural/community practice settings attracts more students into Family Medicine, general medical and surgical specialties, and increases physician recruitment to these communities. The breadth of exposure and learning opportunities for medical learners in distributed and underserviced clinical sites may reach or exceed the objectives of the undergraduate medical education program. Ontario and the other provinces have an excellent resource of rural/community preceptors and Distributed Medical Education (DME) networks.

Proposal

Commencing with the Class of Meds 2007, Clerkship students are required to complete a minimum of 4 consecutive weeks in a rural/community rotation prior to graduation. One rotation choice must be identified as a rural/community rotation. This is usually completed during one of the core 3rd year rotations, and less often during the 4th year. In order to be eligible to commence a core 3rd year DME placement, a student must not be on the active academic concern list. Any exception to the above designation can be approved only by the Student Promotion Executive Committee (SPEC).

Students will complete their rural/community placement in Ontario, except for students with the Consortium National de Formation en Santé (CNFS).

Rotations in Ontario DME networks have been developed for many core rotations. Students in 4th year may choose any clinical discipline that is available in the DME networks. The DME networks have greater capacity to place students in Family Practice settings than in specialty practices as most physicians in the community are Family Physicians. Consistent with the Mission Statement of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ottawa, a partnership relationship exists with the Eastern Regional Medical Education Program (ERMEP). The majority of Ottawa students will be placed within the ERMEP network. The other Ontario DME networks and medical school DME offices are: Rural Ontario Medical Program (ROMP), Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), and Schulich Office of Distributed Education.

SENATE REFERENCE: 2022-MED-UGRD-04
EFFECTIVE: January 15, 2009
REVISION: September 13, 2022
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
DATE: January 2005; December 11, 2008; June 23, 2022
APPROVED BY: Faculty Council
DATE: December 5, 2006; December 17, 2008; August 29, 2022
APPROVED BY: Council of Undergraduate Studies
DATE: January 15, 2007; September 8, 2022
APPROVED BY: Committee of the Senate
DATE: January 15, 2009; September 13, 2022

Night call

The maximum number of hours per week spent in educational and clinical activities during clinical rotations is 55 hours, excluding call.

Night call is an essential mandatory educational component which should be viewed as an opportunity. It is hoped that the night call schedule in most rotations will average at least once per week for weeknights plus some weekend experience, and must not exceed one in four on average. Students are expected to spend the entire night in the hospital.

It is understood that for health and safety reasons, when post-call or post-night shift, a student will never be expected to drive or commute to a clinic, office, another hospital or to any teaching facility.

Students will be released from all duties including call by 5 p.m. on the two evenings prior to any rotation examination (Wednesday, Thursday) every 12 weeks, with the exception that students doing a shift during a rotation in emergency or emergency pediatrics will be released of all duties by 11 p.m. on the Wednesday prior to any rotation examination. Students may have to do a night call over the last weekend at the end of the first six-week rotation of a cycle. In such case, they will be relieved of duty at 5 p.m. on Sunday to prepare for the start of the last six weeks of the rotation which begins the next morning. Students are not expected to perform night calls on the last weekend of each 12-week rotation.

OSCE

The Teaching/Testing OSCE is scheduled on Monday; therefore, students will be released from call as of 11 p.m. on the preceding Saturday, and released from call as of 5 p.m. on the preceding Sunday. Students are released as of 3 p.m. on the day of the OSCE.

The last weekend between rotation blocks (every 12 weeks) should not be used for scheduling routine call. However, under special circumstances, where agreed by the student, it may be used to make up for call or clinical sessions that students missed during the regular rotation. In this event, the student should be released after 5 p.m. on the Sunday evening.

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Following the night call, students in this rotation must go home, provided they have handed over the care of the patients to their colleagues via in-patient rounds. Such handover shall not exceed one hour. When post-call, students are not expected to attend any other clinical activities including out-patient clinics, physicians’ offices or O.R. lists.

Other rotations with in-house call

Clerkship students shall be relieved of their duties after ensuring adequate handover of patient care responsibilities, and no new patient responsibilities will be assigned. The handover period will not exceed two hours following the end of the in-hospital call period. When post-call, students are not expected to attend any other clinical activities including out-patient clinics, physicians’ offices or O.R. lists.

Call from home

The handover period will not exceed two hours following the end of a night call from home if the student commences work in the hospital after midnight but before 6 a.m. or a student who works for at least four consecutive hours at least one hour of which extends beyond midnight. Otherwise, the student will be expected to attend their usual duties following the end of the call. In addition, there will be no home call after 11 p.m. when a facility cannot provide a call room.

Evening call

At a facility that doesn’t provide call rooms, students are expected to finish their call no later than 11 p.m., including hand-over time. Under no circumstances will a student be requested to stay later than 11 p.m. in such a facility.

In rotations where night calls are scheduled to finish at 11 p.m., students are to leave the facility no later than 11 p.m. including hand-over. It is also expected that a student will attend clinical or academic activities on the following day as per the usual established schedule in that rotation. A minimal period of eight hours is to be allowed for rest between the end of such a call and the start of activities on the next day.

Clinical shifts

In the case of clinical shift work, such as in the emergency medicine part of the acute care rotation, students will be allowed to leave the hospital at 11 p.m. if they are expected to come back for compulsory activities on the next morning. A minimal period of eight hours is to be allowed for rest between the end of a shift and the start of activities on the next day. In addition, a student will never be expected to attend any activities on the same day after the end of a night shift.

This policy is based on the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO) regulations in effect July 1, 2009.

