A tutor is a faculty member who participates in a small group, problem-based learning within the MD Program by acting as the facilitator for a group of 6-8 medical students during a curricular block called a Medical Foundation (MF). The length of the Foundations varies from 9 to 13 weeks. For details of the timing and content of each MF, see Appendix 1 attached. Residents are not eligible to act as tutors.

Tutor Training: Before becoming a tutor, the faculty member should attend MacEssentials, the Tutor Training workshop offered by the MD Program. To obtain more information or register for these workshops, please email Jen Bowen at bowen@mcmaster.ca.

MF Tutor Orientations: Tutors are also required to attend the MF Tutor Orientation session held before each Medical Foundation. This usually takes about an hour.

Attend tutorials: The tutorial group will usually meet twice each week for about 3 hours each time. The tutorials are generally spaced so that one takes place at the beginning of the week and one at the end, to give the students time to prepare between tutorials. Monday/Thursday afternoon/evening or Tuesday/Friday afternoon/evening are the usual schedules. Tutorials can take place at whichever site is most convenient for the tutor.

The tutor is not meant to “teach” in the traditional classroom sense, but instead to facilitate the learning process for the group. The tutor does not need to be a content expert in the areas being covered in the curricular block. The tutorial cases are provided to the tutors with a “Tutor Guide” which should provide sufficient information for tutors to guide the group even if it isn’t their area of expertise. An understanding of PBL is essential.

Assess students: In addition to attending the tutorials, the tutor is responsible for assessing the students in the areas of knowledge, skill, and professional behaviour. This is done informally after most tutorials and formally, by online formal assessments at mid-unit and at the end of the unit.

The mid-unit assessments must be clear, specific, and timely so that the student has sufficient time and direction to remediate before the end of the unit if there is a problem.

The end-unit assessment must be done in a timely way after the end of the Foundation. The summary box from the end-Foundation assessment appears word-for-word in the student’s final transcript so it is very important to students.

Mark CAEs: Several times during each MF, the students write an evaluation exercise called a Concept Application Exercise or CAE. CAEs provide tutors and students with regular feedback about knowledge acquisition during the MF. They are intended to serve as one factor among many that the tutor uses to evaluate the students. In addition, discussing the CAEs gives the group a chance to integrate concepts and identify gaps in their learning.

Students evaluate the tutor: In addition to the tutor evaluating the students, the students are asked to evaluate the tutor and these evaluations are provided to the tutor and his/her department.

Stipend: There is a stipend paid by Education Services to the department of each faculty member who tutors. The amount varies with the length of the Foundation and may change from year to year.

Educational credits: Faculty members receive educational credit for tutoring.

Contact: Jen Bowen, Curriculum Coordinator: bowen@mcmaster.ca

A clinical skills preceptor is a faculty member or resident who teaches clinical skills to a group of 6-8 medical students in Medical Foundations 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Attend preceptor orientation: Preceptors are required to attend a short preceptor orientation the week before each MF.

Arrange clinical skills sessions: The preceptor and the students should meet once each week during the MF for 2-2.5 hours at times arranged to suit the group. The basic curriculum is provided by the program in the Preceptor Guide. The preceptor is responsible to plan the sessions and hopefully, he/she will be able to provide suitable patients for bedside teaching most of the time. Standardized Patients may be used occasionally. The preceptor is responsible to ensure that the students have the opportunity to learn and practice the clinical skills mandated by the program for that MF.

Assess students: The preceptor should provide regular feedback to the students. Formal assessment is done at the mid- and end-unit in MF 1 and at the end-unit in MFs 2, 3, and 4. The assessments must be provided to the student’s tutor in a timely way so that s/he can incorporate the content into the overall MF assessment.

Students evaluate preceptors: Students are required to evaluate their preceptors. A copy will be provided to the preceptor and the DEC or residency program director.

Stipend: There is a stipend paid by Education Services to the department of each faculty member who acts as a preceptor. Preceptors who are not faculty members are paid directly. Residents also receive a stipend. The amount varies with the length of the Foundation and may change from year to year.

Educational credits: Faculty members receive educational credit for acting as preceptors.

