Jennifer Tisdall
Senior Program Assistant – Visiting Electives
Jessica Stromberg
Senior Program Assistant – Visiting Electives
UBC MD UG Dean’s Office
Gordon & Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre
2775 Laurel St. Vancouver BC V5Z 1M9
The UBC MD program is distributed into four geographically distinct sites across British Columbia. These include the Island Medical Program (IMP) in Victoria, the Northern Medical Program (NMP) in Prince George, the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program (VFMP) in Vancouver, and the Southern Medical Program (SMP) in Kelowna. Electives are offered throughout the province, providing students with opportunities in a wide range of clinical settings. Electives arranged through the Visiting Student Elective Program (VSEP) at UBC are intended for senior clinical clerks as they are final-year rotations subscribed by UBC fourth year students. Only electives identified in the UBC Visiting Student Elective Guide/Catalogue are considered official University approved electives.
Our offices will be closed from December 23rd, 2022 and will reopen on January 3, 2023. No new applications will be accepted during this time frame. We look forward to helping you upon our return on January 3rd.
Students must be in their penultimate or final year of medical school at the time the elective(s) take place.
*By the time of the Elective, an applicant must have successfully completed a clinical elective or core rotation in the discipline(s) for which they are applying for (*See CTU exception noted below). Please note that pre-clerkship electives do not meet the eligibility criteria for a clinical elective.
UOttawa and Quebec school students must have the Electives Coordinator (elective@uottawa.ca) submit a “statement of studies”/”attestation d’étudies” to undergrad@cpsbc.ca when applying for their CPSBC license (application for the license happens after students receive confirmation from UBC) which denotes whether the student is in the Anglophile or Francophile stream of study. Students in the Francophile stream will need to meet CPSBC language requirements by completing the IELTS-Academic exam.
Students undertaking electives are strongly encouraged to obtain personal health insurance prior to arrival. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he/she has adequate health insurance coverage.
*The following disciplines do not have the clinical elective/core-rotation requirement:
Departments that do require students meet our clinical elective and/or core rotation eligibility:
Please note that for UBC, the elective portal capacity feature is not an indication of capacity but rather a representation of all the electives we offer throughout an academic year. Therefore, an elective may or may not be available for your intended timeline. For a current capacity report on available electives, please email: visiting.electives@ubc.ca with your date range and department(s) of interest and we can send you a capacity report with an up to date reflection of what may be available for that period of time.
UBC Electives Capacity Report – updated weekly on Mondays and Thursdays
The application window is open for a maximum of 26 weeks in advance and a minimum of 12 weeks prior to the elective start date.
Students studying at Canadian Medical Schools are verified at the beginning of the academic year by their home school Electives Office and then are uploaded into the Portal.
Once a student submits an application in the portal, it will show as pending. The Visiting office is then working on your application choices and awaiting feedback from the clinical department and/or preceptor. Applications are processed on a first come, first served basis in fairness to all students.
Placement into an elective is based on capacity at the time of application and is not guaranteed. The status of your application in the portal will not change until you are “offered” an elective. Students are not permitted to contact doctors, departments or sites for further information. All enquiries should be directed to: visiting.electives@ubc.ca.
We will attempt to secure a placement until 8 weeks prior to the elective start date. All applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
If an elective has not been secured by this time, applications will be cancelled to provide students the opportunity to book an elective at their home school. Students will receive regular communications regarding their application status.
Due to capacity we cannot guarantee that all applicants will receive a confirmed elective.
The timeline in which students receive a confirmation is subject to variables such as:
The VSE Office will email students directly to request new elective choices if there is no capacity in their desired selections.
*max 8 applications over two clerkship years; 16 total confirmed weeks, 8 weeks per year
Note: Students should only provide dates/choices as per the allotment of their application settings; if the original dates/choices are not available students will be emailed to provide alternatives. The VSE office cannot track student comments through the Portal.
Contact visiting.electives@ubc.ca if you have not received any information by 8 weeks before your elective start date.
ED Document Citation
Application Medical Students Visiting UBC
UOttawa and Quebec school students must have the Electives Coordinator (elective@uottawa.ca) submit a “statement of studies”/”attestation d’étudies” to undergrad@cpsbc.ca when applying for their CPSBC license (application for the license happens after students receive confirmation from UBC) which denotes whether the student is in the Anglophile or Francophile stream of study. Students in the Francophile stream will need to meet CPSBC language requirements by completing the IELTS-Academic exam.
Students undertaking electives are strongly encouraged to obtain personal health insurance prior to arrival. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he/she has adequate health insurance coverage.
*The following disciplines do not have the clinical elective/core-rotation requirement:
Departments that do require students meet our clinical elective and/or core rotation eligibility:
The application window is open for a maximum of 26 weeks in advance and a minimum of 8 weeks prior to the elective start date.