To pass 3rd year clerkship, and be promoted to 4th year, a student must pass the following course codes: CLI 3301, CLI 3102, CLI 3103, CLI 3104, CLI 3106, CLI 3107, CLI 3108, CLI 3109, CLI 3110, CLI 3111, MED4103*

*no grade attributed until the end of 4th year

Transition to clerkship part 1 (CLI 2101)

To pass this course, the student must attend all sessions and obtain a pass on the preceptor evaluation form. Failure to do so will result in a remediation plan recommended by the Clerkship Promotions Committee, to be completed in the summer prior to Transition to Clerkship Part 2. The case of a student with a failure of remediation will be discussed by the SPEC who could recommend remediation or sanctions up to repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

Transition to clerkship part 2 (CLI3301)

To pass this course, the student must attend all mandatory sessions and obtain a pass on the preceptor evaluation. Students must successfully complete this course prior to starting their core clinical rotations or any electives. If a student fails to meet the objectives of the rotation, their performance will be reviewed by the lead, rotation director and presented to the Clerkship Promotion Committee. This will then be followed by the Student Promotions Executive Committee (SPEC). Recommendations may include remediation, repetition of an academic year or dismissal from the program.

Summative written examinations

All summative written examinations (supplemental or deferred) must be successfully passed in order to be promoted to Year 4. Outstanding written examinations will not prevent students from starting Year 4 electives.

Clinical performance

All clinical objectives with adequate clinical exposure must be met to pass the clinical component of a third-year core rotation to be promoted to Year 4. Students must complete all Year 3 components prior to starting Year 4 electives.

Clinical rotation mandatory components

All mandatory components of core clinical rotations must be completed and submitted to be promoted to Year 4. Outstanding mandatory components from Periods 7 and 8 will not prevent students from starting Year 4 electives.

Failure to complete outstanding summative written examinations, clinical performances or clinical rotation mandatory components prior to the last year 3 promotions meeting (see schedule), will result in immediate removal from Year 4 electives until all year 3 components are completed.

Core clinical rotations

Core clinical rotations are evaluated as pass/fail. To obtain a pass in a core clinical rotation, the student must submit all mandatory components of the rotation, pass the overall clinical performance evaluation and obtain a mark of 60% or more on the summative written examination. All three components must be successfully met to be promoted to Year 4.

Observed structured clinical examination (OSCE)

Students must pass the year 3 summative OSCE. Students are to challenge the exam at the the end of their third year. Students must pass the Year 3 Summative OSCE in order to graduate from the MD Program.

A student with a failure in the year 3 summative OSCE will be required to challenge the next spring Year 3 formative OSCE during their 4th year of medical school. This will be considered a supplemental OSCE. A failure of the supplemental OSCEwill be brought to the SPEC who may recommend remediation, repeating the academic year or dismissal from the program.

Professionalism

official communication will be brought to the attention of the Vice-Dean of UGME and may lead to remediation and/or academic sanction, which may include internal probation, recording on the MSPR, failure of a course or rotation, or dismissal from the Faculty of Medicine, based on the recommendations of the SPEC.

Failure in two clinical rotations (either failure to submit mandatory components, failure of the clinical component or failure of the supplemental written examination), failure of the supplemental OSCE or Professionalism concerns will be discussed by the Student Promotion Executive Committee (SPEC) who could recommend remediation or sanctions up to repetition of the academic year or dismissal from the program.

SENATE REFERENCE: 2019:UGRD-MED:10
EFFECTIVE: June 4, 2019
REVISION: September 2022
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
DATE: May 23, 2019; June 23, 2022
APPROVED BY: Faculty Council
DATE: June 4, 2019; August 29, 2022
APPROVED BY: the Council of Undergraduate Studies
DATE: September 8, 2022
APPROVED BY: the Executive Committee of the Senate
DATE: September 13, 2022

The written examinations at the end of each 12 week period contain multiple choice questions (MCQs).

The student who fails a written examination must write a supplemental written examination. Supplemental written examinations must be taken within 6 weeks after Promotion Committee’s decisions and results are released to the student.

NOTE: the student can apply for electives and obtain letters of good standing while supplemental written examinations are still pending, as long as all other requirements are met.

Permitted number of supplemental written examinations

A student may be permitted a maximum of 2 supplemental written examinations per academic year. Failure of a third written examination (either first attempt or supplemental) will lead to a review of the student’s file by the Student Promotions Executive Committee (SPEC). The Committee may recommend specific remediation, repetition of affected rotations, repetition of third year, or dismissal from the program.

Failure of a supplemental written examination

Following the failure of a supplemental written examination, SPEC may recommend remediation or dismissal from the MD Program. Remediation of a failed supplemental written examination may include repetition of the affected rotation or repetition of the third year program and a delay in graduation. In addition, failure of 2 supplemental written examinations, from different rotations, may result in dismissal from the program. Students will be excused from their clinical duties, excluding mandatory component sessions or activities, to write their exams. Supplemental examinations must follow University Policy I-9.6. The date and time of the supplemental examination will be determined by the UGME Operations office at the Faculty of Medicine based on the academic calendar.

Deferred examinations in third year

During Year 3, a student in good standing may be permitted to defer a maximum of 2 written examinations for reasons of health or a compelling personal reason.

To request a deferral of an examination, a written request must be submitted to the Supervisor Academic Services—Clerkship and Year 3 Specialist, Academic Administration. In consultation with the Clerkship Director and Vice-Dean UGME, the request will be reviewed. Additional documentation may be requested. Confirmation of the deferral will be communicated by the UGME office.

Deferred written examinations are to be written within 4 weeks of the original examination date unless the student is on a leave of absence. If the student is on a leave of absence, the deferred written examination date will be determined during the establishment of the re-integration plan for the student.

Combined total of deferred and supplemental written Examinations

The combined total of deferred and supplemental written examinations per student per year cannot exceed 4, without incurring a potential delay in graduation. Combined totals will lead to a review of the student’s file by the Students Promotions Executive Committee (SPEC). The committee may recommend specific remediation, repetition of affected rotations, repetition of the third year, or dismissal from the program.

