Clerkship Info Night Booklet

Hey everyone,

The clerkship committee has kindly provided us with last years Clerkship Information Night booklet for those who are interested. The booklet contains last years course rotation descriptions, information regarding electives, as well as sample ward evaluations and Medical Student Performance Records (MSPR). Although clerkship is still a little bit of time away, this might help in answering some of the questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions concerning clerkship issues.

(There will be a Clerkship Info night later this year to further explore issues around clerkship as well as the hospital/rotation selection process.)

Your clerkship reps,

Alex and Faazil

Click Here to Download Clerkship Info Night Booklet

Interprofessional Boat Cruise

A message from your Social Reps, Jay & Em:

 

“Annual Interprofessional Boat Cruise
Date:
Friday, September 19, 2008
Time:
7:00pm – 11:30pm

Including the faculties of Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Meds! There will be dinner, a DJ, dancing, cash bar and of course a CRUISE!!!

The boat is a 140 foot, 2 story boat. It is weatherproof so we can party in rain or shine. There’s a large balcony overlooking the dance floor and there are also stairs leading down to the outer deck.

The cruise will go around the Toronto Harbour. We’ll go west from the Cherry street docks. From there we’ll be able to see the Toronto night time Skyline.

The dress code is dress to impress (semi-formal to formal)!”

Sept. 12 Election Statements

Voting will take place Sept 12 @ 12:00 – 1:00 pm in the MAA Lounge.

Mississauga Academy Rep:

KATIE ARMSTRONG:

Hi Everyone.  My name is Katie Armstrong and I am running for Mississauga Academy Representative.  I am from Mississauga and part of the pilot CVH ASCM II Group.  I have previously participated in discussions with Dr. Coates, the academy director, about the med school expansion and have helped recruit 1T2s to Trillium.  I have had a wonderful experience in Mississauga and would like to contribute to the further development of the Mississauga Academy as the Academy Representative.  Thanks.

 

PB Academy Rep:

MICHELLE LAM (Sunnybrook):

As a Peters-Boyd representative for Women’s College last year, I had the opportunity to get an inside look into the workings of PB. Lots of issues came up and while many of them are in the process of being resolved, some of them have yet to be tackled. For instance, PB wants to have a greater emphasis on Interprofessional Learning, and our extended days at Sunnybrook would be the perfect time for us to not only attend IPL sessions, but would also be a great time for us to interact as an academy. I feel as though the camaraderie in our academy is strong, but it can be even greater with even more chances to get to know one another. I can help to bring these changes on board. Furthermore, I have the unique privilege of knowing both Women’s College and Sunnybrook well, and so can contribute an added perspective to the hospital council meetings. I believe I’m fairly approachable, and I would be entirely open to any feedback or suggestions from anyone in PB. So, please vote for Michelle Lam for PB rep! Thanks!

 

GILLIAN LINDZON (Sunnybrook):

Hi class, I am hoping to be the PB for Sunnybrook again for this upcoming year and I would really appreciate your support. I really enjoyed representing SBK last year and had a great time organizing breakfasts, lunches and of course, Spring Fling. I am committed to hearing your ideas and feedback and presenting them to Dr. Nickell at our academy meetings. I think last year’s academy success is a refection of all the representatives’s hardwork and dedication, and I would love to hold this position again to ensure another great year at PB.  Thanks very much in advance for all your support!

 

REEMA SHAH (Sunnybrook):

Hi, my name is Reema Shah and I am running for Peters-Boyd Representative. I have had extensive experience representing student interests to community and university organizations in the past, and I hope to build on that experience by representing your views to the various hospital committees and the General Assembly. Moreover, I have some interesting/creative ideas that I would like to propose for next year. Firstly, as we all know our different hospitals are so far away from each other, it is difficult to coordinate social activities, but as PB rep I would like to organize events for all PB students to attend and get to know each other better. To create better professional relationships between the students and hospital administration ? including all tutors, I would like to organize a wine and cheese or similar event at the beginning of the year so that student interaction is not limited to their own tutors. As PB rep I would like to lobby for a transportation allowance for those travelling to North York General Hospital. I know I do not have prior experience serving as an academy rep, but I feel this would allow me to approach the position with fresh eyes. So please come out and vote on Friday and vote Reema Shah for PB rep for Sunnybrook Hospital. Thank you.

 

DAVID SUSSMAN (Sunnybrook):

I like to think of myself as Elizabeth May except I am not a female and am not a leader of a political party…yet. As opposed to my opponents running, I am walking at a brisk pace but not yet sweating for PB rep. In all seriousness, I think that it is important that the voices of the students at PB be heard, and this is something that I will do. That being said, why should the job stop there. I believe that things could be changed and learning should be fun. That is why if elected I will propose mandatory days for which PB students must smile. I have talked to the other academy reps and we think it would be fun to incorporate a little healthy competition between academies such as a decathalon, or a very large dodgeball tournament. I really do believe that while its important for your voices to be heard, its also important to have fun while doing so. And to all those who do not want to vote for me, I have a simple phrase: “What’s the worst
that can happen?”

