April 21, 2021 - Visiting Electives for the Class of 2022
At the AFMC Board meeting on April 18, 2021, the Board approved the recommendation from the AFMC Committee on Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) that there be no visiting electives for the class of 2022.
a) Any exceptions (where there is no ability to provide a particular clinical experience in the home school) will be considered by the UGME Committee on a case-by-case basis.
b) This policy does not apply to core rotations which are completed outside of the home schools
The recommendation was the culmination of extensive discussions and careful consideration. Factors that were considered include the ongoing uncertainty as to the evolution of the pandemic; public health measures that vary greatly by province, region and hospital; and the inability of schools at this time and in the foreseeable future to provide reliable estimates of their capacity to offer Visiting Electives in the Fall.
Recognizing that this is a reversal of previous messaging, this decision was not taken lightly and the education leadership is aware and acknowledges the impact it may have on some students.
March 30, 2021 -Help Desk Support Closed During Easter Weekend
The AFMC office will be closed on April 02 for Good Friday and on April 05 for Easter Monday. Any tickets sent to the Help Desk will be addressed on Tuesday April 06, 2021.
February 11, 2021 - AFMC Office Closed February 15
The AFMC office will be closed on Monday, February 15 for Family Day. Any tickets sent to the Help Desk on that day will be addressed the following day. Thank you for your patience
February 04, 2021 - Reminder for all Students
Visiting Electives are suspended until further notice. The AFMC Student Portal registration fee is a one-time non-refundable fee to students who create an account in the Portal. Please do not register until service reopens unless you are registering for Home Electives.
February 01, 2021 - Visting Electives Update
As of January 14, 2021, the UGME Deans have determined that ongoing restrictions of clinical capacity and inter-provincial/international travel will significantly limit the reliable re-opening of visiting electives for July 2021. The UGME Deans will re-evaluate this on an ongoing basis as the Covid pandemic and the conditions to sustain visiting electives evolve. Visiting electives remain UNAVAILABLE until AT LEAST September 2021. The opening of visiting electives will next be reviewed by April 2021 for the possibility of a September 2021 reopening.
January 22, 2021 - Scheduled Portal Maintenance from January 22 at 7 p.m. (ET) to January 22 at 9 p.m. (ET)
The AFMC Student Portal will undergo a scheduled maintenance from January 22 at 7 p.m. (ET) to January 22 at 9 p.m. (ET). Portal users may experience downtimes or slow response times during this maintenance period. If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
December 23, 2020 - Help Desk Support During the Holidays
The AFMC offices will be closed from Thursday, December 24, 2020 until Sunday, January 3, 2021, inclusive, The Help Desk will be responding to tickets on a reduced schedule. You can contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca. Happy Holidays
November 24, 2020- Scheduled Portal Maintenance from November 24 at 6 p.m. (ET) to November 24 at 10 p.m. (ET)
The AFMC Student Portal will undergo a scheduled maintenance from November 24 at 6 p.m. (ET) to November 24 at 10 p.m. (ET). Portal users may experience downtimes or slow response times during this maintenance period. If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
August 13, 2020 - Applications for Home Electives
The AFMC Student Portal is a centralized application service for visiting electives at the Canadian medical schools. Given the current environment, and in support of our medical schools and learners, the AFMC has decided to reopen the Portal for home elective applications.
Medical students at these four pilot schools, University of Ottawa, Dalhousie University, Memorial University and the University of Saskatchewan will be able to submit applications for electives at their home school through the AFMC Student Portal. For any enquiries, students should contact their home school.
The AFMC office will be closed on August 3 for the Civic holiday. Service will resume on August 4th.
The AFMC Student Portal Team
July 24, 2020 - AFMC Student Portal Registration Fee Increase
The AFMC is a not-for-profit charitable organization committed to supporting Canadian Faculties of Medicine and their faculty members, staff and learners. We are pleased to have been able to improve the process for visiting electives applications across our medical schools and substantially reduce the administrative burden on students through the one-stop Student Portal application service.
July 15, 2020 - Clarification on AFMC Student Portal Registration Fee Refund Policy
The AFMC Student Portal was created at the request of Canadian medical students, to reduce the administrative burden on students in the application to multiple visiting electives. Prior to its existence, students were required to apply separately to visiting electives at each faculty.