Timing of deferred and supplemental examinations

Supplemental written examinations must be written within 6 weeks of release of results to the student after the Promotions Committee meeting. The date and time of the supplemental examination will be determined by the UGME Operations office at the Faculty of Medicine based on the academic calendar.

Deferred written examinations must be written within 4 weeks of the original examination date unless the student is on a leave of absence. Students must advise the Year 3 Specialist, Academic Administration in writing 2 weeks prior to the chosen date and time.

Exception: if there are outstanding clinical components or a clinical remediation plan has been developed, the student may only write their supplemental or deferred examination after the completion of the clinical course component. Timelines will be reviewed in conjunction with the rotation director, the clerkship director and the UGME clerkship operations team.

Students will be excused from their clinical duties, excluding mandatory component sessions or activities to write their exams. Supplemental exams must follow University policy I-9.6. The grade obtained on the supplemental exam replaces the final examination grade for the rotation. However, a note on the transcript will indicate that this grade was obtained because of a supplemental exam.

SENATE REFERENCE: 2022-MED-UGRD-06
EFFECTIVE: February 3, 2015
REVISION: September 13, 2022
APPROVED BY: Undergraduate Curriculum Committee
DATE: January 8, 2015; June 23, 2022
APPROVED BY: Faculty Council
DATE: February 3, 2015; August 29, 2022
APPROVED BY: Council of Undergraduate Studies
DATE: September 8, 2022
APPROVED BY: Executive Committee of the Senate
DATE: September 13, 2022

Mandatory attendance

The MD Program at the University of Ottawa is a full-time professional program. Student presence is expected every day, as it would be in any professional workplace. Professional programs such as medicine rely on experiential learning across clinical and non-clinical environments to develop the knowledge, skills and professional behaviours required for safe patient care. The longitudinal nature of the program, spanning small- and large-group learning, case-based learning, clinical skill development and direct patient care, means that absences have real consequences for learning and, in clerkship, for patient care.

The University of Ottawa MD Program recognizes that there are circumstances that may require a student to be absent from mandatory activities. All absences, regardless of type or circumstance, must be reported and documented as outlined in this policy.

1.1 Two-tier mandatory attendance — Pre-clerkship

All pre-clerkship activities are mandatory. However, attendance monitoring differs by activity type:

Tier	English term	French term	Description	Examples
Tier 1	Core mandatory	Obligatoires essentielles	Attendance is systematically recorded at every session. An absence is always captured and must be excused.	CBLM, PSD, Medicine and Society sessions, Year 1 Community Week, Year 2 Mandatory Clinical Week, any session with an assessment component, OSCEs
Tier 2	General mandatory	Obligatoires générales	Attendance will be recorded by random spot check and/or QR codes. An absence on a day where attendance was not captured is still an absence and must be reported — it is simply not systematically recorded.	Large-group lectures and other large-group sessions as indicated in the scheduling system

Being absent from a general mandatory session on a day when attendance was not captured does not constitute an excused absence. It means the absence was not recorded. The expectation of presence applies equally to all mandatory activities.

Punctuality and full-session presence

Presence at a session means being present at the time attendance is taken. The following will be recorded as an absence for the purposes of all thresholds in this policy:

Arriving after attendance has been taken at the start of a session
Leaving before the end of a session when attendance is taken at the end
Being absent at any point during a session when attendance is taken more than once

The program may take attendance at multiple points within a single session. Students are expected to be present for the full duration of a session.

It is the student’s responsibility to be present at the time attendance is taken, regardless of how many times attendance is recorded during a session. This applies equally to core mandatory and general mandatory sessions.

1.2 Mandatory attendance — clerkship

All clerkship activities are mandatory. Every scheduled day is a clinical or educational obligation. Attendance is monitored across all placements and sessions, including:

all clinical placements, including Transition to Clerkship, core rotations, electives, selectives and Transition to Residency
orientation sessions, didactic teaching and small-group and bedside teaching sessions (e.g., problem-assisted learning, Academic Days, skills sessions, simulated sessions)
scheduled curricular activities on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, including in-house on-call, home call and emergency room shifts

1.3 Virtual attendance

The MD Program operates as an in-person program. In-person attendance is expected at all activities. Students may not request virtual participation as a substitute for in-person attendance.

Virtual access may occur in the following circumstances only:

Program-delivered virtual sessions: A preceptor, lecturer or other teacher may, at their own discretion, choose to deliver a session virtually. In these cases, virtual participation is expected of all students, and attendance is recorded in the same manner as at an in-person session.
Director-granted exception: In exceptional circumstances, the pre-clerkship or clerkship director may offer an individual student virtual access to an otherwise in-person session, at the director’s sole discretion. Such access does not constitute an excused absence, nor does it create a right to virtual access in the future.

Outside of these two circumstances, virtual participation is not available. Students may not assume that virtual access will be offered.

Where virtual access is granted, the following provisions apply:

Students must log in with their uOttawa account and identify themselves on screen using their legal name.
If more than one student is present in a room, all names must be listed on screen, and visual confirmation with the teacher must occur at the beginning and end of the activity.
The camera must remain on for the duration of the session. Failure to maintain camera-on participation may result in the session being recorded as an absence.
Technical difficulties on the student’s end do not constitute grounds for the session to be recorded as attended.

1.4 General provisions

All absences from all activities must be excused. An “excused” absence is defined as one approved by the UGME Office.
All absences are recorded. Any student found absent without an excused absence will be referred to the appropriate director (pre-clerkship or clerkship). The director will review the circumstances and, where warranted, may escalate to the assistant dean, student assessment and promotion.