Applications cannot be processed until the student’s home school validates that the information submitted by the student is correct. This is called the Home School Verification process (HSV). Home school administrators will receive an email to review your application and have 7 days to complete this process.
Once the HSV has been completed, the Elective Coordinator will prioritize applications based on the application submission date.
The application status will indicate ‘Under Review’ until it is confirmed, completed or cancelled.
When the placement process has begun and the Visiting Office is awaiting feedback from the clinical department, the Elective Status will be ‘processing elective request’.
Placement into an elective is based on capacity
Please note that for UBC, the elective portal options are not an indication of capacity but rather a representation of all the electives we offer throughout an academic year. Therefore, an elective may or may not be available for your intended timeline. For a current capacity report on available electives, please email visiting.electives@ubc.ca to make a request with your intended date range.
We will attempt to secure a placement until 8 weeks prior to the elective start date. All applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
If an elective has not been secured by this time, applications will be cancelled to provide students the opportunity to book an elective at their home school. Students will receive regular communications regarding their application status.
Due to capacity we cannot guarantee that all applicants will receive a confirmed elective.
The timeline in which students receive a confirmation is subject to variables such as:
The VSE Office will email students directly to request new elective choices if there is no capacity in their desired selections.
The following table outlines the application and elective rules for each student type
*max 8 applications over two clerkship years; 16 total confirmed weeks, 8 weeks per year
Note: Students should only provide dates/choices as per the allotment of their application settings; if the original dates/choices are not available students will be emailed to provide alternatives. The VSE office cannot track student comments through the Portal.
Contact visiting.electives@ubc.ca if you have not received any information by 8 weeks before your elective start date.
Educational Licensing – CPSBC
English Language Proficiency Scoresheet (IELTS exam)
EDUCATIONAL LICENSING – CPSBC (MANDATORY)
A temporary educational license through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC is mandatory for each elective completed in B.C. Once your elective is confirmed, you will be emailed further instructions on completing the CPSBC license package.
Documents to complete for licensing:
Meet the Language Requirements as listed in the Policies & Requirements Tab.
Ottawa U students: A letter must be emailed by elective@uottawa.ca to the CPSBC indicating language of instruction for students. This can be sent to: undergrad@cpsbc.ca
The completed licensure application package must be received by the CPSBC no later than 6 weeks prior to the start of the elective.
There are no exceptions to this deadline; students cannot commence an elective without a license.
Note: The CPSBC will not confirm receipt of documents; students will be contacted by the CPSBC directly if there are any concerns regarding an application.
The student will be emailed the license by the CPSBC approximately 2-4 weeks prior to the start of the elective.
Successive Electives & Licensing
The CPSBC requires students to complete one licensure application package once every licensing year (August 25 – August 24). Students completing successive electives through UBC that fall within one licensing year need only submit one package to the CPSBC. The Electives Office will request the required license for the subsequent electives arranged through UBC if your dates fall within these parameters.
The CPSBC will provide licensure for a maximum of 8 weeks during the CPSBC’s licensing year (August 25 to August 24 of the following year) for visiting medical students. (This is a combined total of 8 weeks should a student do both UBC and non-UBC electives arranged through the CPSBC)
SPECO: see SPECO tab
1. Eligibility
Students at international medical schools are eligible for UBC electives if their school has a ‘Canada’ designation on the World Directory of Medical Schools and if they are in their final year of study. (Canada designation means Canada is noted under “Sponsor notes”)
Students must be in their final year of medical school at the time the elective(s) take place.
By the time of the Elective, an applicant must have successfully completed a clinical elective or core rotation in the discipline(s) for which they are applying for (see some exceptions noted below). Please note that pre-clerkship electives do not meet the eligibility criteria for a clinical elective.
All International students must meet the Language Requirements as mandated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC:
To be eligible for a UBC elective, students must comply with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) English Language Proficiency (ELP) Policy. The CPSBC Registration Committee may determine that an applicant has demonstrated English language proficiency if the following conditions are met:
Please read this information more details.
Students who require and English language proficiency exam, must include their IELTS-Academic examination scoresheet at the time of application which confirms that they have met this requirement.
Please note the submission of the English language proficiency exam is not mandatory and is only required from those students who do not meet the requirements in the first bullet point above.
Prospective students should proceed with the IELTS-Academic exam. Each component must have a minimum score of 7.
Exemption Question:
As per College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC licensure policy, they only view the primary language of education and patient contact of the student’s medical school.
In such situations where English may not be the primary language – to be exempt from writing the IELTS exam, students need to have their medical school provide a letter which needs to directly specify that at least 51% of medical education and patient contact are conducted in English. The medical school would need to email us the letter directly to undergrad@cpsbc.ca.