AFMC charges a one-time, lifetime Registration fee to enroll in the service. These fees are used to maintain and improve the Portal. On behalf of each Faculty of Medicine, AFMC collects Application Fees set and passed on to the faculties. These Application Fees have already been refunded to each student.
AFMC provides students with the capacity to build a single online profile and apply to opportunities offered by medical schools. There is no guarantee that applicants will be successful in securing an elective as this is dependent on school capacity, elective choice and dates requested. As such, learners consent to our service’s terms pursuant to the Registrant’s Declaration, including the following stating that the portal registration fee remains non-refundable:
Due to these exceptional and difficult times, the AFMC Board of Directors has approved a partial refund of $175 CAD to both Canadian and international students who were unable to complete any of their scheduled (i.e. confirmed) visiting electives due to COVID-19.
We regret that we are unable to provide a partial refund to students who paid the Portal registration fee and created a profile but did not receive a scheduled (i.e confirmed) visiting elective.
Students may wish to wait until after the 2021 R1 match to request a refund. Request for refunds will be accepted until June 30, 2021. Due to technical constraints in the system, student accounts are permanently closed when a refund is issued. Students who receive a refund will be unable to apply for visiting electives in the future.
July 7, 2020 - Eligibility criteria for the partial refund
As determined by the AFMC Board of Directors, comprised of the Deans of the 17 Canadian medical schools, please note only students who were unable to complete any of their scheduled visiting electives in Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for the AFMC Student Portal registration Fee Partial refund. Students who meets any of these criteria aren’t eligible for the partial refund:
July 3, 2020 - Portal Fee Refund Statement
At the meeting on June 16, 2020, the AFMC Board of Directors, comprised of the Deans of the 17 Canadian medical schools, determined that visiting electives will no longer be available for the Class of 2021 for the duration of the 2020-21 academic year.
The AFMC Student Portal registration fee is a one-time non-refundable fee to students who create an account in the Portal. Due to these exceptional and difficult times, the AFMC Board of Directors has approved a partial refund of $175 CAD to both Canadian and international students who were unable to complete any of their scheduled visiting electives due to COVID-19 and have no future opportunity to apply. Refund requests should be submitted to the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
June 26, 2020 - Update on Visiting Electives Exemptions
We will be posting an update from the Undergraduate Deans on the Visiting elective exemptions process shortly. Please do not contact the host schools at this time.
June 18, 2020 - Visiting Electives for Class of 2021
At the AFMC Board meeting June 16, 2020, the Board approved that that there will be no visiting electives for the Class of 2021 for the duration of the 20-21 academic year.
a) Any exceptions (where there is no ability to provide a particular clinical experience in the home school) will be considered by the AFMC Committee on Undergraduate Education on a case by case basis.
b) This policy does not apply to core rotations which are completed outside of the home schools.
Extensive discussions and consultations were held and multiple factors were considered in the process of making the decision to stop visiting electives for the Class of 2021. Factors that were considered include the ongoing uncertainty as to the evolution of the pandemic; public health measures that vary greatly by province, region and hospital; and the limited (or non-existent) capacity of schools to welcome visiting students. This decision was not taken lightly and the education leadership is aware and acknowledges the impact it may have on some students. Some further points:
Student Affairs office at each university will support students in their career planning process.
May 15, 2020 - Help Desk Support During Victoria Day
The AFMC will be closed on May 18 for Victoria Day. Any tickets sent to the Help Desk will be addressed on Tuesday May 19. Thank you
April 21, 2020 - Partial registration refund for international students
The AFMC Student Portal registration fee is a one-time non-refundable fee to students who create an account in the Portal. Due to the exceptional and difficult times we are facing, the AFMC Board of Directors, comprised of the Deans of the 17 Canadian medical schools, has approved a partial refund of $175 CAD to international students who were unable to complete all of their visiting electives in Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining fee is retained to cover costs associated with software maintenance and administrative charges. Any questions or refund requests should be submitted to the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
April 15, 2020 - Visiting electives suspended until September 26, 2020
Visiting electives are suspended until September 26,2020. Currently, students are unable to submit applications on the AFMC Student Portal. No decision has been made on when the portal will re-open. It will reopen 16 weeks before visiting electives are offered by the faculties. We understand the concern these disruptions may cause, and we ask that students regularly check the AFMC Student Portal for updates as they become available.
