There are a number of ways to become more active in the MD Program, whatever your current level of participation. Several of these opportunities are described below.

University of Toronto Faculty Appointments

All physicians who supervise, teach and assess medical students in a required clinical learning experience at all instructional sites are required to have a University of Toronto faculty appointment.  For details on obtaining a faculty appointment, refer to the Faculty Appointments and Promotions page on the Temerty Faculty of Medicine's website, contact the Academy Director responsible for your clinical instructional site, or inquire with the business officer in your academic department.

Teaching in the MD Program

Faculty members who are interested in teaching medical students are invited to contact the following individuals, depending on the kind of teaching they are interested in:

Clinical elective and selective supervision

In addition to teaching in the core clerkships, faculty members can accept elective or selective students for clinical experiences lasting two weeks or more. The objectives may be determined by the faculty member or in dialogue between the student and the faculty member. Students on elective or selective are in their final year of the program.

For more information, see: https://md.utoronto.ca/electives or contact Dr. Kimberly Kitto, Director, Electives and Medicine Extended Clerkship or Dr. Kien Dang, Director, Transition to Residency.

Serving as a year 3 Clerkship OSCE examiner

During the third-year clerkship, students are required to complete an OSCE. The Clerkship OSCE takes place approximately midway through the academic year. The exam covers clinical skills pertinent to all of the clinical disciplines that students encounter during the Clerkship, and students must pass the OSCE to complete their medical studies. Serving as an OSCE examiner is therefore critically important to the students’ education, and a very good opportunity for teachers to assess the level of clinical competence achieved by the students.

Faculty members interested in participating in the Clerkship OSCE should contact the course director for the clinical clerkship rotation in their University Department. (Clerkship course director contact information)

Enriching Educational Experience (EEE) Preceptorships

The Enriching Educational Experiences (EEE) Program has been incorporated into the Foundations Curriculum as a component of ICE (Integrated Clinical Experience). Enriching Educational Experiences are clinical placements organized for self-directed learning that allow students to explore different career options in different settings and with different preceptors. Enriching Educational Experiences may involve a range of activities based on the principles of delegated and graded responsibility. Some EEE activities are contained within Longitudinal Experiences (LEs) organized by various departments or student interest groups. The EEE Module within MedSIS can help students organize and carry out activities in ways that are fair and informed. Occupational insurance for unpaid clinical placements like EEE activities may depend on whether the activity is taken as part of the curriculum (ICE: EEE) or outside the curriculum.

All EEE activities must be logged with the EEE Program in MedSIS where students can also access a catalogue of past activities that can be used as a starting point for organizing experiences. The Module also contains important information for students and supervisors about how these activities are to be carried out, and information about insurance coverage.

Participating as a preceptor or mentor in the EEE program is an excellent option for faculty members who are unable to commit to core teaching but would like to be involved in the growth, development, and education of our future physicians.

For additional information, see:
http://md.utoronto.ca/career-exploration

Career mentorship and education

During the MD Program, students not only acquire the knowledge and skills required for the practice of medicine, but also engage in an ongoing process of career exploration. Faculty members can play a critical role in this process through various activities including mentorship, career talks, and special programs offered by some clinical departments in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. To learn more about the options available to faculty members, please contact the Associate Dean Learner Affairs, the Director and Assistant Director, Career Advising System, the Academy Director associated with your hospital, or the course director/undergraduate program director of your Temerty Medicine Department.

Course committees

Every course in the MD Program has a course committee which is responsible for the design, implementation, and evaluation of the course. The committee generally consists of the course director, administrative staff, student representatives, and several faculty members. The faculty members on the committee are usually those responsible for a significant teaching unit in the course and/or for one of the sites where learning takes place during the course. Teachers who are already involved in a course and wish to explore the possibility of contributing further to the course’s organization are encouraged to contact the course director (see Foundations contact information or Clerkship contact information).

Leadership roles

There are many leadership roles in the MD Program, including being a course director, a site director within a course, or an organizer of a major segment or unit of a course. Teachers, particularly those already involved in a course, are encouraged to discuss leadership opportunities with either the relevant course director or the Foundations or Clerkship directors (see Foundations contact information or Clerkship contact information).

Admissions file review and interviews

Every year, a large number of faculty members contribute their time and experience to the MD admissions process, helping to determine which of the thousands of applicants will be granted an interview and, of those, who will be offered a place in the next first-year class. Faculty members who are interested in participating in the admissions process as file reviewers and/or interviewers are encouraged to contact the UME Enrolment Services Offices at md.admissionsoffice@utoronto.ca.

Research

University of Toronto medical students have many different opportunities to learn about research, both during the regular curriculum and at other times, notably the two summers of the Preclerkship.

Research as part of the curriculum

Students receive a comprehensive introduction to health science research, both how it is conducted and how it is applied to the care of patients and communities during the Health Science Research component.

Research Outside the Curriculum

See https://md.utoronto.ca/research-opportunities

There are four main programs which involve University of Toronto faculty:

Graduate Diploma in Health Research (GDipHR):

The purpose of the GDipHR is to provide selected 1st-year medical students an opportunity to participate in the continuum of research – from idea creation to data collection to scientific publication and/or presentation at a scholarly meeting – via a consecutive 20-month longitudinal research program.   Students will also be exposed to coursework related to a broad range of research concepts, topics, methodologies, and applications to health care.

Information for prospective faculty supervisors, including funding arrangements, is available at: https://md.utoronto.ca/graduate-diploma-health-research-gdiphr

CREMS Summer Program

A full-time 10-12-week summer research program between first- and second-year or between second- and third-year. Student funding is divided equally between the CREMS program and the research supervisor. See https://md.utoronto.ca/crems-summer-research-program for more information and the application process.

MAA-CREMS Humanities, Social Sciences and the History of Medicine Program

This 12 week summer program is for students who have a keen interest in the humanities, social sciences or the history of medicine. Medical students in their first or second year, including first-year MD/PhD students are eligible to participate. All research is to be completed under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Students may choose from a list of potential supervisors, or they may seek supervision from an alternative supervisor. The chosen supervisor is not restricted to the Faculty of Medicine or need to be appointed to a graduate department at the University of Toronto.

For more information see: https://md.utoronto.ca/medical-alumni-association-crems

Faculty who are interested in either supervising medical student research through the CREMS program or in publicizing a non-CREMS research opportunity to medical students should contact the program director at crems.programs@utoronto.ca.