Dear Learners, UGME Leaders, UGME Teachers, Hospital Coordinators:
Below is the current update on UGME program activities. We will continue to send weekly updates and more frequently as needed as the situation evolves. The most recent version of this document will be available on the UGME website under Coronavirus (COVID-19) UGME Information.
Please note that all official communications regarding UGME curricular activities, cancellations, status reports, and updates will be sent by the UGME Office only.
Please note that due to rapid evolution of the situation and for efficiency purposes, communications may not always be translated.
Please note cancelled items will not be rescheduled and postponed items will be reviewed at a later date or rescheduled.
During this time of uncertainty in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are worried or scared. This is a stressful time for everyone. Please take the necessary health precautions but also take care of your mental health. Reach out to friends and family and look after yourself and others. Social distancing is not equal to isolation. If you feel anxious, scared or have any other mental health concerns, please contact the Student Affairs Office by email at [email protected] to book an appointment with a counsellor. You can also book an appointment online. All appointments will be provided by telephone in order to keep everyone safe.
Update - January 25, 2022
For Clerkship: The clerkship rotations will continue to operate with full clinical duties and rotations continuing as scheduled.
For Pre-Clerkship:
As you have recently heard, the University of Ottawa is re-opening the campus on January 31st to students and plans are underway to resume in person teaching activities.
At the Faculty of Medicine, we are aware of the challenges that are currently faced by our clinicians who are dealing with the ongoing pandemic. To mitigate risk, we use the following principles to guide our decisions – patient safety, student safety, teaching faculty and staff safety, learning and supervision.
For the Pre-clerkship curriculum, as of January 31st the following changes will be made:
- Lectures: remain online
- Case Based Learning: will remain online
- SIM small groups sessions: will remain online
- Physician Skills Development : will be in person at RGN
- Anatomy labs Y1: the remaining in-person anatomy labs will continue as originally scheduled. A separate, more detailed message will be sent to students.
- Anatomy labs Y2: optional in-person cadaveric review sessions will be held prior to the final exam. A separate, more detailed message will be sent to students.
- Francophonie Day: online
We will revisit these curricular delivery changes as the pandemic progresses.
There are new regulations for PPE while at RGN. Inside RGN, social distancing is still required and medical procedure masks are needed at all times. Within the CBL rooms, a higher rated mask (type N95) and eye protection (goggles or face shield) are required when social distancing cannot be maintained. UGME staff will be in the CBL rooms area to distribute N95 masks. If you also require a face shield, please contact your UGME coordinator.
Please don’t forget, every day, prior to coming to RGN, you are required to complete the COVID-19 Daily Health-Check-In. Find the tool on SecurUO Are you ready? or you can access it through the COVID-19 Assessment Tool.
Reminder: To keep our community safe, please get the COVID booster vaccination and let our Clinical Placement Risk Management (CPRM) team know as well. We all need to continue to do our part to help slow the spread of COVID.
Thank you for your ongoing support during this difficult wave. We are trying our best to balance clinical demands on teaching faculty, with patient safety and the goals to train the best possible medical students for our future.
Please feel free to connect with the members of our team if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Chuck Su, UGME Vice-Dean
Marc Zucker, Pre-Clerkship Director, Anglophone Stream
Isabelle Burnier, Pre-Clerkship Director, Francophone Stream
The UGME Administrative Team
***************************
Update - December 17, 2021
Dear Clerkship Students:
Given the recent COVID announcements at the national, provincial, local and university levels, we wanted to provide you with clarity regarding you Clinical Clerkship as we head into January 2022.
As always, it is possible that things may change. Please continue to read any emails sent from UGME, the Faculty of Medicine and your host institutions, even over the holidays.
However, currently, there are NO CHANGES TO CORE CLERKSHIP ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING RURAL ROTATIONS. PLEASE REPORT TO YOUR IN PERSON ACTIVITIES AS SCHEDULED.
PLEASE ALSO ENSURE THAT YOU BOOK AND COMPLETE YOUR THIRD DOSE OF THE COVID VACCINE AS SOON AS POSSILBE. IT WILL LIKELY BECOME MANDATORY TO HAVE THIS COMPLETED FOR MANY HEALTHCARE SETTINGS.
We ask all students to remain flexible, adaptable and understanding of changes to their role within a team or the activities within a rotation in response to potential new directives received from the Province. It is vital that students understand their important role in supporting the clinic environment and patient care.
Students are reminded to continue to follow Public Health Guidelines while in the community and to consult the Clerkship website for procedures related to COVID-19 exposures. The Isolation Curriculum is ongoing and available as required.
Please reach out to anyone of us if you need further supports. Check in with your classmates. Talk to your preceptors about what you are going through and how you are feeling as this new variant and wave continue to evolve.
We want to thank you all for your ongoing understanding, dedication and resilience during these continued very challenging times. We remain dedicated to ensuring patient, student, faculty and operations safety throughout these continued unprecedented times.
Please note that the UG Operations Team is now back working from home full time since yesterday. They will continue to be available to all of your via email. Do not hesitate to reach out.
Wishing you a safe and healthy holiday.
Dr. Laurie McLean, Anglophone Clerkship Director
Dr. Michelle Anawati, Francophone Clerkship Director
Dr. Charles Su, UGME Interim Vice-Dean
Update - December 17, 2021
Dear Pre-Clerkship Students:
Since public health authorities forecast a very significant increase in the number of COVID-19 infections at the start of winter, the University of Ottawa has made the decision to hold classes virtually at least until January 31st.
Thus, the small group sessions in the MD Program scheduled during this period will be converted to online teaching on Zoom.
Below is a summary of the changes:
Year 1:
- CBL sessions: virtual
- SIM small group sessions: virtual
- Anatomy labs : cancelled
- PSD
- Week 1 (cardio): virtual
- Weeks 2 to 4 (cardio): sessions postponed, new dates to be determined
- Community preceptor placements: delayed until further notices
- COVID Assessment Center placements: delayed until further notices
- Cliniques Simulées: virtual
Year 2
- CBL sessions: virtual
- SIM small group sessions: virtual
- Anatomy labs : cancelled
- PSD
- Weeks 1 to 3 (psychiatry): virtual
- Week 4: postponed, new dates to be determined
- Cliniques Simulées: virtual
- Shadow calls (Francophone students only): delayed until February 2, 2022
During this period, the administrative staff will be working remotely.
We’d like to thank you for your cooperation and patience during this unstable time and please do not hesitate to contact your UGME Coordinator should you have any questions.
Marc Zucker, Preclerkship Codirector, Anglophone stream
Isabelle Burnier, Preclerkship Codirector, Francophone stream
Update - April 13, 2021
Dear students and colleagues:
Amidst surging COVID-19 cases and in accordance with Ontario Health Directives, hospitals are transferring patients between
centers in order to meet patient care needs and to reduce volume in overloaded centers. Elective in person patient visits are being curtailed. Physicians are being deployed from their own service areas to help areas in need. These continue to be unprecedented times.
This, in combination with the current stay-at-home order, and in accordance with our “criteria for re-engagement in clinical rotations”,the following changes will take place within the MD program.
Effective immediately:
Suspension of upcoming Year 1 and Year 2 observerships for the remainder of this academic session. Any currently booked observerships will be cancelled. Students are not to schedule any new observerships at home or within any other Canadian institution.