FAQs
1. Can I apply for a visiting elective?
The undergraduate medical education deans decided to suspend visiting elective applications until September 26, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. Are medical schools cancelling all visiting electives?
Medical schools are cancelling visiting electives until September 26, 2020. Any outstanding application in the AFMC Student Portal has been canceled, including all confirmed, offered, and pending electives. Elective coordinators will contact all students impacted by the cancellations. If you are uncertain about your situation, please review your host school's information available on their Portal institution profile.
3. When the Portal re-opens, will I be guaranteed my original, confirmed elective and/or my “place in line” if my elective was still pending?
As it is not possible to know what each school’s – home school or host school – electives scheduling or capacity will look like in the Fall, all elective bookings will be cancelled. Host schools can not guarantee that a confirmed elective can be rebooked. Once the Portal re-opens, students will need to resubmit their applications for any elective between now and September 26, 2020.
4. Is the AFMC refunding Portal registration fees for cancelled electives?
AFMC may provide refunds to international students who were unable to complete all of their visiting electives in Canada due to COVID-19. International students should contact service@afmcstudentportal.ca. Canadian students will not receive a refund for their Portal registration fee as they have used the Portal for a visiting elective in the past or will use the Portal for future visiting electives.
5. Are medical schools refunding all school application fees for cancelled electives?
Schools will communicate their refund policy to all students whose electives were cancelled due to COVID-19. If you have any questions, please review your host school's information available on their Portal institution profile.
6. Who should I contact if I have any questions or concerns about my visiting electives?
You should check the portal News section first. For any additional questions or concerns regarding visiting electives and COVID-19, please contact the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca. No reply will be provided to queries requesting information that is already available on the Portal COVID-19 page at https://www.afmcstudentportal.ca/covid-19 If you receive a notification that your ticket was closed with no response, please review the Portal COVID-19 page. Please ensure you review the information regularly. Your elective status can be monitored on the Portal. Please allow time for schools and AFMC to work through this unprecedented cancellation process.
7. When will electives and the Portal re-open again?
No decision has been made on when the portal will re-open. It will reopen 16 weeks before visiting electives are offered by the faculties.
April 9, 2020 - Scheduled Portal Maintenance from April 17 at midnight to April 18 at 6 a.m. (ET)
The AFMC Student Portal will undergo a scheduled maintenance from April 17 at midnight (ET) to April 18 at 6 a.m. (ET). Portal users may experience downtimes or slow response times during this maintenance period. If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
April 9, 2020 - Delay your registration to the Portal
As visiting elective applications to the 17 Canadian medical schools are suspended until further notice, AFMC recommends that students do not register on the Portal until the application service reopens. For more information, please consult our COVID-19 page.
March 20, 2020 - Visiting elective applications suspended until further notice
On March 20, the undergraduate medical education deans across Canada decided to suspend new visiting elective applications until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will not be able to submit applications on the AFMC Student Portal.
We understand the concern these disruptions may cause, and we ask that students regularly check the AFMC Student Portal for updates as they become available. The decision to reopen the Portal will also be made collaboratively, nationally and students will receive communication through the Portal and from their home school regarding the plans and timelines for reopening.
FAQs
On March 20, the undergraduate medical education deans decided to suspend visiting elective applications until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students will not be able to submit applications on the AFMC student Portal.
Medical schools are cancelling visiting electives at this time. Elective coordinators will contact all students impacted by the cancellations. If you are uncertain about your situation, please review your host school's information available on their Portal institution profile.
AFMC will refund international students who were unable to complete all of their visiting electives in Canada due to COVID-19. International students should contact service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
Canadian students will not receive a refund for their Portal registration fee as they have used the Portal for a visiting elective in the past or will use the Portal for future visiting electives.
Schools will communicate their refund policy to all students whose electives were cancelled due to COVID-19. If you have any questions, please review your host school's information available on their Portal institution profile.