1.5 Confidentiality of absence records

All absence records and the circumstances surrounding them are treated as confidential.
The specific reason for a student’s excused absence will not be disclosed to clinical supervisors, preceptors or teaching staff without the student’s explicit consent. Supervisors will be informed only that an absence has been approved, not the reason for it.
Medical documentation submitted to the UGME Office is held confidentially. It is retained only for the purpose of verifying the absence.
Information discussed in a file review meeting is confidential to the participants in that meeting. A summary of the outcome, but not the details of the discussion, may be shared with the pre-clerkship/clerkship competence and promotion committees (PCCPC and CCPC, respectively) and the Student Promotions Executive Committee (SPEC) where a referral is made.
Students who wish to share information about their circumstances with their clinical supervisor or team may do so voluntarily but are under no obligation to do so.
Absence records may be referenced in academic promotion decisions at the PCCPC, CCPC and SPEC.

Blackout periods

The UGME calendar has blackout periods during which excused absences will not be granted unless in exceptional circumstances. The use of personal days, conference days or leadership days is not permitted during these periods.

Pre-clerkship	Clerkship
Introduction to the Profession Unit	Transition to Clerkship
Year 1 Community Week	Transition to Residency: Any scheduled in-person simulation educational session and any core mandatory session as indicated in the scheduling system
Year 2 Mandatory Clinical Week	Day of any examination (including OSCEs) and seven days prior to a written examination
Day of any examination (including OSCEs)	The remainder of the week following CaRMS Match Day, regardless of the day on which Match Day falls, unless the student is unmatched, in which case alternate support structures and scheduling considerations apply

Unplanned absences

Unplanned absences are unpredictable, unforeseen and often critical or emergent circumstances, including illness or injury, personal crisis, family emergency, funerals or memorial services, travel or transportation emergencies or any other unpredictable and unforeseen circumstance affecting a student’s ability to attend mandatory activities.

Unplanned absences must be reported immediately, or as soon as reasonably possible given the circumstances. Where feasible, this should occur within 24 hours of the student becoming aware of the need for an unplanned absence.

3.1 Mandatory notification of absence

It is a professional obligation for the student or their delegate to notify the following people of an unplanned absence:

Pre-clerkship	Clerkship
UGME Office ([email protected])	UGME Office ([email protected])
Tutors, preceptors or teachers (if applicable, particularly where there is an assessment component)	Hospital/rotation co-ordinator for the rotation
	Preceptor and/or clinical team leader, to ensure that patient care is handed over appropriately; if the student is unable to do so because of the critical nature of their absence, they must ask the hospital co-ordinator to do so

Please see the procedure note on communicating unplanned absences.

3.2 Health-care provider note or other documentation requirements

Blackout periods

Students are required to submit a verification note for all unplanned absences during blackout periods, regardless of the number of days of absence. The verification note must be submitted to the UGME Office within seven days of the reported absence.

All other periods — Consecutive absences

Students are required to submit a verification note for absences of more than two consecutive days. The verification note must be submitted to the UGME Office within seven days of the reported absence.

All other periods — Non-consecutive repetitive absences

A pattern of non-consecutive absences may be just as disruptive to a student’s learning as, or more so than, a single multi-day absence and will be treated accordingly. A file review will be initiated in either of the following circumstances:

Fixed threshold: Three or more unplanned absences citing the same or a similar reason within any rolling four-week period, regardless of whether those absences are consecutive
Director’s discretion: Where a pattern of absences appears repetitive or cyclical, for example, absences recurring on the same day of the week or at regular intervals, the pre-clerkship or clerkship director may request a verification note and initiate a file review, even if the fixed threshold has not been met

When a repetitive non-consecutive pattern is identified, the following will be initiated simultaneously:

A verification note must be submitted to the UGME Office within seven days of the request.
The pre-clerkship or clerkship director will initiate a file review, concurrent with the documentation request and without waiting for the note to be received.
The verification note will be considered as part of the file review. If it adequately explains the pattern, the review may be closed with no further action, provided no other thresholds have been triggered.
If no note is submitted within seven days, or if the note does not adequately explain the pattern, the file review will proceed to determine next steps, which may include a check-in meeting with the student.

The purpose of this provision is not punitive. Recurrent absences may signal an underlying health, personal or logistical challenge that the program can help address. Early identification benefits the student.

If the matter is sensitive, the student may elect to first consult with the Student Affairs Office for immediate support and help with the notification process.

Planned absences

Planned absences are due to known or anticipated circumstances and require prior approval by the UGME Office. Some examples include health-care appointments, religious or cultural observances, significant events such as an invited athletic or musical competition, or participation in a conference as an attendee, as an academic presenter or in an official leadership role. Further documentation may be requested.

Planned absence requests submitted outside of the defined time frames that follow will generally not be approved. Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis by the pre-clerkship or clerkship director, in consultation with the assistant dean, student assessment and promotion, where appropriate.

Please see the procedure on requesting a planned absence.

4.1 Blackout periods and planned absences

Planned absences will not be approved during blackout periods as defined in Section 2, except in exceptional circumstances as determined by the assistant dean, student assessment and promotion, or their delegate in consultation with the relevant directors.

4.2 Notification of absence

It is a professional obligation for students to notify their teacher, preceptor or supervisor of an approved planned absence as soon as reasonably possible.

Where the identity of the supervisor or the nature of the learning event is known at the time of approval, notification should occur promptly and no later than 48 hours after receiving written approval from the UGME Office.

Where the supervisor or learning event is not yet known at the time of approval, the student must notify them as soon as that information becomes available and prior to the mandatory instructional event.

Clerkship students must inform their clinical team (physician/supervisor and/or resident) at the beginning of the week in which the absence falls to ensure appropriate patient handover.

It is good practice to notify teachers and supervisors as early as possible.