Year 1:
The PPE Training Sessions at Peter Morand on April 14thwill take place as scheduled.
The following activities are cancelled:
- Observerships
- Anatomy sessions
- PSD: Abdominal Exam 2 (Thursday, April 15th)
The following activities will be virtual sessions:
- DAC / PSD
- DAC: Cliniques simulées
- All previously planned virtual sessions remain scheduled as planned.
Year 2:
The following activities are cancelled:
- Observerships
- Anatomy sessions
- PSD: Harvey Sessions
- Community Preceptorship (in person)
- Shadow call for Transition to Clerkship
The following activities will be virtual sessions:
- DAC / PSD
- DAC Cliniques Simulées
- Community Preceptorship (according to the preceptor’s ability)
- All previously planned virtual sessions remain scheduled as planned.
The following activities will continue as planned:
- Community preceptorship programs (virtual sessions only)
- Participation in COVID Assessment and Care Centers
- COVID-19 mass vaccination programs
Year 2 students are expected to be in Ottawa for the Transition to Clerkship academic and in person sessions scheduled at the end of Unit IV. These activities will continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis.
Any other currently scheduled virtual activities for both year 1 and Year 2 are continuing.
CBL rooms remain available to students for study.
Year 3:
There are no changes to the Core Clerkship activities. These include rural rotations.
We will continue to monitor the situation very closely and this is subject to change.
We ask all students to remain flexible, adaptable and understanding of changes to their role within a team or the activities within a rotation in response to new directives received from the Province. It is vital that students understand their important role in supporting the clinic environment and patient care. Students are reminded to continue to follow Public Health Guidelines while in the community and to consult the Clerkship website for procedures related to COVID19 exposures. The Isolation Curriculum is ongoing and available as required.
Year 4:
There are no changes to the electives or mandatory surgery or medicine selectives scheduled at this time. Transition to Residency virtual learning will continue as planned.
COVID Assessment Centers and Mass Vaccination Sites.
Please note, that any currently scheduled activities at COVID assessment centers or vaccine centres will continue. Please be aware that these actiivities may increase according to the needs of our community.
Student Vaccination
Student vaccination has been ongoing for the last several weeks. If you have not received your first dose of vaccine and have not been scheduled for it please reach out to the Aesculapian Society as soon as possible to help coordinate with TOH. We suggest students who have not been vaccinated remain in Ottawa to ensure their availability when called. The second dose of the vaccine is determined by a variety of factors and directives established by the province of Ontario, associated public health guidelines.We continue to encourage you all to remain informed about evolving public health guidelines and provincial immunization roll outs. TOH will book and follow up with students to ensure their second dose is received. We do not yet know when this will occur.
We would like to remind all students that public health recommendations have not changed based on individual’s vaccination status. Regardless of vaccination status, students must continue to follow public health guidelines.
Navigating this pandemic can be stressful. Your wellbeing is important to us. There are numerous resources available to you through the Faculty.
Please reach out to anyone of us if you need further supports. Check in with your classmates. Talk to your preceptors about what you are going through and how you are feeling as this third wave continues to evolve.
We want to thank you all for your ongoing understanding, dedication and resilience during these continued very challenging times. We remain dedicated to ensuring patient, student, faculty and operations safety throughout these continued unprecedented times.
- Dr. Karl-Andre Lalonde, Director, Electives
- Dr. Charles Su, Director, Preclerkship
- Dr. Isabelle Burnier, Directrice pré-externat and Directrice des compétences cliniques
- Dr. Barbara Power, Director, Clinical Skills
- Dr Michelle Anawati, Director Clerkship, Francophone Stream
- Dr Laurie McLean, Director Clerkship, Anglophone Stream
- Dr. Melissa Forgie, Vice-Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education
Update - January 15, 2021
Dear University of Ottawa Medical Students,
As you are aware, Premier Ford announced new lockdown measures this week to try to curb the spread of COVID-19. We thank you for following Public Health Guidelines and for contributing positively to both healthcare and society.
The new lockdown guidelines will have no effect on the current delivery of the medical school curriculum. Indeed, the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine implemented many new policies, procedures, and curricula elements early in the pandemic and these have left us well positioned to continue our essential training and meet the program objectives.
With respect to Pre-Clerkship, there are no changes to the current delivery model—virtual sessions will remain virtual and patient-centered activities will remain in person.
With respect to Clerkship, all clerkship activities will continue.
Roger Guindon (RGN) is now closed to students with exceptions below. You will be given documentation in order to access the building.
- CaRMS (Canadian Resident Matching Service) related activities (I.e., interviews)
- Patient centered activities (e.g., PSD/DAC)
As a reminder, we have clear protocols in place for potential COVID-19 exposure in the community setting, the hospital setting or for a failed screen. Please follow these guidelines and make sure to follow up with your rotations preclerkship contacts.
Please also stay up to date on the Ottawa Public Health Guidelines as well as information from the Faculty of medicine.
Navigating this pandemic can be stressful. Your wellbeing is important to us. There are numerous resources available to you through the Faculty.
Please reach out to anyone of us if you need further supports. Check in with your classmates. Talk to your preceptors about what you are going through and how you are feeling. We are all in this together.
A process for the immunization of medical students has also been put into place. We will be contacting you to provide relevant information in due course. The timing of your vaccination will fall within the provincial ethical framework and may vary according to the availability of the vaccine.
We remain committed to supporting your learning and will continue to follow the guiding principles of patient safety, student safety, faculty safety and education. Let us continue to come together to help curb the surge of COVID-19 cases.
Sincerely,
Dr. Melissa Forgie
Dr. Kay-Anne Haykal
Dr. Michelle Anawati,
Dr. Laurie McLean
Dr. Chuck Su
Dr. Isabelle Burnier
Dr. Barbara Power
Ms. Linda Chenard
Update - December 22, 2020
What’s new?
Given the rapidly evolving situation of the pandemic and the announcement by the Ontario government of an impending 28-day lockdown commencing on December 26, we request that students and faculty regularly consult this website. Currently all face-to-face learning for pre-clerkship and all clinical learning for clerkship are scheduled to proceed.
Given the latest Ontario public health guidelines released December 21, 2020 and the potential for further changes from both Ontario public health and Ottawa public health over the coming weeks, faculty, staff and learners who are returning to Ottawa from outside of the province may be required to self-isolate upon return. Requirements for self-isolation may vary according to the clinical site and/or activity to which the individual returns. Further information when available will be forthcoming. Please ensure you continue to consult local public health guidelines, the Ottawa public health guidelines, and the guidelines for the institution you are returning to as you plan your return to studies.
How do I self-isolate while working?
- Take your temperature twice a day to monitor for fever.
- Travel to and from work in your private vehicle. If you have to take transit, wear a surgical/procedure mask and perform hand hygiene before and after your travel to work.
- During work, for the 14-day period, wear surgical/procedure mask and any additional Personal Protective Equipment, based on Routine Practices and Additional Precautions.
- Do not eat your meals in a shared space (e.g., conference room, lunch room) with other HCWs.
- Work in only one facility where possible.
- Self-isolate when outside of the workplace.
Update - October 1, 2020
What’s new?
No updates to report.
Update - September 17, 2020
What’s new?
No updates to report.
Update - September 8, 2020
What’s new?
We extend a warm welcome to the new cohort of MD2024 and congratulations on admission to the MD Program! Welcome back to MD 2023.