Kind words from the Dean

Dean Whiteside sent us the following letter over the summer that we’d like to share with the class:

“I am writing to acknowledge the noble work that Meds 1T1 has undertaken by pledging to raise funds in support of Bloorview Kids Foundation.  I understand that to date you have raised $1,046 – an impressive amount and one which I’m certain is being put to good use at the hospital.

The spirit of community service you are demonstrating is one of the most important reasons that you are in medical school.  You have chosen to pursue a profession which is focused on helping others and you are living testaments to that commitment.

I applaud your tremendous efforts directed toward the foundation and thank you for being such great ambassadors for our medical school.

With sincere regards,

Dean Catharine Whiteside, MD, PhD, FRCPC”

A bit of warm and fuzzy to get you all pumped for a great 2nd year!

Study Space Update

Hey everyone,

We hope that the summer break has been enjoyable and restful. As we transition back into school, we wanted to update the class on the issue of Academy study spaces.  We voiced concerns from our class to the Academy Directors, who met and discussed solutions over the summer.  The following is the response we recently received from Dr.  Jacqueline James, Wightman-Berris Academy Director:

“We recognize the need for students to have access to study space around our many campuses. All students going to Credit Valley for ASCM 1 and 2 are registered as WB students at present, so they already have
access to WB. As it stands, during regular working hours, any U of T student is welcome to use WB space that is not programmed for classes or educational events. 

If students at other academies are having difficulty finding study space at the university libraries or elsewhere after hours, we would be happy to issue entry keys and IDs on an individual basis. Students can ask the Medical Education staff.

Security checks our spaces off hours and students must have appropriate ID to be in secured spaces.  We also want to reserve the opportunity ask people who shouldn’t be there to leave – this is an issue of security for your fellow students – especially since there is no other staff around off hours, unlike libraries on campus.” 

The take-home points are that: (1) Non-WB Academy students can obtain access to WB study spaces if needed and (2) for this privilege to be maintained, proper care of spaces by all students (WB and non-WB) is key.

A Midsummer’s Night Drink(s)

Hey 1T1s,

It’s time for a summer reunion! Come out for some post-work/summertime drinks to chill and catch up. Join us at one of Toronto’s best patios, the Black Bull Tavern!

Here are the details:

Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Time: 4:30pm – 7:00pm
Location: Black Bull Tavern
Street: 298 Queen St. W.
City: Toronto, ON

Looking forward to seeing you all.

Em & Jay

June 18 Dean’s meeting updates: TB/First Aid requirements and final marks

Hey everyone,

As you know we recently had our meeting with the Deans. Although a number of issues were discussed, there are a few points that are worth noting.

First, we do NOT need to update our CPR/First Aid training this summer.  The enquiries that we have received via email for organized training in the fall have been based on the uncertainty surrounding this.  If you still want a training session for our class, please let us know.

Second, immunization requirements (including TB skin tests) will be addressed in an email from Judy Irvine (faculty Registrar) on or around July 1st.

Third, our final marks will also be coming out around July 1st.

Our push to open up study spaces for academies is progressing but there is nothing we can report on at the moment.  MAA lounge upgrades operate through MedSoc, and they will address some of our class requests at their next meeting.  We will provide you with updates when they become available, and if you have questions or suggestions contact us at meds1T1@gmail.com.  

Thanks,

Sam & Nigel

Anatomy Funeral Services

Thanks to Julia Sharp and Dr. Taylor for the following information regarding the upcoming funeral services being held Thursday June 12 for those who generously donated their bodies for medical education.  

“As medical students, we are very fortunate to have the opportunity to further our learning with this gift. If we wish, we may attend the services to honour the donors and their families.

Services are being held in the Chapel at St. James’ Cemetery at 635 Parliament Street. This is just north of Wellesley St. E. The gates are on the east side, and the cathedral is a short walk from the gates. Please see further directions on how to get there below.

There are 3 services: 10am, 12pm, and 2pm. These are 3 separate services that have been scheduled to accommodate all of the families. Please come slightly early.

Dr. Taylor said that he does not know about the attendance at the services, so seat availability may vary. However, usually students stand at the back.”

 

DIRECTIONS & PARKING:

Here is a map of the location.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&ie=UTF8&q=st.+james+cemetery&near=Toronto,+ON,+Canada&fb=1&cid=0,0,1947219310025459475&ll=43.670572,-79.369912&spn=0.007,0.013218&z=16&iwloc=A

 

If you are taking the TTC, a map of the downtown routes can be found at http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/pdf/downtown.pdf.