For any questions or concerns regarding visiting electives and COVID-19, please contact the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
Given the level of uncertainty about how the pandemic response will unfold, we can not give a certain answer at this time. The Undergraduate Deans of Canada’s medical schools are meeting on a regular basis and the decision to re-open the Portal will be made collaboratively and consistently across the country. Students will receive communications from their home school and on the Portal home page regarding the reopening of the Portal. We will attempt to provide students with adequate lead time prior to the re-opening of the first window for applications. We understand that there will be less time for electives offices to organize electives for visiting students and we are committing to doing our best to best support students in finding electives once the Portal re-opens.
For general information about COVID-19 in Canada, you can consult the Canadian Public Health Agency’s website. To enquire about COVID-19 in other countries, we would advise you to contact your local public health officials.
March 18, 2020 - Portal Update: COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian faculties of medicine are not offering visiting electives at this time. AFMC will be refunding the Portal registration fee for international students unable to complete all of their visiting electives in Canada as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are an international student that has been affected, please contact service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
Canadian students will not receive a refund for their Portal registration fee as they have used the Portal for a visiting elective in the past or will use the Portal for future visiting electives.
1. Are medical schools cancelling all visiting electives? Medical schools are cancelling visiting electives at this time.
Elective coordinators will contact all students impacted by the cancellations. If you are uncertain about your situation, please contact your host school. Schools’ contact information is available on their Portal institution profile.
2. Is the AFMC refunding Portal registration fees for cancelled electives?
AFMC will refund international students who were unable to complete all of their visiting elective in Canada due to COVID-19. International students should contact service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
Canadian students will not receive a refund for their Portal registration fee as they have used the Portal for a visiting elective in the past or will use the Portal for future visiting electives.
3. Are medical schools refunding all school application fees for cancelled electives?
Schools will communicate their refund policy with all students whose electives were cancelled due to COVID-19. If you have any questions, please contact your host school. Schools’ contact information is available on their Portal institution profile.
4. Who should I contact if have any questions or concerns about my visiting electives?
For any questions or concerns regarding visiting electives and COVID-19, please contact the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
5. Where can I find general information regarding COVID-19?
For general information about COVID-19 in Canada, you can consult the Canadian Public Health Agency’s website. To enquire about COVID-19 in other countries, we would advise you to contact your local public health officials.
March 13, 2020 - Portal Update: COVID-19
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic a number of Canadian faculties of medicine are not accepting international students of affected countries/regions for visiting electives at this time. AFMC will be refunding the Portal registration fee for international students unable to complete all of their visiting electives in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are an international student that has been affected, please contact service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
For international students
1. Are medical schools cancelling all visiting electives for international students?
Some medical schools are cancelling visiting electives for international students. Elective coordinators will contact all students impacted by the cancellations. If you are uncertain about your situation, please contact your host school. Schools’ contact information is available on their Portal institution profile.
2. Is the AFMC refunding Portal registration fees for cancelled electives?
AFMC will refund international students who were unable to complete all of their visiting electives in Canada due to COVID-19.
3. Are medical schools refunding all school application fees for cancelled electives?
Schools will communicate their refund policy with all international students whose electives were cancelled due to COVID-19. If you have any questions, please contact your host school. Schools’ contact information is available on their Portal institution profile.
4. My confirmed elective has been cancelled due to travel restrictions imposed by my home school. Will AFMC refund the Portal registration fee?
AFMC will refund all international students who were unable to complete their visiting elective in Canada due to COVID-19. If your home school has imposed international travel restrictions, please contact the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca to submit a refund request.
5. Who should I contact if have any questions or concerns about my visiting electives?
For any questions or concerns regarding visiting electives and COVID-19, please contact the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
6. Where can I find general information regarding COVID-19?
To enquire about COVID-19 in your home country, we would advise you to contact your local public health officials. For general information about COVID-19 in Canada, you can consult the Canadian Public Health Agency’s website.
March 2, 2020 - Browser Issue Resolved
We would like to inform you that the technical issue with Mozilla Firefox browser is now resolved. Students can use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox or Safari to access the AFMC Student Portal. We again apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for the patience.
