A nine-week unit, at the end of second year, integrates previously acquired knowledge with the use of more complex patient cases. Particular attention is given to the pediatric patient, the geriatric patient, the management of pain, palliative care, pharmacotherapeutics, international health, complementary and alternative medicine, occupational and environmental health, and health systems. Approaches to prevention, behaviour change and management of complex cases are covered.

This two-year course introduces the student to interviewing skills with an emphasis on establishing good communication between the physician and the patient, effective history taking and physical examination. This course allows students early exposure to clinical settings. The course is structured in such a way that it corresponds to the curriculum (e.g. cardiovascular physical examination is taught during cardiovascular course teaching) so it gives clinical context to what the students are learning in class.

The Department of Family Medicine, in collaboration with the UGME, coordinates the program structure and placement of the PSD Community Preceptor program. This program, offered to first and second year medical students, provides the opportunity to be placed in a family medicine community practice for a total of eight half days (four in first year and four in second year).

PSD Community Preceptor Handbook

The overall general objective of the community preceptor sessions is to expose students to real clinical situations and to provide opportunities to further develop their history and physical examination skills. Specific objectives include:

• Enhancing early-stage medical students’ exposure to family physicians in a community-based clinical setting;
• Allowing medical students to practice a focused history and/or physical examination;
• Helping medical students to appreciate the role of the family physician in the community; and,
• Establishing a longer term relationship between the medical student and the family physician.

Thank you for your interest in a Pre-clerkship elective in Family Medicine. A practice in family medicine is diverse, challenging and rewarding. As you can see from the list of elective opportunities available below, family medicine is practiced in a wide variety of settings. Our electives are available for a minimum of 8 hours for non-mandatory electives.

Applying for Electives

Please DO NOT CONTACT physicians directly.

Please send an email to [email protected] with the following information. Note: we cannot guarantee a particular practice and/or preceptor.

• Are you a 1st or 2nd year student?
• Is this for an 8 hr. non-mandatory or 20 hr. (2nd yr.) mandatory?
• Specific dates and times?
• Do you have a vehicle?
• What other languages can you speak?
• What part of the city you would prefer?
• Do you have a particular practice focus you are interested in?
• Do you have a preceptor(s) and/or clinic in mind?
• Would you like a large or small community practice? 

We can match you with a family physician whose practice is focused on:

• General Family Medicine
• Well Women
• Inner City
• Seniors
• Palliative Care
• Developmental Disabilities
• Care of New Canadians
• Addiction
• Mental Health
• Maternity/Newborn Care
• Pediatrics
• Sexual Health
• Dermatology
• Geriatrics
• House Calls
• Non-Cancer Chronic Pain
• Breast Clinic

Contacts:

We offer undergraduate teaching opportunities to physicians who wish to contribute to our program.

Please contact:
Alicia Campagna, Coordinator of Undergraduate Medical Studies - Anglophone
[email protected]

View the Pre-Clerkship and Clerkship Undergraduate Medical Curriculum Stipend Schedule (Anglophone stream only)

The Family Medicine Clerkship is centered on learning office-based primary care in a community practice. Through the lottery (second year) students will be assigned to either a rural community in Ontario or a community practice in Ottawa. The rural rotations are organized through our closest rural network, the Eastern Regional Medical Education Program (ERMEP), who takes care of all the details including lodging. As well two students from each block can choose to work with a different rural network in Ontario (ROMP or NOSM).

Rotation outline - MD 2026

Week 1: Everyone will be attending virtual learning modules and inter-professional team/allied healthcare provider visits. You will not be attending a clinic/office. Details on exact schedules will be available closer to the beginning of the rotation.

Weeks 2 to 6: Everyone will spend all of this time with their assigned preceptor either in Ottawa (community) or in a rural site. The expectation is that the student would experience the full scope of their preceptor practice which could include hospital call, nursing home care, emergency room shifts, deliveries, etc. Details on exact schedules will be available closer to the beginning of the rotation.

Important Documents and Resources

• Clerkship Objectives
• Clerkship Examination Blueprint
• Observation of Clinical Skills - Mini Clinex
• Inter-professional Team/Allied Healthcare Provider Visit Form
• Clerkship Preceptor Manual
• Clinical Encounters - One45 logs
• Medskl
• LearnFM Clerkship Clinical Scenarios
• Mental Health and Addictions Resource List
• uToronto - The Hub - Family Medicine Cases

Absenteeism and Professionalism

If you are unable to attend your academic week lecture, inter-professional education team/allied healthcare provider visit or clinic for any reason, you must notify the following individuals immediately:

• Chantal Boileau, [email protected]
• Alicia Campagna: [email protected] 
• Your clinic preceptor (if you will not be attending clinic)
• Your Inter-professional Education Team/Allied Healthcare Provider Visits (if you will not be attending your visit)

Exams

• Exam dates are set by the Faculty at the end of a 12-week block.
• Your exam will be based on the learning objectives. The objectives and a copy of the exam blueprint can be found in your handouts as well as links on one45 and the DFM website.
• Please remember that you are not to book off clinical time to study for your final exam.
• If you must travel three hours or more from your placement to the Faculty, you are permitted to leave your placement at noon on the Thursday. If you are travelling from Moose Factory, you should leave on the Wednesday of Week 6.