4.3 Timing of requests

Absence type	Pre-clerkship	Clerkship
Personal day	Minimum two weeks prior to the date requested	Minimum four weeks prior to the start of the rotation during which the vacation will occur
Conference day — attending	Minimum two weeks prior to the date requested	N/A
Conference day — presenting	Minimum two weeks prior to the date requested	Minimum four weeks prior to the start of the rotation during which the vacation will occur
Religious holiday / culturally significant observance	In accordance with Academic Regulation A-5	In accordance with Academic Regulation A-5
Leadership day / representation	Minimum two weeks prior to the date requested	Minimum four weeks prior to the start of the rotation during which the vacation will occur

Timelines for submitting absence requests differ between pre-clerkship and clerkship. In clerkship, due to the complexity of clinical placements and call schedules, significant advance notice is required to minimize disruption. In pre-clerkship, the schedule offers greater flexibility, allowing for shorter notice periods.

4.4 Planned absences in clerkship — Rotations with minimum shift or call requirements

Some clerkship rotations require students to complete a minimum number of shifts or calls in addition to general attendance requirements (for example, a minimum number of emergency shifts or overnight calls in internal medicine). Students must be aware of these requirements at the start of each rotation.

In addition to minimum attendance, shift and/or call requirements, individual clerkship rotations may have rotation-specific scheduling practices governing shift and call exchanges. These practices, including whether exchanges are permitted, when they may occur and the process for requesting them, will be communicated to students during the rotation orientation. Students are responsible for adhering to the scheduling practices established by each rotation.

Students are strongly encouraged to submit planned absence requests as early as possible to maximize flexibility for both the student and the hospital co-ordinator.

Types of planned absences

5.1 Personal day

Definition

“Personal day” is defined as a planned excused absence to allow the student to attend personal activities that would otherwise not be excused (e.g., weddings, special events) and/or do not fall under other specific categories of leave (e.g., medical, religious, conference or leadership).

Allocation

Students are permitted two personal days per academic year in each year of the MD Program.
Personal days are non-transferable between years and must comply with blackout periods.

5.2 Conference days

Definition

“Conference day” is defined as a planned excused absence to allow a student to attend and/or present (with a confirmed invitation) at an approved professional conference. Conference days apply to in-person and virtual conferences. A full day must be used.

Allocation — Attending a conference (non-presenter)

Students are allocated four conference days for the duration of the MD Program to attend a conference where they are not presenting. These days include travel and may only be used during the pre-clerkship phase of the MD Program.
Exceptions may be granted by the assistant dean, student assessment and promotion, in consultation with the relevant directors, if the activity provides enrichment to the student’s educational or career goals, or falls within the student’s leadership roles.

Allocation — Presenting at a conference

Students are allocated four conference days per academic year for each year of the MD Program to present at a conference. These days include travel.
The student must be the presenter or a key member of the presenting team (oral/podium, workshop or poster presentation) to be eligible.
Students presenting research at more than one conference per academic year may be granted one additional day per academic year.
Exceptions may be granted by the assistant dean, student assessment and promotion, in consultation with the relevant directors, if the activity provides enrichment to the student’s educational or career goals, or falls within the student’s leadership roles.

Timing

A Conference day must be requested as soon as the student intends to attend and/or present at a conference. Requests should be submitted as early as possible once the conference dates are known, even if the abstract has not yet been submitted or accepted.

Students are strongly advised not to book travel, accommodations or other non-refundable arrangements until written approval has been received from the UGME Office. The program is not responsible for financial losses incurred as a result of bookings made prior to approval.

5.3 Religious holidays and culturally significant observances

The Faculty of Medicine complies with University of Ottawa Academic Regulation A-5 — Religious Accommodations in all matters relating to religious holidays and culturally significant observances. Students requesting an absence for religious or cultural reasons should consult A-5 for their rights and the applicable process.

In addition, the following Faculty of Medicine–specific provisions apply:

Requests should be submitted as soon as the student is aware of the date, regardless of when in the academic year the observance falls.
Clerkship students have direct patient care responsibilities. When a religious holiday or culturally significant observance begins at sundown, a student is required to remain at the clinical service until sign-over/handover has been completed before observing the holiday.
It is good practice to notify teachers and supervisors as early as possible of an upcoming observance in case of delays due to holidays, workplace disruptions or unforeseen events.
The UGME Office will process religious observance absence requests in accordance with A-5 timelines and requirements.

5.4 Leadership day / representation

Students who are representing the Faculty of Medicine in an approved leadership role (e.g., Aesculapian Society duties, CFMS duties, others as approved by the pre-clerkship or clerkship directors) may be granted excused absences on a case-by-case basis. Requests must be submitted as early as possible once the dates are known.

Excused absences for leadership representation will not be granted during examinations.

Utilizing sequential days for planned absences

Conference days: Maximum of four sequential days, including travel. Unforeseen travel issues will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Personal days: Maximum of two sequential days.
Conference days and personal days combined: Maximum of five sequential days.

Approval of planned absences

Authorization for absences may not be granted by individual teachers, tutors, preceptors, teaching staff members or hospital co-ordinators. Their roles are limited to being notified of approved absences and, where applicable, acknowledging shift or call trades arranged by students. Only the UGME Office may grant approval for any absence.

Until written confirmation of approval is received, students are encouraged to not commit to their activity or incur any financial investment. Students should be aware of any cancellation policies for the event.

Once a planned absence is approved, students must inform their teacher or clinical team of their approved absence. In clerkship, this must be done at the beginning of the week in which the absence falls to ensure appropriate patient handover.

Unexcused absence

An unexcused absence is defined as an absence from a core or general mandatory activity without approval by the UGME Office. An unexcused absence is not the same as an unplanned absence. An unplanned absence that is promptly reported and documented as outlined in this policy is not unexcused.

The following circumstances constitute an unexcused absence:

Failure to attend a core or general mandatory activity due to an unplanned circumstance without notifying the UGME Office and relevant parties within 24 hours, or as soon as reasonably possible given the circumstances
Failure to attend a core or general mandatory activity for a reason that was known or anticipated, or could reasonably have been anticipated, but for which a planned absence was not requested
Disregarding the MD Program’s decision regarding a planned absence request and being absent regardless

8.1 Response to unexcused absences

The MD Program’s response to unexcused absences is incremental and proportional to the circumstances. An unexcused absence is not treated as a summary finding of unprofessional conduct. Each instance is reviewed individually before any determination is made or action is taken.