February 28, 2020 - Please use only Google Chrome to access Portal until further notice
We would like to inform you that we are experiencing technical issues with Mozilla Firefox browser. Please use only Google Chrome as your browser to access AFMC Student Portal until further notice. We are actively working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. If you are encountering any difficulties, please contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
February 17, 2020 - Attention Quebec Students applying to another Quebec School
The Bureau de la coopération internationale (BCI)' s “Authorization to transfer” application will be unavailable on Wednesday February 19, 2020 from 1 to 1:30 p.m. (ET) due to a technical upgrade. During this time, students will be unable to authenticate with the BCI and submit an application on the AFMC Student Portal. Thank you for your patience.
February 14, 2020 - AFMC Office Closed February 17
The AFMC office will be closed on Monday, February 17 for Family Day. Any tickets sent to the Help Desk on that day will be addressed the following day. Thank you for your patience.
February 7, 2020 - Answers to Common Questions: A Quick Reference Guide for Students
Do you have questions about school requirements, application deadlines, documents, eligibility? Find the answers to your most common asked questions in our Quick Reference Guide for Students. Note that this guide is updated twice every year. If you have any questions, contact the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
January 16, 2020 - New: Pay your Fees using Union Pay and American Express Credit Cards
The AFMC is pleased to announce that students can now pay their Portal registration and school application fees using Union Pay and American Express credit cards.
These two payment methods are in addition to the options already offered in the Portal. Students can pay their fees using any of the following methods: Visa, Mastercard, Union Pay, Discover, and American Express. For any questions, please contact the Portal Helpdesk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
January 14, 2020 - Attention Quebec Students applying to another Quebec School
The Bureau de la coopération internationale application “Authorization to transfer” will be unavailable from Tuesday January 14, 2020 1:00 PM (ET) until Wednesday January 15,2010 12:00 PM (ET) due to technical maintenance. During this time, students will be unable to authenticate with the BCI and submit an application on the AFMC Student Portal. Thank you for your patience.
January 13, 2020 - New Pilot for Home School Immunization Verification
AFMC is piloting a home school immunization verification process for Canadian medical students. This pilot includes only four Canadian medical schools acting as home school verifiers. These four schools are: University of Calgary, University of Manitoba, Memorial University of Newfoundland and McMaster University. All students studying at the other 13 Canadian medical schools MUST submit the AFMC immunization and testing form when they apply for visiting electives through the Portal.
How does the process work?
An identified expert clinician at a "home school" (for the pilot this will be one of the aforementioned four schools) will review carefully the health records of their respective students, to ensure that the students are meeting all of the national visiting elective immunization and testing requirements. Only students who are meeting all of the requirements will qualify for verification; students who are deficient in any requirements will still need to follow the routine process, and use the AFMC Form with an application, so that it is clear where a student is deficient.
How does the process benefit students?
This home school immunization verification pilot is intended to help eliminate or minimize the exchange of immunization forms for Canadian students. This will significantly reduce administrative and processing time at each faculty of medicine. The pilot process will also benefit students greatly as it will save them time and effort as well as reduce costs associated with multiple immunization tests and medical visits.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
January 3, 2020 - Students can free up spots and help reduce wait times
The AFMC Working Group on Application Fees and Refunds has been investigating the impact of students applying for concurrent dates and would like to make students aware and encourage best practice.
It is common for students to apply three times for visiting electives on the same or overlapping dates. This can mean that host schools are simultaneously completing three unique searches. While students can’t hold more than one confirmed elective at a time, they can leave requests for concurrent weeks pending after accepting an elective. As a result, this can inflate the queue for other students interested in the same weeks. This practice can inadvertently lead to students spending more on visiting elective applications.
The working group encourages students to cancel open applications for concurrent dates in a timely manner if they accept an elective placement.
December 17, 2019 - Help Desk Support during the Holidays
The AFMC offices will be closed from Tuesday, December 24, 2019 until Wednesday, January 1, 2020, inclusive, The Help Desk will be responding to tickets on a reduced schedule. You can contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca. Happy Holidays.
December 3, 2019 - The AFMC Student Portal is Operational
We would like to notify you that the AFMC Student Portal, including API services and the MCAT FAP page, were down from 1h54p.m. (ET) until 2h40p.m (ET) on December 3. Since 2h40p.m. (ET) AFMC Student Portal is again operational. Please contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca , if you encounter any issues.