MF 3 Reproductive Clinical Skills: In MF 3, the program recruits faculty and residents with expertise in obstetrics and gynecology who are able to provide 1 or more 90-minute introductory clinical skills sessions to small student groups. These cover the basics of a gynecological exam and an antenatal exam using models. There is no stipend associated with this role.

MF 5 MSK, Neuro and Psychiatry Clinical Skills: In MF 5, Hamilton campus students learn basic clinical skills relating to musculoskeletal medicine, neurology, and psychiatry in a TOSCE (Teaching OSCE) format. The subunit planners in this MF recruit faculty and residents from their own departments/divisions to teach at these events.

There is a stipend paid by Education Services to the department of each faculty member who acts as an MF 5 preceptor. Preceptors who are not faculty members are paid directly. Residents also receive a stipend.

Educational credits: Faculty members receive educational credit for acting as preceptors.

 Contact: Jen Bowen, Curriculum Coordinator: bowen@mcmaster.ca

A longitudinal facilitator (LF) is a health care professional who co-facilitates a group of 9-11 first-year medical students in the Professional Competencies part of the MD Program for the entire Pre-Clerkship. LFs must hold or be eligible for a faculty appointment. The MD Program will assist with the faculty appointment process as needed.

The Professional Competencies curriculum is a longitudinal, interdisciplinary thread in the MD Program’s Curriculum. In this part of the curriculum, students are exposed to the Professional Competencies domains of:

• Effective Communication
• Health Equity and Determinants of Health
• Medical Decision-Making
• Moral Reasoning and Ethical Judgment
• Professionalism and Self Awareness
• Inter-Professional Practice
• Population Health
• Social, Cultural, and Humanistic Dimensions of Health

Attend 2-day training session: Training is provided in late June.

Attend Pro Comp sessions: The groups meet on Tuesday mornings from 9:00 am-12:00 pm for the entire Pre-Clerkship (September of students’ first year until they begin Clerkship at the end of November of their second year). There are no sessions in July and August when the students are on electives.

In MF1, all students are in the Hamilton campus so Niagara and Waterloo Regional campus facilitators must travel to Hamilton every Tuesday for the first 13 weeks. Beginning in MF2, groups meet on their home campus.

The material is delivered using a variety of formats — problem-based tutorials, lectures, group exercises, interactive large group sessions, communication skills sessions with Standardized Patients, role-playing, and open tutorial group discussion.

Co-Facilitate: Each group has 2 LFs. One is a physician and the other is a clinician from another healthcare profession, frequently a social worker. The pairing provides a mix of necessary skills and experience suitable to the material being covered and also acts as a model to the medical students of inter-professional practice.

Assess students: The LFs should provide regular feedback to the students. Formal assessment is done six times during the pre-clerkship.

Students evaluate LFs: Students are asked to provide a written evaluation of their LFs. A copy will be provided to the LFs and to their DEC.

Stipend: There is a stipend paid by Education Services to each LF.

Educational credits: Faculty members receive educational credit for acting as LFs.

 Contact: Jen Bowen, Curriculum Coordinator: bowen@mcmaster.ca

Each medical student is assigned a faculty Student Advisor when s/he begins medical school. The student advisor has the following primary roles:

• monitoring academic progress,
• providing mentorship to students,
• facilitating referrals for students who experience academic difficulties as a result of learning problems or personal stressors.
• facilitating a minimum of 2 group meetings during the academic year with the advisee group

The advisor will follow 6 undergraduate medical students longitudinally through their time in the MD Program. Two new students will be picked up every fall. The advisor meets with the advisees both individually and as a group.

The advisor reviews all Medical Foundation, clerkship, and elective evaluations in addition to reviewing all examination results (such as the PPI and OSCE) for each of the students. The file is periodically reviewed in its entirety by the advisor to look for trends, strengths, and weaknesses. The advisor maintains an ongoing confidential file of each student.