In addition to the weekly update, students and faculty are reminded to review both the Student and Prof Zones as well as the MD Program website and the Covid-19 MD program updates on the website. All changes to the program, copies of Town Halls, new schedules etc are posted.
Modifications to the to the terms of reference of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) and the policy and procedures for physical examination of students by peers and tutors have been approved and are posted on the UGME website.
The UCCPC committee will be dismantled and the UCC committee will reconvene at an increased frequency of every 2 weeks. We will retain the VP education members from each of CHEO, TOH and the Montfort to ensure continued close collaboration with these members of the AHSC.
PRECLERKSHIP
Important reminder for DAC and PSD sessions at RGN that everyone must wear a mask even when respecting physical distancing. Students should not to go to the cafeteria or coffee shops at TOH or CHEO. It is also not recommended to use the hospitals corridors to go to RGN.
Due to restrictions and constraints in the clinical environment related to ongoing pandemic, Preclerkship non-mandatory electives (observerships) for MS1 and MS2 will not be permitted until further notice. This will be revisited in January 2021.
Refer to the students’ FAQ as it contains important information and is updated on a regular basis.
Refer to the teachers’ FAQ as it contains important information and is updated on a regular basis.
Congratulations to the students for doing a fantastic job of social distancing and wearing masks during their orientation week activities.
CLERKSHIP
MD2021
Year 3 Summative OSCE is scheduled for November 4th, 2020 in the evening. It will be an IN-PERSON exam run by the Ottawa Exam Center. The exam will follow current Public Health Guidelines to ensure the safety of the students, the standardized patients and the examiners. In the event that an in-person exam is no longer possible because of changing COVID guidelines, the exam will be converted to an online format and will take place on the evenings of November 3rd and 4th, 2020.
DAILY SCREENING DURING CLINICAL ROTATIONS
A reminder to students that the COVID screening questionnaires must be completed everyday they are scheduled for clinic, especially if students are sick, for any reason, and not presenting to clinic. This is mandatory.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
The Attendance policy can be found on the Clerkship website under policy and procedures.
As a reminder:
- Students must submit requests for flex days and excused absences at least 4 weeks prior to the start of their rotation.
- An additional flex day has been provided for students to be used between July 6th, 2020 and April 21, 2021
- There are no set “mental health days”. If you are feeling unwell and cannot attend your clinical duties, you need to notify UGME ([email protected]). Students are also encouraged to reach out to the Student Affairs Office for any mental health concerns.
CaRMS VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSIONS
CaRMS virtual information sessions may be offered by various Postgraduate Medical Education Programs at Canadian Universities: Students may attend virtual information sessions from other programs as long as it is during non-mandatory time and does not interfere with core clerkship activities and schedules. Students must ensure their patient care duties are met. A student must advise their preceptor and her/his team of their temporary absence for the activity. Should you attend the virtual session, your absence from the team should be for the duration of the meeting only. You are expected to return to regular clinical duties upon completion of the session. Most activities are scheduled after clinical hours.
DEFERRED AND REMEDIAL EXAMS
Please consult the Clerkship website for policy and procedures regarding deferred and remedial examinations. The period for deferred and remedial exams for Phase 2 is October 19th, 2020 and December 4th, 2020. Students must contact [email protected] three weeks in advance of the date on which they wish to write the examination to request an examination date. (Notification is required to ensure the necessary time to set the examination.)
MD2022
Welcome to clerkship! The MD2022s began Phase 1 on August 10th. We look forward to helping you thrive in the next phase of your medical journey.
Update - August 4, 2020
What’s new?
In addition to the weekly update, students and faculty are reminded to review both the Student and Prof Zones as well as the MD Program website and the Covid-19 MD program updates on the website. All changes to the program, copies of Town Halls, new schedules etc are posted.
PRECLERKSHIP
The principle of migrating to further face to face learning opportunities as Public Health permits means the schedule, time spent at RGN and sizes of groups are all subject to change. The hybrid curriculum is under constant revision and review as the Program responds to the pandemic. The test of the hybrid CBL experience created some challenges to learning. We are thus considering other face to face learning opportunities.
The current proposal under review is that CBL would be all online with no more bubbles of students. PSD/DAC may return to the same days as last year. The current proposal is that physical examination sessions groups will be split up to have six (6) people in a room (4 students, 1 tutor and 1 SP). We hope to have the schedule ready this week.
CLERKSHIP
It is important that students consult the website on a regular basis as all of the information regarding clerkship including the updated process for Covid-19 exposure is available on uOttawa Faculty of Medicine Student Zone.
A detailed communication to be sent out this week regarding the use of pen and paper during exams.
CLASS OF 2022
Following the cancellation of Pediatrics PSD due to the pandemic, a 6-hour virtual session will be scheduled in order to ensure pediatric PSD teaching still is undertaken and will occur during Phase I of pediatrics.
WELLNESS
We would like to emphasize the wellness of the operations teams whose work volume has increased markedly and ask that student and faculty are forgiving of errors and delays in communications. We are encouraging all to be patient with the operations team during these times of unprecedented work volume. As always, we continue to encourage students to reach out to Student Affairs for wellness issues and for faculty to reach out to the Faculty Wellness Office.
Update - July 29, 2020
What’s new?
In addition to the weekly update, students and faculty are reminded to review both the Student and Prof Zones as well as the MD Program website and the Covid-19 MD program updates on the website. All changes to the program, copies of Town Halls, new schedules etc are posted.
Modifications to the to the membership of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) have been approved at UCCPC. Updated terms of reference will be posted on the UGME website once approved by Faculty Council on August 25, 2020. The modifications are to student membership based on a motion brought forward by the student members. There will be an increased number of student members.
PRECLERKSHIP
Nothing to report.
CLERKSHIP
It is important that students consult the website on a regular basis as all of the information regarding clerkship including the updated process for Covid-19 exposure is available on uOttawa Faculty of Medicine Student Zone.
CLASS OF 2021:
All clinical rotations are going very well.
MD2021 Year 4 elective townhall on August 13, 2020 at 5:30 p.m.
CLASS OF 2022
MD2022 Orientation and welcome to Year 3 on August 10, 2020 at 7 a.m.
WELLNESS
Students are responsible to reach out to SAO if they feel they need support in the context of experiencing Covid-19 exposure.
Update - July 23, 2020
What’s new?
As of July 23, COVID-19 communication and updates will resume being sent out on a weekly basis. In addition to the weekly update, students and faculty are reminded to review both the Student and Prof Zones as well as the MD Program website and the Covid-19 MD program updates on the website. All changes to the program, copies of Town Halls, new schedules etc are posted.
Modifications to the to the membership of the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) have been approved at UCCPC. Updated terms of reference will be posted on the UGME website once approved by Faculty Council. The modifications are to student membership based on a motion brought forward by the student members. There will be an increased number of student members.
PRECLERKSHIP
Nothing to report. Work on space allocation for face to face teaching at RGN is ongoing. Work on student access to locker and rest space is ongoing.
CLERKSHIP
It is important that students consult the website on a regular basis as all of the information regarding clerkship including the updated process for Covid-19 exposure is available on uOttawa Faculty of Medicine Student Zone.