Mandatory for International Medical Students
Students undertaking electives are strongly encouraged to obtain personal health insurance prior to arrival. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he/she has adequate health insurance coverage.
*The following disciplines do not have the clinical elective/core-rotation requirement:
Departments that do require students meet our clinical elective and/or core rotation eligibility:
Note: Students should only provide dates/choices as per the allotment of their application settings; if the original dates/choices are not available students will be emailed to provide alternatives. The VSE office cannot track student comments through the Portal.
Contact visiting.electives@ubc.ca if you have not received any information by 8 weeks before your elective start date.
The application window opens a maximum of 24 weeks in advance and a minimum of 12 weeks prior to the elective start date. International students can submit up to two applications, with a total maximum of 8 weeks of electives with UBC.
Applications cannot be processed until the student’s home school validates that the information submitted by the student is correct. This is called the Home School Verification process (HSV). Student have to start by submitting an HSV form to AFMC. Once complete, AFMC will send it to their homeschool. Here is the link:
https://www.cognitoforms.com/AFMC3/HomeSchoolVerificationForm
Once verified, the AFMC Portal Team will create your account, and you will be able to apply.
When the placement process has begun and the Visiting Office is awaiting feedback from the clinical department, the Elective Status will be ”pending’.
Placement into an elective is based on capacity.
Please note that for UBC, the elective portal options are not an indication of capacity but rather a representation of all the electives we offer throughout an academic year. Therefore, an elective may or may not be available for your intended timeline. For a current capacity report on available electives, please email visiting.electives@ubc.ca to make a request with your intended date range.
UBC Electives Capacity Report – updated weekly on Mondays and Thursdays
We will attempt to secure a placement until 8 weeks prior to the elective start date. All applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
If an elective has not been secured by this time, applications will be cancelled to provide students the opportunity to book an elective at their home school. Students will receive regular communications regarding their application status.
Due to capacity we cannot guarantee that all applicants will receive a confirmed elective.
The timeline in which students receive a confirmation is subject to variables such as:
The VSE Office will email students directly to request new elective choices if there is no capacity in their desired selections.
Educational Licensing – CPSBC
EDUCATIONAL LICENSING – CPSBC (MANDATORY)
A temporary educational license through the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC is mandatory for each elective completed in B.C. Once your elective is confirmed, you will be emailed further instructions on completing the CPSBC license package directly from the CPSBC approximately 3 months prior to your start date.
Documents to complete for licensing: *Updated version
ED Document Citation
Application Medical Students Visiting UBC
Meet the Language Requirements as listed in the Policies & Requirements Tab.
The completed licensure application package must be received by the CPSBC no later than 8 weeks prior to the start of the elective.
There are no exceptions to this deadline; students cannot commence an elective without a license.
Note: The CPSBC will not confirm receipt of documents; students will be contacted by the CPSBC directly if there are any concerns regarding an application.
The student will be emailed the license by the CPSBC approximately 2-4 weeks prior to the start of the elective.
Successive Electives & Licensing
The CPSBC requires students to complete one licensure application package once every licensing year (August 25 – August 24). Students completing successive electives through UBC that fall within one licensing year need only submit one package to the CPSBC. The Electives Office will request the required license for the subsequent electives arranged through UBC if your dates fall within these parameters.
The CPSBC will provide licensure for a maximum of 8 weeks during the CPSBC’s licensing year (August 25 to August 24 of the following year) for visiting medical students. (This is a combined total of 8 weeks should a student do both UBC and non-UBC electives arranged through the CPSBC)
SPECO:
SPECO Document Requirement
Instructions to enroll in the curriculum:
The completed “SPECO Checklist” is the only document you need to submit at the time of application. Please do not submit individual certifications.
School | Canadian Student Application Fee | Canadian Student Acceptance Fee | International Student Application Fee | International Student Acceptance Fee | Additional Fees Outside Portal |
University of British Columbia | $100 | $100 | $300 | $500 |
|
All Visiting Students are required to read and complete UBC’s Health and Safety Orientation Form.
Please also read and adhere to all additional Provincial Health & Safety Procedures listed below:
Visiting Students (VS) from Canadian and International Universities undertake clinical electives throughout the province and within all health authorities. To ensure that students receive the necessary care, it is imperative that all Visiting Students know how to manage a Blood and Body Fluid (BBF) exposure, such as a needle-stick, scratch or splash. Please refer to this link for helpful information.
Upon confirmation of their elective, each Visiting Student receives an instruction sheet which summarizes the steps for receiving care in BC in the event of a BBF exposure. Students will also receive a laminated card, which should be worn on a break-away lanyard with their ID. All Health Authorities within BC have detailed protocols for managing critical exposures and visiting students are expected to follow these protocols and the instructions enclosed in the following pages.