FM Observation of Clinical Skills Forms

• Students must complete two mandatory Observation of Clinical Skills forms. This is a Faculty of Medicine requirement. It is your responsibility to ensure that your preceptor completes the forms.
• These forms were sent to you in your orientation package email and can also be found in your handouts as well as links on one45.
• Submit your completed forms to the attention of Alicia Campagna no later than Sunday night of Week 6 by email to [email protected]

Clinical Encounters – One45 Logs

• At least 50% of your Clinical Encounters Problems and 50% of your Clinical Encounters Procedures should be completed by the mid-rotation evaluation.
• 100% of your Clinical Encounters Problems and Procedures must be completed by the last Sunday of your rotation.
• If you feel your objectives will not be met by the end of Week 3, please notify Alicia Campagna at [email protected] to discuss an action plan.
• Failure to complete your Clinical Encounters as above will be marked on your FM evaluation as a professionalism concern.
• Access One45

Nomination for Outstanding Clinical Performance Award

• The Faculty of Medicine awards this honor to 15-20% of the top students per rotation.
• Two to three students per rotation group will be nominated. The final decision will be made by the Family Medicine Clerkship Director.

Learning Modules

• Learning modules are mandatory to attend. The schedule was sent to you with your orientation package and is included on your one45 schedule. Any schedule or location changes are made directly to your one45 calendar. Please check this daily.
• Prepare ahead by reading the materials related to each objective. This information is available on the Department of Family Medicine Website and can also be found in your handouts and links on one45.
• Don't forget to complete the Learning Module Evaluation which will be sent to you after each session. These need to be completed by the end of your academic week. 

General Information - Family Medicine Suggested Readings
 

uOttawa's guiding principles in managing home school electives include ensuring equity and fairness among students, offering a diverse range of electives, and providing all students with an equal opportunity to explore their desired disciplines. The Electives Office has provided you with important information regarding home school electives for 2024/2025.

Elective dates and durations:

The elective period is from Sep 3, 2024 – Mar 7, 2025.  Your electives will start on every other Monday (excluding weeks designated for mandatory selectives, and the holiday vacation from Dec 20, 2024 to Jan 5, 2025).  

The AFMC Student Portal & Home School Electives:

uOttawa's Electives Office will be the central hub for all electives in order to create a more organized and efficient elective booking process. The tool that will be used to manage and track your elective requests will be the AFMC Student Portal.You will be able to submit your application via the AFMC Student Portal. Students are not to reach out to the hospital coordinators to secure an elective as this would cause confusion and inequity among the students. More details regarding the application process can be found on the AFMC portal. Please note that students must still enter electives in their personal CP account for approval once their electives are confirmed in the AFMC Student Portal.

Pre-scheduled electives outside the AFMC Student Portal:

All electives scheduled directly with hospital coordinators will not be granted. You will need to reapply for these through the AFMC portal. 

CANCELLATION POLICY

• Should you decide to cancel the elective once it is confirmed, you will be required to notify us at least six (6) weeks prior to the start of the elective.
• It may be considered a breach of professionalism should you cancel a confirmed elective less than 6 weeks prior to the start date.
• If you have any questions, please contact the electives office, [email protected]. 

VMS (Visiting Medical Students from Canadian Schools)

You may start applying for visiting electives at uOttawa as of June 5th at 12:01am.

• Please visit the AFMC Student Portal regarding application timelines, eligibility criteria, required documents, policies and fees. Students will be able to see availability of elective opportunities before submitting an application and paying the fee. Please keep in mind that an indication of availability does not guarantee a confirmed elective.
• Electives are offered for durations of 2 or 4 weeks. All electives begin on a Monday except when Monday is a public holiday; in which case, the elective will begin on a Tuesday. Start dates around public holidays will be confirmed by the department.

WHO TO CONTACT

• Students are NOT PERMITTED to contact departments or preceptors at any time. This may be considered a breach of professionalism. 
• All electives arranged directly with a preceptor or hospital outside the AFMC Student Portal is not permitted and will not be recognized as an official uOttawa elective. The student will not be covered by Commercial General Liability Insurance.
• You may contact our Electives Office via e-mail at [email protected] or via phone at 613.562.5800 ext. 3459.

CANCELLATION POLICY

• Should you decide to cancel the elective once it is confirmed, you will be required to notify us at least six (6) weeks prior to the start of the elective.
• It may be considered a breach of professionalism should you cancel a confirmed elective less than 6 weeks prior to the start date.
• There is no refund for any cancelled applications. No exceptions.

CSA (Canadian Students Studying Abroad) Electives

LIMITED ENROLLMENT

Electives are only offered to Canadians Studying Abroad from the beginning of January to the end of June of each year. Electives are not offered to Canadians Studying Abroad between the months of July through December.

• Please visit the AFMC Student Portal regarding application timelines, eligibility criteria, required documents, policies and fees. Students will be able to see availability of elective opportunities before submitting an application and paying the fee. Please keep in mind that an indication of availability does not guarantee a confirmed elective.
• Electives are offered for durations of 2 or 4 weeks. All electives begin on a Monday except when Monday is a public holiday; in which case, the elective will begin on a Tuesday. Start dates around public holidays will be confirmed by the department.

WHO TO CONTACT

• Students are NOT PERMITTED to contact departments or preceptors at any time. This may be considered a breach of professionalism. All elective requests must be made through the AFMC Student Portal to ensure registration with the Electives Office at the University of Ottawa.
• All electives arranged directly with a preceptor or hospital outside the AFMC Student Portal will not be recognized as an official uOttawa elective and the student will not be covered by Commercial General Liability Insurance during the elective.
• You may contact our Electives Office via e-mail at [email protected] or via phone at 613.562.5800 ext. 3459.

CANCELLATION POLICY

• Should you decide to cancel the elective once it is confirmed, you will be required to notify us at least six (6) weeks prior to the start of the elective.
• It may be considered a breach of professionalism should you cancel a confirmed elective less than 6 weeks prior to the start date.
• There is no refund for any cancelled applications. No exceptions.