Thank you for your patience.
December 3, 2019 - Announcing the New Portal System Status Dashboard
As part of our commitment to improve communication with Portal users regarding any known system-wide issues, we are pleased to announce the launch of the Portal System Status Dashboard. The dashboard displays announcements and updates related to any technical issues, scheduled maintenance, incidents and outages. Portal users can now view the System Status at all times on the AFMC website, including during Portal network outages.
With this new System Status Dashboard, Portal users can find timely information on:
Afmcstudentportal.ca: Confirm all Portal services are operational and there are no known system wide issues
Service@afmcstudentportal.ca: Confirm the Help Desk ticketing system is operational and all emails are being received by our Help Desk team
Afmcstudentportal.ca/mcatfap: Confirm the MCAT Fee Assistance Program website is operational
API: Find status related to the Portal Application Program Interface Services
If there is a technical issue, the status of the appropriate service will be updated to reflect the current state. We will also continue to notify users on the Portal homepage, dashboard for students and coordinators, the news page, and on the Help Desk website. Please note that the new status page will only be supported and updated during the regular Portal helpdesk hours i.e. Monday – Friday, 8:00 - 6:00pm (ET).
December 3, 2019 - AFMC Student Portal Immunization and Testing Form 2020 now Available
The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) is pleased to announce the release of the AFMC Student Portal Immunization and Testing Form 2020. The Form (available in French and English) is intended for use by Canadian and international medical students applying for visiting electives in Canada. The Form is available on the Immunization requirements page of the Portal. As of today, all students entering the AFMC Student Portal process for the first time must use the 2020 form. Students who had the 2018 or 2019 AFMC Student Portal Immunization and Testing Form completed prior to January 1, 2020, may continue to use the previous versions of the Form for the duration of the student's time in medical school.
November 18, 2019 - Portal HelpDesk - Reduced Hours on November 19
The AFMC Student Portal team will be out of the office for a staff retreat on November 19. The Help Desk will only reply to tickets on an urgent basis. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
November 05, 2019 - Portal HelpDesk Maintenance Complete
The Portal Help desk website including help documents and FAQs are now operational since 7:30 p.m. (EST) on November 05, 2019. All emails sent to the Help Desk during the maintenance have been addressed. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
October 31, 2019 - Scheduled Maintenance of the Portal HelpDesk on November 5
Help desk website & email interruption on November 5 - During this time our helpdesk website including help documents and FAQs will not be available. Emails to service@afmcstudentportal.ca sent during this period will be only processed once the software update is complete. If you need to contact the help desk support, we recommend that you do so after the service is up. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you in advance for your patience. NOTE: This Help desk interruption will have no impact on the Portal itself or any application submissions.
October 11, 2019 - AFMC Office closed October 14
The AFMC office will be closed on October 14 for Thanksgiving Day. Any messages (or emails or requests for support) sent to the Help Desk on that day will be addressed on Tuesday October 15.
September 27, 2019 - New Feature: Quick and Secure Password Reset
At least 50% of the Portal Help Desk tickets are related to password resets and on an average, each password change is time consuming, both for students and the Help Desk. AFMC is constantly working to enhance your support experience with the AFMC Student Portal, as such, we have implemented a new password reset and recovery process that will enhance your productivity while securely maintaining personal information. Good news: Now you don’t have to scratch your heads trying to remember the security question you created at time of registration! See the new process.
5 Easy Steps to Reset your Password on the AFMC Student Portal
Note that after 5 failed attempts to answer security question, your account will be locked. If that happens to you, do not hesitate to contact the Portal Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca. We are here to assist you!
September 26, 2019 - Scheduled Maintenance
The AFMC Student Portal will be offline from September 26 at 11 p.m. (ET) to September 27 at 2 a.m. (ET) due to a scheduled maintenance. If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
September 16, 2019 - RESOLVED - Intermittent Technical Issues
The intermittent technical issue affecting the Portal website has been resolved since 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) on September 16, 2019. If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca.