CLASS OF 2021:
Due to the exceptional circumstances and disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the class of MD2021 has experienced major upheaval. For this reason, a motion has been approved at UCCPC to grant an additional flex day for the MD2021 cohort. This flex day can be used between now and the end of their Year 4, i.e. between July 22, 2020 and April 23, 2021.
As discussed during the Town Hall on June 2nd, 2020, students must submit time off requests to medyear3 a minimum of 4 weeks prior to the start of their rotation.
CLASS OF 2022
Nothing to report.
WELLNESS
Students are responsible to reach out to SAO if they feel they need support in the context of experiencing Covid-19 exposure.
Update - July 9, 2020
What’s new?
As of July 9, COVID-19 communication and updates will be sent out every two weeks.
Dr. Heather MacLean is leaving her position as Preclerkship Director. She has been in the position since 2012 and provided tremendous support to the students as well as demonstrating exemplary leadership within the MD program. Dr. MacLean will be taking on the new role of Director Curriculum Renewal as of July 1st. Congratulations!
Dr. Chuck Su will be taking on the role of Preclerkship Director as of July 1st, congratulations Dr. Su! Dr. Su is already very well known among the MD program for his outstanding contributions in the areas of leadership curriculum, DME and career advising.
PRECLERKSHIP
Dr. Campbell, Curriculum Director, presented the plan for a hybrid curriculum delivery model for preclerkship at the UCCPC meeting of June 30th. The motion approved was to provide a hybrid curriculum for the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 semesters. The volume of face to face teaching will expand whenever possible in accordance with public health guidelines.
The year 2 summative OSCE has been postponed to Wednesday, September 23 and/or Thursday, September 24 in the evening.
There will be a townhall for MD2023 students on Friday, July 10 at 1 p.m.
CLERKSHIP
All of the information regarding clerkship is available on the website uOttawa Faculty of Medicine Student Zone.
CLASS OF 2021:
Students returned to their clinical rotations on Monday, July 6. Kudos to everyone involved in making this possible. Students may be given an exemption from completing the mandatory 4-week rural rotation as a result of pandemic related circumstances. The MD program will work to place students in rural rotations during their core rotations wherever possible. If there are insufficient rural placements during core rotations, rural rotations will be most welcome during the 4th year elective period but will not be compulsory. Students will not be penalized for lack of access to rural sites.
CLASS OF 2022:
There will be a townhall for MD2022 students on Tuesday, July 14 at 8 a.m.
Update - June 24, 2020
What’s new?
Convocation Ceremony took place on June 16 at 4 p.m. Heartfelt congratulations to all our our graduates!
Please continue to consult the UGME COVID-19 website for a summary of principles of COVID-19 contingency decision-making and a scorecard for determining ability to return to the clinical setting.
The scorecard continues to improve and now mostly green.
Wellness
Students are encourage to reach out to SAO as they are entering phase 2 if their require support.
PRECLERKSHIP
Dr. Campbell, Curriculum Director, is working on a proposed plan for hybrid curriculum delivery for the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 semesters. Decisions to be made at the June 30th UCCPC meeting.
CLERKSHIP
CLASS OF 2021:
- Phase 2 is officially starting July 6. Faculty is excited to welcome the students back!
- Thank you to the students, UGME operations team, hospital coordinators, rotations directors, hospital education departments, distributed medical education sites and the simulation center for coming together to make July 6th happen!!
- Town Hall regarding Phase 2 will occur on Thursday June 25 at 8 a.m. via TEAMS.
- Mask Fitting session organized by the Risk Management Office (RMO) will be be offered June 29, June 30 and July 6. RMO will liaison with student directly on how to set up their mask fit sessions.
- Students requiring PPE for their community placements will be contacted directly to arrange a pick up time at RGN. Pick up times will be on June 29th and June 30th.
- ROMP and ERMEP continue to support placements for CORE clerkship rotations. A big thank you to Darquise and the coordinators at ROMP and ERMEP for scheduling and coordinating student placements.
- CORE rotations at NOSM are on hold. Hopefully a decision will be made in September to continue our collaboration in supporting francophone communities.
- MS2021 CNFS students will not be able to do their CORE clinical rotations in their home province due to challenges with interprovincial travel and varying public health recommendations. Most provinces require a 2 week period of isolation. It is the CNFS rotations that are affected and not the students. Students who have been assigned an out-of-province rotation (i.e., outside Ontario), regardless of their participation in the CNFS stream, will be contacted in regard to the next steps.
- Y4 home electives planning will take a collaborative approach. More to come in the coming week.
- Students requiring clinical or academic accommodations must contact SAO as soon as possible.
- Information regarding donning/doffing sessions have been provided, thank you to Dr. Vicky LeBlanc and her team for organizing and supporting the students.
- List of objectives in One45 Log were adjusted for phase 2 according to availability of clinical experience. Details will be provided during the Town Hall on Thursday.
- A 5th telemedicine session will be added during Phase 2. It will occur during the Mandatory Selectives and Family Medicine Rotations
- Students are reminded to check their emails regularly throughout for important updates.
- Students are reminded to make sure their UCampus accounts are up to date with current contact information.
- Students will receive their final year bursary as usual.
- Students are encouraged to remain in Ottawa during the break to avoid screening positive on their first day of clinical placement. Some hospitals are asking if there has been travel to an area where there is local transmission of COVID in the last 14 days or since their last shift.
Reminders:
- All schedules for both the remainder of third year and fourth year clerkship available on uOttawa Faculty of Medicine Student Zone.
- All students required to be in Ottawa by June 19, 2020. Students travelling from outside of Canada require 14 days self isolation. Students travelling from within Canada require 14 days of self monitoring. Ontario Public Health guidelines regarding social distancing etc should be followed.
CLASS OF 2022:
Reminders:
- Schedule is available on uOttawa Faculty of Medicine Student Zone.
- Phase 1 (online learning with facilitated sessions) begins August 10, 2020 and is mandatory for all students.
- Phase 1 is followed by three weeks of "Transition to Clinical Clerkship"
- Transition to Clinical Clerkship is immediately followed by Phase 2
- There are no anticipated changes to the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine attendance policy.
- At this time, students are required to be in Ottawa on September 20, 2020. Students travelling from outside of Canada require 14 days self isolation. Students travelling from within Canada require 14 days of self monitoring. Ontario Public Health guidelines regarding social distancing etc should be followed.
- Town Hall to be scheduled after start of the Phase 2 for the MD2021.
- MS2022 CNFS students will not be able to do their CORE clinical rotations in their home province due to challenges with interprovincial travel and varying public health recommendations. Most provinces require a 2-week period of isolation. It is the CNFS rotations that are affected and not the students. Students who have been assigned an out-of-province rotation (i.e., outside Ontario), regardless of their participation in the CNFS stream, will be contacted in regard to the next steps.
Update - June 10, 2020
What’s new?
Please continue to consult the UGME COVID-19 website for a summary of principles of COVID-19 contingency decision-making and a scorecard for determining ability to return to the clinical setting.
The scorecard continues to improve. Key remaining items relate to completion of the table top exercises for occupational health issues for students and 10 conditions from TOH. CHEO and Montfort have expressed full readiness for the students to return.
Thank you to Finance and Purchsing Services for having been able to secure the necessary PPE for our students to return to community rotations.
Reminder to students requiring accomodations due to financial or health related issues to contact the Student Affairs Office.
PRECLERKSHIP
PSD/DAC, Clinique simulée to be offered (in part) virtually in the Fall.