From downtown, you can take the Wellesley bus (route 94), which runs every 6-8 minutes in rush hours, and 10-15 minutes in non-rush hours. If you are taking the subway, go to Castle Frank station on the Bloor line (east) and take either the 94 (Wellesley) or 65 (Parliament) bus, both of which will pass the cemetery as they head south on Parliament.

 

PARKING AT/NEAR ST JAMES’ CEMETERY 

NOTE (from Dr. Taylor): There is plenty of parking at the cemetery and thus no need to pay for parking.  Just come and follow the directions that cemetery staff will give you on arrival. 

Access to Family Doctors for Current Students

As mentioned in our last post, we recently had a meeting with Dr. Anna Jarvis to discuss the issue of medical student access to family doctors in the city. Although most of what was discussed had been mentioned at one point in the year, we have summarized the list of resources (in no particular order) available to us.

For those who already have a family doctor (outside Toronto), it may be worthwhile to consider having one in the city. There will be a number of health forms that need to be signed for clerkship.

Also, in the fall Dr. Jarvis and Dr. Edwards will be visiting hospitals in the community to recruit more family physicians to add to the current list. We will keep you posted.

1. Dr. Jarvis in the Office of Health Professions Student Affairs (MSB
Stone lobby-room 2171B)
-if you have special concerns about the physician you see (e.g. you would like to see a doctor of a similar background), Dr. Jarvis can help coordinate

2. Academy Directors (your own or one from another Academy; see Redbook for contact information)

3. Koffler Center (214 College Street; open Monday – Saturday)
-you can register with a family doctor (there are likely to be a number of new openings now that the year has ended) indicating preferences (e.g. male or female doctor)

4. Ontario Medical Assocation (1-800-851-6606)
-if you are an OMA member, you can contact the Physican Wellness Program to arrange to see a family doctor
-if you have a particular medical condition, you can indicate that you would like to see a physician who has an interest in that area

5. David L. Macintosh Clinic (416-978-4678)
-this clinic is well suited to address those with sports related injuires
-the center offers physiotherapy (60$ covers you for the entire semester)

Responses to Class Issues

With exams behind us and the transition into summer well under way, here is our update to the class issues raised last month in our survery.

A huge thanks to Faazil and Dave for their contributions to the Clerkship and H/P/F System questions!

 

Clerkship (written by Faazil Kassam, Clerkship Representative):

-The PDA sale will take place around Feb of 2009. I spoke to the second year Clerkship Rep and she said they did not have a lot of people participate in it for their year. PDA’s are not required anymore to log completed procedures and/or patient interactions. This is done though “e-log” on computer terminals or through access of a wireless internet connection via a handheld device. For those who are still interested in the purchase of a handheld device, the sale will likely still take place early in 2009 and all the details will be
given next year. I will keep the class updated on any new information.

 - The subjective grading of clerkship has been one of the prominent reasons discussed for the switching of H/P/F to P/F. This HPF topic will be discussed further at the next clerkship meeting at the end of June and I’ll keep you updated if there is any new information. The subjective component of clerkship is primarily in the ward evaluations completed by your preceptors. One important point is that your mark in a course is not entirely based on ward evaluations, but also on Objective Standardized Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) as well as possibly some written examinations depending on the course. I believe the relative percentages of how much each is worth is course/rotation dependent.

 - The organization of rotations can be seen on the faculty website (http://www.facmed.utoronto.ca/) under clerkship. We will be doing the academy/rotation combined match (i.e. 3 academies 6 rotations = ranking of 18 choices) well before the end of next year and so we will know our academies ahead of time, which will help in decisions of living arrangements, and transportation arrangements. One other point is that there will be a formal clerkship information night around January year with all the course directors present and an information booklet and much information on rotations will be addressed. I will try to get a few copies of the clerkship information package of last year for September and those who are interested early on can let me know and borrow the package.

 - A mock clerkship day is a great idea, and I will definitely ask if this can be a possibility. Just off the top of my head, I’m not sure if we can be given the responsibilities of a clerk because I’m not sure if there are insurance policies that need to be considered, but shadowing or observing the clerk I think may be a feasible idea. I do think that this would probably have to be academy-based and organized through ASCM (like Day of the Doctor) so I will try and get in touch with the ASCM rep to see if we can still try and organize such an event for later in the year.  However, it may be late in terms of ASCM scheduling, which has likely already taken place.

- The lack of LMCC study time has been raised in a previous meeting, and the faculty do understand the students’ concern. Unfortunately, it is difficult to implement any sort of “back to basics” program until the process of curriculum renewal is completed, which will take some time and so it is unlikely that we will get any significant change to our clerkship schedule. I will keep the class informed if anything changes with this issue.