We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
September 16, 2019 - Intermittent Technical Issues with the Portal
We would like to inform you that we are experiencing intermittent technical issues with the AFMC Student Portal. We are actively working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. If you are encountering any difficulties, please contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
September 9, 2019 - University of Toronto School Application Fees Reduced
The University of Toronto is pleased to inform students of up coming changes to the visiting electives fees and application process. Effective September 29th, the application fees will be reduced to 200$ per application regardless of duration. Students will be allowed one elective per application, with the option to list up to six additional choices.
Further details and information on the process will be available in the school's institution profile on the Portal on September 14th, 2019. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we undergo this process change.
August 16, 2019 - Students can free up spots and help reduce wait times
The AFMC Working Group on Application Fees and Refunds has been investigating the impact of students applying for concurrent dates and would like to raise student awareness and encourage best practice.
It is common for students to apply three times for visiting electives on the same or overlapping dates. This can mean that host schools are simultaneously completing three unique searches. While students can’t hold more than one confirmed elective at a time, they can leave requests for concurrent weeks pending after accepting an elective. As a result, this can inflate the queue for other students interested in the same weeks. This practice can inadvertently lead to students spending more on visiting elective applications.
The working group encourages students to cancel open applications for concurrent dates in a timely manner if they receive and accept an elective placement, particularly if you have already received the elective of your choice.
August 16, 2019 - AFMC Office closed September 2
Our office will be closed on September 2 for Labor Day. Any tickets sent to the Portal Help Desk on that day will be addressed on Tuesday, September 3.
July 29, 2019 - AFMC Office closed August 5
Our office will be closed on August 5 for Civic Day. Any tickets sent to the Portal Help Desk on that day will be addressed on Tuesday, August 6.
July 10, 2019 - The technical Issue with our Help Desk is now resolved
The technical issue affecting the service.afmcstudentportal.ca website has been resolved since 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) on July 9, 2019. All emails sent to the Help Desk during the issue have been addressed. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
July 9, 2019 - Technical Issues with our Help Desk
We are currently experiencing technical issues with our Help Desk service. This will affect users that are trying to access the website service.afmcstudentportal.ca. All emails sent to our Help Desk team will be addressed as soon as the issue is resolved. Thank you for your patience and we apologize for any inconvience caused.
June 28, 2019 - AFMC Office closed July 2
Our office will be closed on July 1 for Canada day. Any tickets sent to the Portal Help Desk on that day will be addressed on Tuesday, July 2.
June 06, 2019 - Communiqué - AFMC Student Portal Technical Issue
The AFMC Student Portal experienced serious technical difficulties with its server between 7:50 am EST on Easter Monday April 22 and 8:50 am EST on Tuesday April 23. New applications were not accepted, email notifications were not sent and users were unable to upload documents to existing applications during this specific time. AFMC resolved the technical issue and communicated all who had contacted the Portal help desk. AFMC has identified the 168 student applications that have been affected. A total of 73 applications were delayed in processing by more than a week due to email notifications not being sent to Placement Contacts. AFMC will refund the faculties’ elective application fees for these 73 applications even if the student secured an elective at the school of choice, found another visiting elective or cancelled the application.
AFMC would like to thank the Elective Coordinators who alerted us to the issue and worked quickly to manage this situation and minimize impact to students.
Please email service@afmcstudentportal.ca if you any questions or concerns.
Questions and Answers
Q. How does the visiting elective process work and what processes were affected on April 22 and 23?
A. Students log into the Portal and submit a visiting elective application. When an Elective Coordinator (EC) processes a student’s application they can send a request to a Placement Contact to see if there is availability to host a visiting student. Placement contacts typically work in clinical locations. The Placement Contact receives an email with the details of the request (dates, specialty, etc.). The email has three ‘buttons’ embedded in it allowing the Placement Contact to “Accept” “Decline” or “Propose a Change”. They do not need to log into the Portal to perform this task and rely on direct links within the email to perform desired action. The Elective Coordinator, using the Portal, sees the request was sent on their dashboard. Likewise, medical students could also see placement offers on their dashboards. The emails to the Placement Contacts and students failed to send between April 22nd and April 23rd. In addition, new applications were not accepted and users were unable to upload documents to existing applications during this specific time.