Upon identification of an unexcused absence, the following will occur:

A notification will be sent to the student and the pre-clerkship or clerkship director, as appropriate.
The director will review the circumstances of the absence. The student will be given an opportunity to provide context.
Based on the review, the director may determine that no further action is warranted, or may initiate one or more of the following responses, proportional to the circumstances and the student’s broader absence and professionalism record:
- A documented conversation or written communication with the student
- Makeup work or completion of missed mandatory requirements
- Remediation
- A professionalism notation in the student’s file
- Review at the competence and promotion committees
- Referral to SPEC for further review
Where an unexcused absence results in incomplete mandatory requirements, those requirements must be addressed before academic credit for the relevant course or rotation can be granted.
Repeated unexcused absences will be reviewed cumulatively and may result in escalating responses, up to and including course or rotation failure, regardless of examination results and/or clinical performance.

An unexcused absence will be reflected in the student’s professionalism assessment only where the director, following review, determines that the circumstances warrant such a notation. A single unexcused absence that is promptly explained and addressed may not warrant a professionalism notation. A pattern of unexcused absences will.

Threshold for review of cumulative absences, all sources

The MD Program monitors absences to support students in meeting program objectives and to identify, early and in a safe and confidential manner, students who may benefit from additional support. The following thresholds apply to absences from all sources (planned, unplanned and unexcused).

9.1 Recording and monitoring

All absences, planned, unplanned and unexcused, are recorded and monitored.
Every absence must be reported and documented. This allows the UGME Office to support students through their educational journey and to maintain an accurate record for academic review.

9.2 The 10-day file review threshold

The threshold for mandatory file review is 10 cumulative absence days per academic year in both pre-clerkship and clerkship. Exceeding 10 days of absence, from any combination of planned, unplanned or unexcused absences, does not automatically constitute an academic or professionalism concern. It is the threshold at which the student’s file is formally reviewed.

Relationship between approved planned absences and the 10-day threshold

The program recognizes that students may accumulate days through approved planned absences (personal days, conference days, religious observances, leadership days) in the normal course of the academic year. Accordingly, the following distinction applies when a file review is triggered:

Planned, pre-approved absences count toward the 10-day threshold for monitoring purposes but will be weighted differently in the file review. A student whose absences are comprised entirely of pre-approved planned days will not ordinarily face academic consequences solely on the basis of the threshold being reached.
Unplanned and unexcused absences are weighted more heavily in the review. A student with a high proportion of unplanned or unexcused absences relative to their total will receive closer scrutiny.
The purpose of the review remains the same regardless of composition: to assess whether the student can meet program objectives and to connect them with supports if needed.

Upon reaching the 10-day threshold

The student’s file will be brought to the attention of the pre-clerkship or clerkship director, as appropriate.
All pending and future absence requests will be paused until the file review is complete.
Previously approved absences will not be automatically revoked. These will be reviewed as part of the file review process, and the director may confirm, modify or, in exceptional circumstances, rescind a previously approved absence where patient care or academic requirements make attendance essential. The student will be notified in writing of any change to a previously approved absence.
The director will initiate a file review encompassing the student’s full absence history, academic performance and professionalism record.
The director will determine next steps, which may include a check-in meeting. Students will be encouraged to bring a support person to this meeting.
The goal of the review and any resulting meeting is to provide the student with a confidential and supportive opportunity to discuss their situation, ensure they are aware of available supports and determine whether and how they can complete their program requirements.
Following the review, the director will determine whether pending absence requests may be approved and on what conditions, if any.

File review timelines and student status during review

The pre-clerkship or clerkship director will initiate the file review within five business days of the threshold being reached.
The review will be completed and the student notified of the outcome within 15 business days of initiation.
During the review period, the student is expected to continue attending all mandatory activities. Attendance obligations are not suspended during a file review.
If the student experiences an unplanned absence during the review period, they must notify the UGME Office as usual. The absence will be documented and considered as part of the ongoing review.
Absence requests received during the review period will be held in queue and reviewed by the director as part of or following the file review outcome.

9.3 Early review triggers

A file review may also be triggered before the 10-day threshold if any of the following patterns are identified:

Five or more full-day unplanned absences in an academic year
Two or more unplanned and/or planned absences on days when core mandatory (pre-clerkship) or mandatory (clerkship) components are scheduled in an academic year
Any staff or faculty member may raise a concern about a student with fewer than 10 absences where there are concerns about the student’s wellness, performance or professionalism

9.4 Course and rotation absence thresholds

In addition to the 10-day program-level threshold, the following course- and rotation-level thresholds apply independently:

	Pre-clerkship	Clerkship
Maximum absence per course/rotation	20% of any single curricular component / unit / course	20% of any clinical rotation (e.g., a core rotation or an elective)
Consequence — one course or rotation exceeded	Remediation or repetition of that course or academic year, as determined by SPEC	Year 3: repetition of a curricular component or remediation plan to be completed before commencing Year 4; Year 4: repetition of that activity prior to graduation, or repetition of Year 4 if not feasible
Consequence — two or more courses or rotations exceeded	Discussed at SPEC; may result in repetition of the academic year	Year 3: possible repetition of those rotations during an additional academic year (discussed at SPEC); Year 4: repetition of Year 4

A student may exceed the 10-day program threshold without exceeding the 20% threshold in any single course, particularly where absences are distributed across multiple courses. Conversely, a student with fewer than 10 total absences may still exceed 20% of a single short course or rotation. Both thresholds are monitored independently.

A prolonged absence or series of absences that affects a student’s ability to complete a course or curricular component may be better supported through a leave of absence. See Section 11 for more information.