CLERKSHIP
CLASS OF 2021:
Town Hall completed on June 2 to discuss fourth year.
- All schedules for both the remainder of third year and fourth year clerkship available on uOttawa Faculty of Medicine Student Zone.
- All students required to be in Ottawa by June 19, 2020. Students travelling from outside of Canada require 14 days self isolation. Students travelling from within Canada require 14 days of self monitoring. Ontario Public Health guidelines regarding social distancing etc should be followed.
- Expected return to the clinical setting (Phase 2) is July 6, 2020.
- Information regarding N95 fitting, immunizations/TB testing and donning/doffing sessions will arrive soon.
CLASS OF 2022:
- Town Hall completed on June 9th to discuss third year.
- Schedule will be available on uOttawa Faculty of Medicine Student Zone by end of week.
- Phase 1 (online learning with facilitated sessions) begins August 10, 2020 and is mandatory for all students.
- Phase 1 is followed by three weeks of "Transition to Clinical Clerkship"
- Transition to Clinical Clerkship is immediately followed by Phase 2
- There are no anticipated changes to the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine attendance policy.
- At this time, students are required to be in Ottawa on September 20, 2020. Students travelling from outside of Canada require 14 days self isolation. Students travelling from within Canada require 14 days of self monitoring. Ontario Public Health guidelines regarding social distancing etc should be followed.
Year 4
Reminder that the virtual graduation ceremony will take place on June 16, 2020 at 4 p.m. on @uOttawa’s official YouTube channel.
Update - June 4, 2020
What’s new?
Please continue to consult the UGME COVID-19 website for a summary of principles of COVID-19 contingency decision-making and a scorecard for determining ability to return to the clinical setting.
Thank you to Céline Sayed for her exemplary leadership as Asculapian Society President.
Congratulations to David de Launey for being elected as the new Asculapian Society President.
PRECLERKSHIP
Successful delivery of the Unit IV final examination that took place on May 29, 2020.
Planning is underway for 2020-2021 curriculum delivery.
CLERKSHIP
Year 3
Covid guidelines for students’ participation in clinical setting has been approved by UCCPC and will be distributed to faculty and posted on the website once translated.
Year 4
Reminder that the virtual graduation ceremony will take place on June 16, 2020 at 4 p.m. on @uOttawa’s official YouTube channel.
Update - May 28, 2020
What’s new?
Continued work on implementing a process to gather feedback on experiences with virtual learning across the UGME curriculum. A survey will be distributed to students, faculty and operations team members shortly.
Please continue to consult the UGME COVID-19 website for a summary of principles of COVID-19 contingency decision-making and a scorecard for determining ability to return to the clinical setting.
Modifications to the terms of reference of the Student Accommodation Committee and accommodations process have been approved by the Committee. The revised terms of reference and process will be shared once approved by Faculty Council.
Modifications to the admissions’ policy to revise how the grade point average is calculated for admission to the MD program have been approved by the Committee. The new policy will be shared once approved by Faculty Council.
PRECLERKSHIP
The written portion of Unit 1 exam took place on Friday May 22, 2020. Unfortunately, there were issues for a portion of students with the programming of the exam duration. We apologize profusely for the stress this may have caused to our students and we are putting in place measures to prevent this issue for future exams. Mitigation of any impact this may have on student exam performance will be reviewed at all of the relevant committees.
The Unit IV final examination will take place on May 29, 2020.
A mandatory Self-Learning Module for Community week has been distributed to first year students for completion by June 5, 2020.
CLERKSHIP
Year 3
The MD2021 Year 3 and Year 4 new schedules and the MD2022 Year 3 new schedules were approved by the Committee. Further emails will be sent to students in the coming weeks regarding the details of those schedules.
Reminder that SAO is organizing a career planning workshop on June 3, 2020 in order to advise students on how to prepare letters, their CV, and how to navigate virtual interviews.
The telemedicine and teleconsultation curriculum kicks off this week. Students received detailed communication on Wednesday morning. Important pre-reading materials, pre-session activities and schedules can be found on One45.
Year 4
The virtual graduation ceremony will take place on June 16, 2020 at 4 p.m. on @uOttawa’s official YouTube channel. Students will receive a communication with all the details of the event in the upcoming week.
Update - May 21, 2020
What’s new?
Continued work on implementing a process to gather feedback on experiences with virtual learning across the UGME curriculum. A survey will be distributed to students, faculty and operations team members shortly.
Please continue to consult the UGME COVID-19 website for a summary of principles of COVID-19 contingency decision-making and a scorecard for determining ability to return to the clinical setting.
We are working with Medtech and IT Central for a solution to ensure security of recordings of sessions.
PRECLERKSHIP
The Unit I practical exam took place May 19, 2020. The written portion will take place on Friday May 22, 2020.
Information on Unit IV final examination on May 29, 2020 will be sent out by Thursday May 21, 2020.
LINK BLOCK
Still working on Link Block; for the time being, the dates are currently not changing. It is recognized they may do so.
CLERKSHIP
Year 3
The curriculum covers Covid-19 content within individual rotations. PPE training sessions will take place in June.
Students that are immunocompromised as it relates to increased risk associated with exposure to Covid-19 are asked to contact SAO regarding accommodation.
SAO is organizing a career planning workshop on June 3, 2020 in order to advise students on how to prepare letters, their cv and how to navigate virtual interviews.
Year 4
MCCQE Part 1 CDM and MCQ Practice tests are sample exam questions and not a full practice exam.
The virtual graduation ceremony will take place on June 16, 2020. Students will receive a communication with all the details of the event in the upcoming week.
Students are encouraged to complete the wellness check and SAO will be doing follow-ups for all 4th year students (in addition to all other years).
Update - May 14, 2020
What’s new?
Kudos to the translation team for having done a tremendous amount of work in order to have everything ready in both languages.
Kudos to the operations team to have worked an enormous amount of time on going virtual, online exams and coordinating updates of teaching material.
Continued work on implementing a process to gather feedback on experiences with virtual learning across the UGME curriculum. A survey will be distributed to students, faculty and operations team members.
Please continue to consult the UGME COVID-19 website for a summary of principles of COVID-19 contingency decision-making and a scorecard for determining ability to return to the clinical setting.
Offers of admission have been sent out on Tuesday May 12.
PRECLERKSHIP
Final Examinations for Unit I and Unit IV will be done without proctoring (in Questionmark).
No accommodations will be given a priori to request extra time for the exam in the event of issues. Mid-term exam had no technical issues. Any connectivity and IT issues that arise will be addressed as they occur.
Students will have 90 seconds per question which is longer than the time allotted by the Medical Council of Canada.
Sessions may not always be delivered identically for both streams. Sessions may be offered via Teams for one stream and other stream may be a recording; as there are variations between individual faculty preferences.
CLERKSHIP
Year 3
Year 3: Deferred and remedial exams from Period 1-2-3-4 will be offered during Phase 1 as non-proctored online exams.
Year 3: Facilitated sessions during Phase 1 will not be recorded until further notice (as content remains downloadable and there are patient privacy concerns). The IT team is actively working on a solution.
Telemedicine curriculum:
This new curriculum has been developed within weeks and was led by Dr. Anawati and Dr. Burnier. It will be mandatory in both streams within Phase 1 of clerkship. There will be 2 theoretical classes and 4 sessions with standardized patients. This curriculum will be added to the June Phase 1 sessions. This is above the learning time set aside for Core Clerkship Rotations. Further emails will be sent to students in the coming weeks regarding the schedule.