Q. Why did this technical problem occur?
A. The technical difficulties were due to server capacity constraints with the information technology (IT) service provider. AFMC will be enhancing the process of verification of issues with the IT service provider to ensure this does not happen again.
Q. How do I know if my application was impacted?
A. If your application was impacted, you will be contacted.
Q. Will impacted students get a refund?
A. A total 73 applications were delayed in processing due to email notifications not being sent to Placement Contacts. AFMC will refund the faculties’ elective application fees for these 73 applications even if the student secured an elective at the school of choice, found another visiting elective or cancelled the application.
May 24, 2019 - Information for International Students Applying through Limited Enrollment at Host Schools
Limited Enrollment (LE) is a two-step randomized application process used by medical schools to give students an equal opportunity to access the application process for visiting electives when the demand is high but the number of spaces available is limited. AFMC has a help document and FAQs to help guide you through the limited enrollment process.
Help Document: Limited Enrollment (LE) for Students, FAQs: Limited Enrollment
Upcoming LE Registration Periods
The University of Toronto
June 25, 2019 – July 16, 2019 for January - March, 2020 electives
McMaster University
July 2, 2019 – July 29, 2019 for January - June, 2020 electives
The University of Ottawa
August 12, 2019 – August 23, 2019 for January - April, 2020 electives
*Dates are subject to change, always consult the institution profile ahead of time
May 16, 2019 - Help Desk Support during Victoria Day
The AFMC offices will be closed on May 20 for Victoria Day. Any tickets sent to the Help Desk will be addressed on Tuesday May 21.
April 17, 2019 - Help Desk Support Closed during Easter Weekend
The AFMC office will be closed on April 19 for Good Friday and on April 22 for Easter Monday. Any tickets sent to the Help Desk will be addressed on Tuesday April 23, 2019.
April 9, 2019 - CCME Meeting Schedule
Each year, the Canadian Conference on Medical Education (CCME) is the venue for the Portal team to directly engage with stakeholders on issues and priorities for visiting electives in Canada.The Portal Team will meet with the AFMC Electives Network to provide an update and we are hosting three meetings: the Portal Data Analysis Working Group, AFMC Student Portal Steering Committee, and the AFMC Working Group on Application Fees and Refunds.For more information, please contact Fatou Thioune, Project and Communications Assistant at fthioune@afmc.ca
About the Conference
The Canadian Conference on Medical Education (CCME), April 13-16, 2019, is the premier medical education conference in Canada. It hosts the largest annual gathering of medical educators in the country and this year McMaster University is hosting the conference.
April 8, 2019 - Before you can submit an application - 4 Critical Steps
Step 1 MY PROFILE - Complete the following tabs: Personal information, Contacts, Home School and Academic. Failing to complete required fields will cause delays when you start creating your application. Do not forget to list all of your core rotations (completed and scheduled).
Step 2 DOCUMENT - Upload all documents required by the host faculty. To find required documents a faculty is requesting, visit the university’s Institution Profile. These documents must be added to your student profile before you start an application. Arranging appointments for immunization and other requirements should be done weeks in advance.
Step 3 WISHLIST – Search the Visiting Electives Guide and add your elective opportunities to the Wishlist by clicking the star on the elective details page. Note the availability of the electives, application periods, prerequisites and blackout dates. Before adding electives to your Wishlist, list your preferred electives and dates to carefully plan your visiting elective schedule. A well thought out plan will make it easier to visualize options and make decisions about elective choices in the Portal.
Step 4 START A NEW APPLICATION - Help documents/Application process/Applying for elective opportunities
January 7, 2019 - Effective today, students enrolled in a medical school in Canada, the earliest they can apply is 26 weeks in advance of their start date
Effective today, the application period for students enrolled in a Medical school in Canada is reduced from 28 weeks to 26 weeks. Students will be able to submit their applications no earlier than 26 weeks in advance of their start date.
January 3, 2019 - Notice of application period change for students enrolled in a medical school in Canada
The Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) wishes to inform students the application period for students enrolled in a Medical school in Canada will be reduced from 28 weeks to 26 weeks. This change will come into effect on January 7, 2019.
As of this date, students will be able to submit their applications no earlier than 26 weeks in advance of their start date.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the help desk at: service@afmcstudentportal.ca