Examinations and absences

Examinations include midterm written exams, unit final written examinations, anatomy lab examinations, end-of-rotation written examinations and OSCEs.

To request a deferral of an examination, a written request must be submitted to the corresponding specialist, academic administration ([email protected]).
Requests to defer an examination will be reviewed by the UGME Office. The academic specialist may approve requests that meet the requirements of this policy. Where additional review is required, the request will be escalated to the appropriate pre-clerkship or clerkship director and/or the assistant dean, student assessment and promotion. Additional documentation may be requested. The UGME Office will communicate the final decision to the student.
In accordance with University of Ottawa Academic Regulation A-8 — Evaluation of Student Learning, students should not participate in oral or written examinations during the period of illness indicated on their medical certificate. Students who do so cannot appeal their results on the basis of health reasons.

The date and time of deferred and supplemental examinations are determined by the UGME Office.

Leaves of absence

A leave of absence is an official, temporary withdrawal from studies.

Acceptable reasons for leave include, but are not limited to:

health-related reasons (self or family)
personal circumstances (e.g., death of a family member, separation or divorce)
maternity leave or parental leave
an academic enrichment year
participation in prestigious extracurricular opportunities
pursuit of innovative or scholarly endeavours

11.1 Transition from unplanned absence to leave of absence

Where an unplanned absence extends beyond two consecutive days, the UGME Office will proactively reach out to the student to assess whether a formal leave of absence may be more appropriate. The student may also request this transition at any time by contacting the UGME Office.

Converting an ongoing unplanned absence to a short-term leave of absence (STLA) or long-term leave of absence (LTLA) does not erase the days already recorded as unplanned absences. It provides a formal framework for the remainder of the leave and the student’s re-entry.

11.2 Short-term leave of absence (STLA)

Pre-clerkship	Clerkship
A short-term leave is defined as a pre-approved absence affecting less than 20% of a single curricular component / unit / course (Introduction to the Profession, Foundations Unit, Unit I, Unit II, Unit III, Unit IV, Community Week, Mandatory Clinical Week). The student may re-enter and complete the course within the same academic year.	A short-term leave is defined as a pre-approved absence lasting less than 20% of a single course and/or clinical rotation (e.g., a core rotation or an elective).

Requests for STLA must be submitted to the UGME Office ([email protected]). Students should provide additional documentation as appropriate. In the case of illness, a medical note from the student’s health-care practitioner is required.
Approval is granted by the assistant dean, student assessment and promotion, or their delegate, in consultation with the relevant directors.
Students may request guidance from the Student Affairs Office during this time.

11.3 Long-term leave of absence (LTLA)

Pre-clerkship	Clerkship
A long-term leave is defined as a pre-approved absence of 20% or more of a single curricular component / unit / course, or any absence that prevents completion of the current curricular component / unit / course within the academic year. LTLA may result in remediation up to and including repetition of the affected course or the current academic year, as determined by SPEC.	A long-term leave is defined as a pre-approved absence of 20% or more of a single rotation, to a maximum of one full academic year at a time. LTLA may result in remediation up to and including repetition of the affected rotation or the current academic year, as determined by SPEC.

Requests for LTLA must be submitted to the UGME Office ([email protected]). Students should provide additional documentation as appropriate. In the case of illness, a medical note from the student’s health-care practitioner is required.
LTLA is reviewed and approved by SPEC.
The duration of the leave may result in a delay in graduation.
Students are requested to seek guidance from the Student Affairs Office.

Please see the procedure on requesting STLA or LTLA.

11.4 Parental leave

Parental leave can be granted for up to six weeks without incurring a delay in graduation, as long as the student fulfills all program requirements as stated in the Faculty academic regulations.

A student also has the right to request a parental leave of absence for more than six weeks, it being understood that they may then incur a delay in graduation.

11.5 Reintegration and re-entry into the UGME Program following a leave of absence

The goal of a reintegration and re-entry plan is to provide the student with the best opportunity and support to meet the MD Program objectives and to promote their professional and educational success.

When a student is approved for LTLA, the following will occur:

SPEC will determine the re-entry point in the curriculum.
A contract of return will be provided to the student.
A plan will be formulated for reintegration, which may include but is not limited to plans of assessment, accommodations, repetition of curriculum elements, repetition of clinical rotations, remediation, mandated health programs and examinations.

Appeals

Students have the right to appeal decisions made under this policy. The following appeal pathways apply:

12.1 Decisions made by the pre-clerkship or clerkship directors or the competence and promotion committees

A student who disagrees with a decision made by the pre-clerkship or clerkship directors or the relevant competence and promotion committees, including denial of an absence request or the outcome of a file review, may appeal in writing within five business days of receiving the decision. If the student remains unsatisfied following the response, the matter may be escalated to SPEC.

12.2 Decisions made by SPEC

Appeals of decisions made by SPEC are governed by the Faculty Council Appeals Committee process. Students are encouraged to seek guidance from the Student Affairs Office before initiating an appeal at this level.

12.3 Professionalism notations

A student who believes a professionalism notation is unwarranted may request a review by the assistant dean, student assessment and promotion, within 10 business days of being notified of the notation. The student will be given an opportunity to provide a written response, which will be placed on file alongside the notation pending the outcome of the review. The matter will be brought to SPEC for review. Where further escalation is required, the matter will be referred to the undergraduate/postgraduate professionalism committee for decision.

Definitions

Day of absence: Any absence from a mandatory activity, regardless of duration, occurring within a single calendar day. A partial-day absence — for example, missing a morning session while attending an afternoon session — counts as one-half of an absence day and will be recorded as such. In clerkship, leaving a shift early due to illness or emergency counts as one-half of an absence day. Two half-day absences on separate days equal one full absence day for the purposes of all thresholds in this policy.

Excused absence: An absence from a mandatory activity that has been approved by the UGME Office, either as a planned absence or as a reported and documented unplanned absence.