Housing: We are encouraging students to secure housing in Ottawa at the latest starting June 19th, 2020 and until the end of May 2021.
Rural Rotations: Please note that the pre-pandemic rural rotation confirmations are likely to change once the go date for a return to clerkship is established. New schedules will be circulated to students once final decisions and availability in communities have been established.
Queen’s University decided on June 8 as date of return to clinical studies. This is because there is no documented community transmission of COVID-19 and there are very few cases in Kingston. All other Ontario schools are still planning on July 6 return date. Agreement is continuing nationally to not accept visiting electives until further notice. This decision is reviewed weekly.
Year 4
MCCQE Part 1 CDM and MCQ Practice tests were distributed on Monday May 11.
Graduation
- Combined convocation with Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
- Remarks from the President and the Chancellor
- Valedictory addresses done by MD Students (Carter Lim and Alexandre Rochon)
- Dean’s remarks followed by the official conferment of degrees by the Chancellor (C. Rovinescu)
- Vice-Deans’ remarks
- Dr. Forgie to invite students to pronounce the Hippocratic Oath
- MD program is the only one that will be calling out names for each student
- End video of pictures received from the 4th year class presidents
- We are trying to secure June 16 as possible date. Students to receive an official letter with more details from the President in the following weeks
Update - May 7, 2020
What’s new?
Continued work on implementing a process to gather feedback on experiences with virtual learning across the UGME curriculum.
Please continue to consult the UGME COVID-19 website for a summary of principles of COVID-19 contingency decision-making and a scorecard for determining ability to return to the clinical setting.
PRECLERKSHIP
Examinations and examination reviews to be done with video proctoring in Questionmark. Communication with all the details will be sent shortly to students. A practice exam will be given to students in order to allow them to familiarize themselves with the tool.
CLERKSHIP
Year 3
Successful launch of Phase 1 on May 4th with very positive feedback from students. Congratulations to the Clerkship Directors, Rotation Directors, Hospital Coordinators and Clerskhip operations team!
Queen’s University decided on June 8 as date of return to clinical studies. This is because there is no documented community transmission of COVID-19 and there are very few cases in Kingston. All other Ontario schools are still planning on July 6 return date. Agreement is continuing nationally to not accept visiting electives until further notice. This decision is reviewed weekly.
New match dates and process:
Interviews will be in a virtual format including those for local candidates.
Last Day of the Application Period: February 7, 2021
File Review Period: February 8 to March 5, 2021
Virtual Interview Period: March 8 to March 28, 2021
Second Iteration Match Day being no later than: May 18, 2021
Rural rotations (rural networks ERMEP and ROMP) and CNFS
MD2021 - We are currently working with our partners to find rural rotations for students who still need to complete these rotations. Once we know the dates of these rotations we will notify students of the next steps to follow. Please do not contact the rural networks or CNFS at this time.
MD2022 - Please do not contact the rural networks or CNFS sites at this time. Once we confirm the timing of your rotations for clerkship, we will notify students of the next steps to follow.
Year 4
MCCQE Part 1 Exam new start date of June 1st 2020.
MCCQE Part 1 (CMDQs and MCQs) practice tests to be distributed to students. We are waiting on date confirmation of desired release date from student representatives.
Central campus to confirm the date of our virtual convocation by Friday May 8.
Update - April 29, 2020
What’s new?
Working on implementing a process to gather feedback on experiences with virtual learning across the UGME curriculum.
Please continue to consult the UGME COVID-19 website for a summary of principles of COVID-19 contingency decision-making and a scorecard for determining ability to resume clinical teaching.
PRECLERKSHIP
Town hall:
Year 1 and Year 2: April 24 at 3 p.m.; student feedback noted they appreciated the town hall.
Integration sessions for pain in Unit IV and integration sessions in Unit 1 were very well attended and very successful.
CLERKSHIP
Year 3
Phase 1 starting May 4th
All Year 3 students will have access to all Year 3 online resources and schedules.
A Town Hall is being held on April 29, 12:00 to 13:30 to go over Phase 1 in detail and to answer
any questions.
Year 4
Working on providing continued access (beyond graduation) to all Back to Basics documents to
the MD2020 students as study resources for a potential Fall MCCQE Part 1 exam.
Update - April 23, 2020
What’s new?
Please continue to consult the UGME COVID-19 website for a summary of principles of COVID-19 contingency decision-making and a scorecard for determining ability to resume clinical teaching.
PRECLERKSHIP
The proposed dates for the Year 2 summative OSCE (MD2022) are entirely conditional upon return to class as directed by the hospitals, public health and the University.
- If the link block takes place as scheduled (August 10 to 28), the Year 2 summative OSCE will be held during the link block (August 15 or August 27 to be determined)
- If the link block is postponed beyond August, a new date will be proposed in due time.
Upcoming integrative lectures and wrap-up sessions will take place via MS Teams for Unit I and Unit IV (Integration Unit). All are pending teachers’ availability in both language streams.
Online examinations for Unit I and Unit IV (Integration Unit) will be bilingual.
Reminder: Preclerkship Town Hall - Friday, April 24 at 3 p.m.
CLERKSHIP
Year 3
Please ensure to complete ePortfolio components prior to May 4th.
Please look out for an invitation to a town hall session for Year 3 students the week of April 27, 2020. Students who require accommodations are asked to contact the Student Affairs Office as soon as possible.
Students who require technical support are asked to contact the UGME Clerkship Administrative Team as soon as possible.
Principle of return to studies – timelines and stage of implementation
- Phase 1 starting May 4th
- Options for Distributed Medical Education upon return to clinical rotations are currently being explored
Year 4
MCCQE Part 1
- Update from April 22: Exams will be taking place “in the very near future”. They will use remote proctoring. They are working on details. The MCC expects to provide more details regarding dates by the end of next week.
Convocation
- The in-person event scheduled on May 15 was previously officially cancelled.
- Virtual MD Program convocation ceremony to be held the week of June 8 (official date TBD).
- The ceremony will be broadcasted on the uOttawa website and open to public for viewing.
- We are looking into a fall celebration (date and details TBD).
Update - April 16, 2020
What’s new?
Joint Statement To All Ontario Medical Students
The well-worn phrase “we live in uncertain times” has never been more distressingly true. It’s particularly so for those of you who have had your clinical learning abruptly interrupted and are now facing uncertainty with respect to when your clinical education might resume, what it will entail, and how you will enter postgraduate training. As the individuals with responsibility for Undergraduate Medical Education at the six Ontario medical schools, we are writing to you jointly to assure you that we are very much aware of the issues you are facing and are committed to work together with many partners to develop effective and equitable solutions. Although much remains uncertain, we have come to common understandings on a number of key principles that were approved by all Ontario Deans of Medicine on April 9, 2020.
We have worked to develop common criteria that will allow Ontario schools to determine when circumstances have resolved sufficiently to allow for re-engagement in clinical rotations. These criteria have been developed from core principles: Patient Safety, Student Safety. Safety of Teaching Faculty and Health Providers, Learning Opportunities and Supervision. (Appendix A)
We have committed to review these criteria regularly and jointly to determine the earliest possible return date.