 

H/P/F System (written by Dave Homuth, Appeals Committee Representative):

-[Regarding the H/P/F -> P/F appeal:] The situation is quite fluid right now with a certain ambiguity as to what will happen next for the next week or so.  There is a chance even that a preclerkship change could effect us next year (with us both having the opportunity to vote on whether we would like pass/fail for all 4 years and a separate question specifically for our class asking if we are OK with a split preclerkship transcript).  The credit/no credit proposal has passed the preclerkship committee and will be considered as well at the clerkship committee.  There will be a referendum on this issue within the first few weeks of class following an information campaign, town hall and debate.

-Sam & Nigel here: Regarding the question how we will be approaching the H/P/F System appeal – we have both spoken to Dave and agreed that he remains in the best position to lobby for change, and is committed to continue the work done as Class Co-President last year in his new position as Appeals Committee Rep.  We will certainly lend our support when required, and will be working with Dave to ensure that the class is kept informed every step of the way.

 

CaRMS System:

-Talks from the residency directors with regards to CaRMS matching and general information about applying to each graduate program are certainly coming along the pipeline for us in 2008/09.  We will be keeping you well informed of the dates of these events to ensure a high class turnout.  To tailor the talks to our concerns as a class, it’s VERY important that any questions that you would like addressed about CaRMS or specific programs are forwarded to us and/or your Preclerkship/Clerkship representatives!  We are confident that the faculty would be more than willing to address them.

-Clerkship elective timing has been a major concern for several years.  For anyone not aware, this refers to the fact that some of our electives are scheduled after the CaRMS application deadline in 4th year.  Electives are the portions of clerkship during which students select particular programs/sites that interest them, and may impact their future matching to those programs/sites during CaRMS.  Consequently, some students feel that they would be stronger candidates at certain programs/sites if the electives were all scheduled “pre-CaRMS”.  Since this issue has been raised perennially, we will certainly keep you posted with any information as it becomes relevant to 1T1 and future years.  But right now, you should be in Hawaii sipping a pina colada…

 

Class/Lecture Issues:

-The issue of disruptive and/or discourteous behaviour toward fellow students and lecturers was raised by several of our classmates, and is particularly significant given how much time we spend attending lectures and interacting in MSB.  We realize that there are times when people are asking their neighbour to clarify an issue brought up during lectures and circumstances preventing students from arriving on time to lecture.  We hope that all of 1T1 can simply acknowledge that the problems of disruptive conversations and arriving late/noisily into class are affecting the learning of fellow students and friends, and we appeal everyone to continue to be considerate and respectful.  

-Internet resources were extremely useful to many students during B&B, and we hope that this was reflected in those MedSIS evals that we know everyone filled out…as for FMP and PBD, we will be in touch shortly with their respective course representatives to see where the course faculty stands on taking lectures online.

-Re-orientation: The social reps have been informed…nuff said.

-Breaking the monotony of the day: With the reduced lecture hours, clinically-oriented courses, abundant observership opportunities, club announcements, and Bharat’s (hopefully continuing) break music, we hope that 2nd year will naturally transition into more interesting days on average.  However, we completely welcome any suggestions on specific ways to keep the energy high all through the day!

 

MSB Issues:

-All of the issues raised about MSB (MAA lounge modifications, Discovery Commons hours of operation, Toronto Star) have been noted, and we’ll definitely be bringing them up to the appropriate people closer to September and during 2nd year.  Keep the ears/eyes peeled!

 

Observership Opportunities:

-Our goal is to compile a list of formal observership opportunities from the different Academies, working with the Academy Reps throughout the year.  By no means does this mean that a student is restricted to observerships at his/her academy, or clinicians on our list, but we think that this will be a convenient way of organizing some sort of document that can be disseminated to everyone.  Furthermore, during the year it would be great if students who have done observerships can provide relevant contact information to add to this list.

 

Other:

-First Aid classes for 1T1s/1T2s: If you would like to register for a first aid course, please send us an email by August 1st. If there is a sufficient response, we will coordinate the class for the entire group.

-Locker safety: We believe that thanks to lobbying of the 1T1/1T0 class presidents in 2007/8, new lockers with enhanced security are supposed to be built in the near future.  How near in the future and how enhanced the security are questions that we will aim to confirm at our first Dean’s meeting.

-Opening up study space: An important issue that we will tackle with the Academy Reps and Academy Directors.  Stay tuned.

-USMLE & US training information: This will be addressed in a future update.

That’s all for now, 1T1!  Please check back frequently over the summer… our next post contains information regarding medical student access to family doctors in Toronto.

 In case you forgot, we’re always around at meds1T1@gmail.com.

Take care and stay safe!

S&N