Within the Emergency Room and whilst in BC, Visiting Students will receive the same care as any other resident of BC. However, as an out of province patient, it is important visiting students refer to their personal and travel health coverage and the services provided by their Home University in terms of covering out of province/out of country health costs.
Below is the first aid students should perform in the event of a BBF in any location within BC, followed by the individual protocols for each Health Authority.
*Process for Obtaining the Lab Results in each Health Authority:
N95 Mask Requirements
Standards, Policies and Reporting Mechanisms for Student Mistreatment
A very high priority for the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Medicine is establishing and maintaining a safe and respectful learning environment for all medical students.
Only in such a learning environment can learning opportunities be optimized.
The Professional Standards for Learners and Faculty Members the Faculties of Medicine and Dentistry at UBC guide appropriate professional behaviour for learners and faculty members. This
includes treating one another with respect. This also includes the avoidance of activities which could be seen as harassment, intimidation, discrimination or bullying. Should a medical student
think they have experienced or witnessed mistreatment, the UBC Mistreatment Help webpage provides useful information:
Please visit the Mistreatment Help webpage and review the above materials.
Once you have read the materials on the Mistreatment Help webpage, you will need to sign and date the Professional Standards Acknowledgment Form in the required documents portion of your AFMC application package.
If you have any questions, please contact the MED REDI Learning Environment Advisor learningenvironment.advisor@ubc.ca.
UBC Electives Capacity Report – updated weekly on Mondays and Thursdays
All students who wish to apply for an undergraduate visiting medical elective in British Columbia (BC) must do so through UBC and the AFMC Portal if they meet the eligibility criteria. Independent arrangements for clinical placements in BC may be supported for licensure by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) only when UBC has fist confirmed ineligibility to apply through the Portal.
Non-UBC Electives
Observership / Shadowing
*For all above cases, please review the “Policies & Requirements” section to see if you can apply for an official UBC placement, or whether you have to set up an observership outside of the UBC application process. If you have questions after reviewing those policies, please feel free to contact the VSE Office at visiting.electives@ubc.ca.
UBC does not provide visiting students with public transit discounts or accommodations. Please inquire about acquiring your Compass Card here.
The UBC Visiting Electives Program does not arrange housing, however the following websites are provided as a resource. Please note that the Faculty of Medicine does not screen the accommodations listed at the links below nor is responsible for any accommodation agreement negotiated between the student and a private homeowner or other commercial establishment and therefore is not responsible for any damages or injury that may occur during the time of accommodation. Prior to making a commitment, contact the landlord to ask questions and make sure you are satisfied with the information you receive and the manner in which you receive it.
These sites/groups are provided as a resource to students. UBC does not endorse these sites or their rental listings.
UBC does not require proof of your work permit or visa. This is the students’ direct responsibility, and the information provided here is intended only to offer guidance on where to find out your individual entry requirements. Thank you for your understanding.
If a cancellation notice is received less than six weeks before the stipulated start date of the Elective, a letter citing unprofessional behaviour will be sent to the student’s university.
A student’s home school will determine if the cancellation is due to mitigating circumstance.
Submit a cancellation request via the AFMC portal if an elective needs to be cancelled.
The VSEP office accepts change requests to waitlisted or unconfirmed electives only. Change requests can be made via the portal or by emailing visiting.electives@ubc.ca. Note that once an elective is confirmed, no changes will be allowed.
The Minimum Professional Standards-Attendance Policy applies to visiting students and outlines expectations for attendance including call, weekend work and guidelines if a student is unable to attend all shifts during their elective
The AFMC Student Portal Helpdesk is where you can ask questions, consult help documents, and find general information related to visiting electives in Canada.
Or reach us directly at
service@afmcstudentportal.ca
Not ready to talk to someone? You can also download a series of comprehensive student resources.
© Student Portal 2022
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The AFMC Student Portal Helpdesk is where you can ask questions, consult help documents, and find general information related to visiting electives in Canada.
Or reach us directly at
service@afmcstudentportal.ca
Not ready to talk to someone? You can also download a series of comprehensive student resources.
Login
Register
Search Electives
An initiative of
© Student Portal 2022
The AFMC Student Portal for visiting electives is currently closed. Visiting Electives for the Class of 2022 were suspended during the AFMC Board meeting on April 18, 2021. That includes electives for both Canadian and International students. 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 taking into account learning opportunities, provincial covid restrictions and other public health concerns.
We are working with our new Service Provider to build out the new visiting elective service portal. It will be ready when electives are offered again.
The AFMC Student Portal will be offline starting December 23, 2021. The refreshed portal will being rolling out in late February 2022.
For MCAT® Fee Assistance Program Applicants please verify eligibility and submit application through our AFMC website.
We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience.
If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at service@afmcstudentportal.ca