We have committed to work together to, as much as possible, coordinate clinical re- entry for all schools.
We are committed to making all efforts to ensure your anticipated entry to residency is not adversely affected by this pandemic.
We are committed to exploring new and innovative approaches to clinical learning and reconsidering long established clerkship structures that provide a full educational experience within available time and clinical learning opportunities.
We have committed to jointly consider the role of electives so that students are provided equitable opportunities and access.
We have committed to work with our postgraduate colleagues and CaRMS to ensure the postgraduate entry process properly reflects whatever revisions are required in the undergraduate experience, and ensure these are considered appropriately, fairly and openly.
Finally, although your clerkship experience will almost certainly differ substantially from that which you had all been anticipating, we want to assure you that it need not be viewed as educationally inferior. In fact, these unexpected circumstances are likely to provide novel approaches and opportunities that bring value and inform our approaches going forward. Many, such as virtual care, will be a key legacy innovation from the pandemic that each of you will use across your career. In fact, we’re already seeing this occurring.
In all this, we thank you for the forbearance and adaptability that you’re demonstrating. We take considerable pride in the numerous efforts that so many of you have undertaken to assist in the crisis in so many ways. We’re not surprised by this. The qualities that are allowing students and faculty to successfully engage this crisis are the same qualities that underlie effective patient care and were the basis for our admissions processes and our profession values.
Although not in our classrooms and hallways, you remain students in our schools. We are committed to providing you any supports you require. We encourage you to look after yourselves and each other. Our student affairs offices remain open and prepared to assist you. We will continue to communicate with you openly as we, together, engage these challenging times.
Melissa Forgie
Vice Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education University of Ottawa
Patricia Houston
Vice Dean, MD Program University of Toronto
Brian Ross
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education Northern Ontario School of Medicine
Anthony Sanfilippo
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education Queen’s University
Gary Tithecott
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education Western University
Rob Whyte
Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education McMaster University
Proposed criteria for re-engagement in clinical rotations
Principle
|
Key considerations
|
Patient safety
|
Would the presence of students in the clinical environment jeopardize or promote optimal patient care?
- Would students be able to provide valuable service by “off- loading” specific aspects of care from other providers?
- Would students increase the risk of disease transmission?
- Would students consume valuable PPE?
|
Student safety
|
Can students be protected from, or excluded from, excessive risk?
- Although some small risk is inherent in any clinical placement, would students be exposed to risks considered above the “norm”, or without protections and considerations that would be reasonably expected?
- Will students be provided with the full, minimum PPE that is suggested as required by scientific knowledge with respect to COVID-19?1
- Are there local occupational health processes in place to protect students who may be exposed to COVID-19?
- If it is deemed essential to exclude students from some clinical situations and not others, can that exclusion be reliably achieved?
- Do current student liability arrangements cover the current clinical environment?
|
Safety of teaching faculty and hospital staff
|
Would student placements jeopardize the safety or wellness of teaching faculty or other hospital staff?
- Would students provide valuable service that would be of benefit to faculty or other providers?
- Would students integrate into care teams as currently constituted during this crisis?
|
Learning
|
Can a valuable learning experience be provided?
- Are there sufficient roles in which students can engage?
- Do these roles have educational value?
- To what extent is any involvement at this time a valuable and possibly unique learning experience?
|
Supervision
|
Are there sufficient clinical teaching faculty available to provide student supervision?
- Can continuing oversight of learners be provided?
- Can learners be assessed?
- Are these available in all areas necessary to provide a full clerkship experience?
|
1 The provision of PPE should be based on accepted and scientifically based recommendations, which may differ from local clinical site recommendations. This also ensures consistency across schools.
PRECLERKSHIP
Town hall:
Year 1 and Year 2: April 24 at 3 p.m.
Interviewing skills with simulated patients – pilot project (more information to come)
Year 1 summative OSCE (cancelled for MD 2023: course grading to be based on evaluations from PSD/DAC.
CLERKSHIP
Year 3
Phase 1:
Mandatory online learning will be provided to cover the didactic teaching material for the 4 paused rotations prior to resuming clinical activities.
Online learning to take place between May 4 to June 27.
Final plans are being reviewed this week.
Phase 2:
Clinical phase
We are working towards a July 6 tentative return to clinical duties date.
Planning of phase 2 will start mid-May.
The ability of the MD program to deliver Phase 2 is highly contingent on the status of the pandemic, availability of clinical faculty who have patient care obligations and the safety of the learning environment.
Year 4
We are working on both a virtual convocation in June (to be confirmed by central campus) and a celebration in the fall.
Update - April 8, 2020
What’s new?
Important reminder:
Rogue electives and observerships: These are strictly forbidden. They place patients, students, members of the public, members of the allied health care team and clinical faculty at risk and are in violation of University and regulatory authority guidelines, and required social distancing. Rogue electives and/or observerships are lapses in professionalism and will be managed as such for both the student and the faculty involved.
Town halls:
- Year 3 and Year 4 on April 9, 2020, at 4 p.m.
- Year 1 and Year 2 being booked for next week (date will be confirmed shortly)
PRECLERKSHIP
Unit 1 midterm exam: successful delivery of the exam (April 6) via Questionmark
Interviewing skills with simulated patients – pilot project (more information to be shared at the UCCPC meeting of April 14)
CLERKSHIP
Ongoing discussions at the provincial and national levels regarding start dates, electives and timing of CaRMS match.
For uO MD students a phased approach to resumption of Year 3 has been proposed.
Phase 1:
Mandatory online learning will be provided to cover the didactic teaching material for the 4 paused rotations prior to resuming clinical activities.
Online learning to take place between May 4 to June 27.
More details to be shared at the April 14 UCCPC meeting.
Phase 2:
We are working towards a July 6 tentative start date for clinical duties.
Planning of phase 2 will start mid-May.
The ability of the MD program to deliver Phase 2 is highly contingent on the status of the pandemic and the availability of clinical faculty who have patient care obligations.
ePortfolio: The ePortfolio program will resume as of April 14, 2020 (contingent on availability of individual clinical faculty). Students are to go ahead and start planning their meetings, finish their posts and complete their evaluations, prior to May 4. The Clerkship Academic Coordinator will be sending further information.
Year 4 Electives for MD2021
All MD2021 students are asked to postpone all Year 4 elective planning until further notice, including electives here in Ottawa. Approaching departments and individual preceptors for booking or holding electives are not permitted. We will let you know when electives can be booked.
Year 4
Students who have fulfilled the program requirements will have their degree conferred as planned. We are working on both a virtual convocation and a celebration in the fall.
Update - April 1, 2020
What’s New?
Student Affairs Office
The Student Affairs Office is offering a weekly virtual group support session with Dr. Kay-Anne Haykal and the SAO counsellors for all medical students every Wednesday morning from 11 a.m. to noon. This is an optional drop-in session to discuss any general concerns during this pandemic with the SAO. Counselling and psychotherapy will not be provided during those sessions although students can continue to book their individual counselling sessions with the counsellors. The link to those sessions is available on the SAO Facebook page as well as through your class presidents, the SAO student advisors and the Aesculapian society.
Volunteering during COVID-19 - a message from the MD program
Rogue electives and observerships:
These are strictly forbidden. They place patients, students, members of the public, members of the allied health care team and clinical faculty at risk and are in violation of University and regulatory authority guidelines, and required physical distancing. Any rogue electives and/or observerships are lapses in professionalism and will be managed as such for both the student and the faculty involved.
