Health & Safety
Infection Control
The student must have had an introduction to Infection Control Precautions and have proof of appropriate vaccinations. Please also refer to:
Important Information
McGill electives are formal courses given for credit towards an MD degree. The Visiting Students Electives Program is not offered to health science degree students. The student must be in good standing at their home institution.
The availability of electives depends upon the scheduling requirements for our own McGill students, the hospital department’s scheduling requirements and patient numbers. Scheduling can only be done through the Visiting Electives Office. There is a restriction on the number of electives available during July and August and peak periods.
Registration on with Collège des médecins
All visiting students approved for electives at McGill must register with the Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) and obtain a registration certificate delivered by the CMQ. The registration with the CMQ is compulsory to perform professional medical acts in Québec. Once accepted for an elective, McGill University will forward the necessary information to CMQ. Subsequently the CMQ office will contact the student by email with instructions for registration and payment with them. The student will then receive a letter of eligibility from the CMQ, without which they will not be able to begin the elective. This letter is also necessary for visa application purposes. McGill requires the student to have their file completed (registration, fee and notarized documents) 6 weeks prior to the confirmed elective start date.
Upon commencing the elective, the student must provide their CMQ Registration Number to their supervisor/hospital department so that the physician can bill the Régie d’Assurance Maladie (RAMQ) for teaching activities. For more information, please refer to the Collège des médecins du Québec.
Assessments
McGill’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and its teaching hospitals will not provide assessment forms to visiting students or to the hospital department, nor send them to the visiting student’s home university. Students must provide their home medical school’s assessment form(s) to the supervising physician/department upon arriving at McGill. Copies of the student’s assessment form should not be sent to the Visiting Electives Office.
Observerships
Observerships are not arranged by the Visiting Electives Office. Medical students who wish to arrange an observership can do so by contacting the Directorate of Education or the Direction of Professional Services of the clinical site where they wish to do the Observership.
Elective Sites
Electives will be undertaken at the various sites within the Réseau Universitaire Intégré de Santé et des Services Sociaux de McGill (https://www.mcgill.ca/ruisss/fr) which includes the McGill University Health Centre, the Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et des Services Sociaux (CIUSSS) du Centre-Ouest de Montréal, the CIUSSS de l’Ouest de l’Île de Montréal, the Centre Intégré de Santé et des Services Sociaux (CISSS) de la Montérégie-Ouest, the CISSS de l’Outaouais, the CISSS de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue, space permitting.
Travel & Accommodation
Students are responsible for arranging their own accommodations. The Visiting Electives Office does not provide any information regarding housing, though students may contact McGill’s Off-Campus Housing Office for information.
If you have been accepted to a rural site and require lodging, it is your responsibility to contact the site directly to arrange the details.
Tourism and Public Transit
Immigration (Visa and Work Permit)
Non-Canadian students are required by Canadian immigration regulation to undergo a medical examination before entering Canada. Your own doctor cannot do the medical examination. You must see a physician on Canada’s list of Designated Medical Practitioners.
Without this medical exam, the student will be refused at the border and not permitted entry into Canada. The student should plan to have this exam carried out 3-4 months in advance of your elective to ensure that the results will be available in time.
Students are responsible for obtaining the appropriate visa from the Canadian Consulate in the country of study for entry into Canada, if necessary. Visas cannot be obtained after arrival in Canada. International health care students can do their clinical clerkships or short-term work in Canada without a work permit if the work is for the primary purpose of acquiring training. A normal training practicum should not exceed four months.
Cancellation & Change
Visiting School Elective Cancellation Process
While extremely rare, should a confirmed/accepted elective be cancelled by the McGill (via site or preceptor) due to unforeseen/mitigating circumstances, a student must complete the following steps:
- immediately notify McGill Electives Office (electives.med@mcgill.ca) and copy/notify the student’s home school Elective Office
- student must provide consent if they desire McGill to find an alternative elective, with the understanding that a student must proceed with the offered alternative. All attempts to find a reasonable placement will be made, however since this is highly dependent on capacity, students must be prepared to be flexible. Students can decline the alternative elective offered, but a refund will not be issued in these circumstances
Note that no refund will be issued if an alternative is found.
A refund will only be issued if a student does not request/consent for McGill to search for a reasonable alternative, OR if an alternative elective placement is not available/offered.
CANCELLATION POLICY AND PROFESSIONALISM
- In the AFMC Capacity-Based Model, students are not permitted to cancel an accepted elective placement. If there are mitigating circumstances, students must contact their home schools for permission to cancel an elective placement with a visiting school. The home school’s Elective Office must notify McGill’s Electives Office that an elective placement has been approved for cancellation.