Unexcused absence: An absence from a mandatory activity that has not been approved by the UGME Office. This is distinct from an unplanned absence that is promptly reported.

Unplanned absence: An absence resulting from unpredictable, unforeseen and often critical or emergent circumstances, including illness or injury, personal crisis, family emergency, funerals or memorial services or travel emergencies. An unplanned absence is not unexcused provided it is reported as outlined in this policy.

Planned absence: An absence due to known or anticipated circumstances, approved in advance by the UGME Office.

Core mandatory (Obligatoires essentielles): Pre-clerkship activities at which attendance is systematically recorded at every session.

General mandatory (Obligatoires générales): Pre-clerkship activities at which attendance may be recorded by random spot check or QR code. The expectation of presence is the same as for core mandatory activities.

File review: A formal, confidential review of a student’s absence history, academic performance and professionalism record, initiated by the pre-clerkship or clerkship director.

Verification note: A health-care provider’s note or other supporting documentation submitted to the UGME Office to support an absence.

SENATE REFERENCE:	2019:UGRD-MED:11; 2024:UGRD-MED-02; 2026-MED-UGRD-02
EFFECTIVE:	September 2019; September 2026
REVISION:	April 24, 2022; May 21, 2024; July 22, 2026
APPROVED BY:	Undergraduate Education Executive Committee (July 22, 2026)
APPROVED BY:	Faculty Council (August 12, 2026)
APPROVED BY:	Executive Senate Committee (September 9, 2026)

Excused absence—General information

Students must submit requests for an excused absence to their corresponding Specialist, Academic Administration at the UGME Office, a minimum of eight weeks in advance. Students should discuss a request for excused absence even before applying to attend a meeting where the organization selects the students who will attend, i.e. competitive application process. Normally, students will be permitted absence for only a few days in the academic schedule. In clerkship, students must plan carefully, especially if weekend dates are involved since the night call requirements must be met and scheduling changes will have to be made.

Presenting an abstract or official invitee

Students are permitted excused absence to attend a conference to present their research or if the student is an official invitee. The invitation may be associated with the student’s position in a provincial or national organization. Final approval is made by the Pre-clerkship or Clerkship Directors; any adjustment of clinical schedule will be made by the Director of the rotation in which the conference occurs. Absence may be excused for the day of the presentation and one day before and after for travel purposes as needed.

Conferences designated by the faculty for further development

Students may obtain an excused absence to attend or participate in conferences on topics/areas which are underrepresented in the curriculum or areas affecting student wellbeing and are areas of interest to the Faculty for further development.

The student must write a brief description of the goals of the conference and identify the deficiency in the curriculum or area of student need that will be addressed. These will be decided on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the Rotation Director for approval.

Following the conference, the student will either write a proposal outlining ways in which the curriculum could be improved in this domain including resources (electronic or other) that could be used to enhance learning, run a workshop or make a presentation to the class on what was learned at the conference. In some cases, the student may acquire a skill that will be used in assisting classmates over the course of the program.

Financial support for students who present at a conference

There are two bursaries available for students who present at a conference

Lorenzo Danis Fund (02298)
Aesculapian Society Medical Student Conference Fund (03508/03509)

The terms of reference available on the Online Scholarship and Bursaries.

University Academic Policies

General

Academic Standing Regulation arrow_drop_down

Good standing/Academic Concern List

Definitions for good standing and academic concern list

Academic Support Procedure arrow_drop_down

Services offered

Access to Academic Record Procedure arrow_drop_down

Clinical Skills Support Program Procedure arrow_drop_down

PSD Course/PSD OSCE

Year 3 Formative OSCE

Year 3 Summative OSCE

Conflict of interest in clinical placements Policy arrow_drop_down

Purpose

Conflict Of Interest In Clinical Placements

Conflict Of Interest During OSCE

Counselling and Academic Advising Procedure arrow_drop_down

Preclerkship

Clerkship

Written examination performance requiring counselling:

Written examination failure

Clinical Rotation Failure

Examination Procedure arrow_drop_down

Preamble

Before the examination

After the examination

Examination and Evaluation Review Policy arrow_drop_down

Examination and evaluation review (Evaluations completed by tutors and preceptors)

Examinations reviews

Examination and Evaluation Review Procedure arrow_drop_down

Language of Instruction Regulation arrow_drop_down

Letter of good standing Procedure arrow_drop_down

Physical examination of students by peers and tutors Policy and procedures arrow_drop_down

Purpose

Scope

Guidelines

Adverse events procedures

Discovery of a suspicious finding

Inappropriate behaviour

Breach in confidentiality

Program and Faculty Evaluation Regulation arrow_drop_down

General Information

Clinical Preceptors

Revision of Grades and Appeal Policy arrow_drop_down

Examination and evaluation review

Appeals

Appeal to the Faculty Council Appeals Committee

Appeal to the Senate Appeals Committee

Student Transfer Policy arrow_drop_down

Transfers Into the University of Ottawa’s MD Program

Transfers within the Faculty of Medicine

Francophone/Anglophone streams

MD Program, MD/PhD Program, MD/Masters

Time Limit to Complete Degree Policy arrow_drop_down

Financial Support for Travel Expenses Incurred During Mandatory Clinical Rotations arrow_drop_down

Eligibility

Conditions

Travel expenses

Accommodations expenses

Rotation sites

Subsidized sites

Rotations subsidized through the Indigenous Program

Rural rotations subsidized through ERMEP or ROMP

Rotations funded by the Consortium national de formation en santé (CNFS)

Reimbursement

Appendix A - Reimbursement of travel expenses for mandatory clinical rotations

Travel

Accommodations

Financial Support Policy for Core Rotations in Indigenous Communities arrow_drop_down

Goal

Eligibility

Placement sites

Conditions

Travel expenses

Housing expenses

Reimbursement procedure

Prior to the placement

After the placement

Additional information