PRECLERKSHIP
CBL, CPM and TBL
Successful deployment of the first CPM session via MS Teams on March 30, 2020
Successful deployment of the first TBL session via MS Teams on March 31,2020
IPE MSK Day of May 20th: cancelled
SIM
Teaching material for self-learning will be available for students in Elentra
Small group sessions (Professionalism and FM) will be offered via MS Teams
Classes with patients are cancelled
CLERKSHIP
Phased approach to resumption of Year 3 has been proposed. Mandatory online learning will be provided to cover the didactic teaching material for the 4 paused rotations prior to resuming clinical activities. We are working towards a July 6th tentative start date for clinical duties. More information to come, online learning to take place after April 20th.
Ongoing elective learning resources for students to be made available through the class presidents
ePortfolio: postponed until April 20th
Pediatrics OSCE: will be postponed or modified as required
Exams: May 29, 2020 Clerkship Exam: Postponed until the resumption of clinical duties.
Year 4
Message from the Medical Council of Canada
Final year medical students who have completed or are about to complete their undergraduate training but have not yet taken the MCCQE Part I will still be able to obtain an educational license to enter residency training in Canada on 1 July 2020, provided that:
- you have an offer to start a residency position in Canada;
- the Medical Regulatory Authority has received confirmation of your graduation from the Deans Office of a Canadian medical school; and
- you understand that you must take the MCCQE Part I at the earliest opportunity.
Please monitor your physiciansapply.ca account regularly and visit mcc.ca/about/covid-19 where we will keep you updated on our decisions and where you can access FAQs for more detailed answers to your questions.
Update – March 27, 2020
PRECLERKSHIP
Details of status of individual learning activities are in Elentra
Lectures
Last year’s recordings will be provided
Teaching material will be provided if recording is not available
Any updated material will be provided
CBL, CPM and TBL
Will be via Microsoft Teams
The Tutor Guide to be released to student groups in real time if tutor is absent
Successful deployment of the first CBL session via MS Teams on March 24, 2020
DAC/PSD
All experiential learning involving patient contact is cancelled
Cliniques simulées: cancelled
Community preceptor program: cancelled
Year 1 summative OSCE, April 23, 2020: will be postponed or modified as required
Year 2 summative OSCE, May 13, 2020: will be postponed or modified as required
Mindfulness sessions: cancelled
Year 1 Community Week: cancelled
Year 2 Mandatory Clinical Week: cancelled
Students must inform their preceptor
Year 1 and Year 2 Electives:
Cancelled until the end of June (status review end of April)
Students must send email out to preceptors to cancel their electives
Community Service Learning: cancelled
uOSSC procedural skills elective: postponed
uOSSC, Year 2 SIM Harvey Sessions - April 16–20th: cancelled
Ottawa Psychiatry Enrichment Program (OPEP): cancelled
Exams: Will proceed remotely via Questionmark (details to follow)
Unit I mid-term exam of April 6, 2020 to take place via Questionmark (details to follow)
The 2020 Summer studentships program may be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The application process is open until April 6, 2020. We will keep you informed of the developments in the coming weeks
Leaving Ottawa
Students leaving Ottawa are expected to remain in full contact with the Faculty, checking email communications regularly as they are still in academic session, revisions and additions to the curriculum are ongoing and they may need to be mobilized to help with COVID-19 patient care.
CLERKSHIP
Year 3
All year 3 clinical duties cancelled since Monday, March 16, 2020
Year 3 compressed rotations to be organized when clinical rotations are able to resume
Schools in Ontario committed to July 6, 2020 as tentative date to resume clinical rotations
All year 3 didactic, small group and bedside teaching are cancelled as of March 16, 2020 through July 5, 2020.
Boot camps: cancelled
Pediatrics OSCE: will be postponed or modified as required
uOSSC Harvey Session Y3 MD program: cancelled
Core rotations in rural settings: cancelled
Impact of COVID-19 on future matches: Message from CaRMS
As we are still in the early days of an ever-evolving situation, we do not yet have a clear picture of any potential impacts the COVID-19 pandemic could have on future match cycles. We are working closely with our partners in the Canadian medical education community and will use our website carms.ca as the primary vehicle for communicating any developments as they occur.
A great many decisions are being made on an ongoing basis by governments across the country and around the world, and these decisions may have an impact on some applicants and faculties for future matches. We are staying connected to these conversations and decisions to ensure the application and match system continues to operate in a way that meets the needs of our clients, stakeholders and the wider medical education community.
Year 4 Electives for MD2021
All MD2021 students are asked to postpone all Year 4 electives planning until further notice, including electives here in Ottawa.
Year 4
Back to Basics lectures:
Recordings of last year lectures are provided
Updated presentations will also be posted on one45 when available
MCC practice tests (CDMQs and MCQs) were purchased for each student in year 4. Practice tests will be made available to year 4 students once the date of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part 1 has been determined. The goal is to release the practice tests closer to the date of the exam.
Ongoing learning resources for students to be made available through the class presidents
Changes to MD2020 Convocation Ceremony
Visiting Electives
Visiting electives: cancelled for medical students until September 2020
The portal was closed to all students on Friday, March 20 at 3 p.m.
All international electives: cancelled
Interest groups
All interest group activities are cancelled (SEAD, OPEP, REACT and IMED will be reviewed at the end of April)
Work-related travel is cancelled
The Faculty of Medicine has cancelled all work-related travel (e.g. academic conferences, presentations, etc.), both within and outside of Canada, for all personnel, including physicians, residents, medical students, and other learners. This decision was made in consultation with the Ottawa Hospital, and follows the same decision made at Sunnybrook and University Health Network, due to the risk of COVID-19 transmission at mass gatherings as outlined by the Government of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/mass-gatherings-risk-assesment.html
Personal travel
Students considering personal travel are recommended to make a careful decision as travel may be disrupted, and/or you may be required to be in quarantine upon your return.
A reminder that it is now mandatory for students and staff to register for any travel outside of Canada for official studies, research or work through the uOttawa International Travel Registry. Registration is strongly recommended for faculty members.
Taking a few moments to register your travel details will allow the University to provide you with access to alerts and travel advice from International SOS and enable us to contact you directly in the event of an emergency.
If you have questions regarding your travel insurance, please check with your insurance provider.
Clerkship students returning from travel, must notify occupational health and wellness at their receiving hospital.
Preclerkship follow instructions
Public Health:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html
Exposure
Preclerkship
A student exposed must self-isolate and follow the procedure on the Health & Safety website
https://med.uottawa.ca/undergraduate/students/student-zone/health-and-safety
Clerkship
A student exposed must self-isolate and contact occupational health at the hospital where they are placed.
If you are quarantined: a plan will be formulated for reintegration which may include but is not limited to: plan(s) of assessment, accommodation(s), remediation, repetition of curriculum elements, repetition of clinical rotations, mandated health programs and examinations.
New Emergency Fund to Students Available
The University understands that the measures that are being taken to combat the spread of COVID-19 may result in unexpected financial pressures on students. A Special Emergency Fund has been set aside that students can access for grants to assist with unexpected housing, transportation and moving costs. Students who are facing significant financial difficulties due to the pandemic are encouraged to contact [email protected] to make a request for funding.
Undergraduate Medical Education