The advisor meets alone with each of the students regularly. Meetings should occur 1-2 times per unit, and every few months through clerkship. These meetings are confidential. Although there is no formal agenda for the individual meetings, the advisor should:

• discuss current and recent rotations and inquire about any difficulties;
• review all recent evaluations received;
• assist students in looking at the ‘big picture’ by reflecting on major themes, strengths, and weaknesses that come out of evaluations;
• discuss plans for upcoming electives and sign elective forms;
• inquire about career plans and how electives will be used to further plans or fill in knowledge gaps;
• inquire about personal difficulties which may affect academic performance;
• refer to services as needed to address academic, learning, or personal difficulties, or for further assistance with career planning.
• review the students’ learning plans for all electives

The advisor will facilitate two or more group meetings per year with their group of student advisees. These meetings should be informal (perhaps including a meal) and it is hoped that peer mentoring will naturally occur in such a setting. One should occur in the fall, and one in the spring. The group meetings might include:

• discussion of where in the program the students are;
• discussion of issues of common interest to all students, such as stress management, career planning, and staying healthy;
• the advisor’s role is to facilitate peer mentoring, discussion, and support and occasionally offer guidance and perspective.

Stipend: There is no stipend attached to this role.

 Educational credits: Faculty members receive educational credit for acting as advisors.

 Contact: Dana Lennox, Student Affairs: lennod1@mcmaster.ca

The MD Program holds three program OSCEs each year, one for each class. The OSCE is delivered simultaneously on the three campuses. They take place in March/April (third-year OSCE), June (first-year OSCE), and November (second-year OSCE), generally on a Tuesday evening from 5:00-11:30 pm.

For each OSCE, the program requires about 100 faculty and residents to act as examiners across the 3 campuses. Training and supper are provided. Faculty receive educational credit for this role. There is no stipend attached to this role.

Contact: Jen Bowen, Curriculum Coordinator: bowen@mcmaster.ca

Interview Applicants: Faculty are recruited to participate in the Multiple-Mini Interview process by which our medical students are selected. These interviews take place in March and April each year. Assessors must attend a two-hour evening training session prior to interview day (mandatory, even for experienced assessors). On interview day, assessors will meet and score 22-24 applicants in a “station” during which they will interview candidates using a pre-determined question or scenario lasting eight minutes. The total time commitment is 10 hours (2-hour training/8 hour interview day). Breakfast, lunch, and parking are provided.

Faculty receive educational credit for these roles. There is no stipend attached to this role.

Contact: Wendy Edge, Admissions Officer” edgew@mcmaster.ca, Patti Drochner, Administrative Assistant, MD Admissions” drochn@mcmaster.ca

There are various opportunities to assist the MD Program by producing curricular material. The program uses multiple choice questions, concept application questions, and key-features questions on its evaluation exercises and we are always in need of faculty who are interested in joining working groups to contribute this type of material.

Faculty receive educational credit for this role. There is no stipend attached to this role.

Contact: Jen Bowen, Curriculum Coordinator: bowen@mcmaster.ca

The MF Planning Groups choose topics and speakers for lectures in each MF. Faculty who are interested in becoming involved as lecturers are welcome to contact the relevant MF Planner.

Faculty receive educational credit for this role. There is no stipend attached to this role.

Contact: Jen Bowen, Curriculum Coordinator: bowen@mcmaster.ca

The MD Program is planned and delivered by teams of faculty planners, students, and support staff. Each Medical Foundation has an MF Planning Committee, composed of a Director, 3 Subunit Planners, representatives from Anatomy, Pathology, and Clinical Skills, student representatives, and administrative support staff. Professional Competencies also has a Planning Committee composed of the planners of its domains, students, and admin staff. The Planning Committees meet regularly throughout the year.

Members of the Planning Committees have usually developed their interest in undergraduate medical education by tutoring and acting as preceptors before they become involved at the planning level. Faculty who are interested in these roles are encouraged to contact the Director of the curricular block of interest to discuss how best to become involved (see Appendix 1).

There is a stipend paid by Education Services to the department of each faculty member who acts as a planner. Planners who are not faculty members are paid directly.

Faculty receive educational credit for these roles.

Please contact the Academic Coordinator in your specialty.

Ryleigh Hines
Cairns Family Health and Bioscience Complex, Brock University
1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines Ontario L2S 3A1
P: 905-378-5717 ext. 6414 | F: 905-984-4855
hinesr3@mcmaster.ca

Leah Mychayluk
10B Victoria St. South, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 1C5
519-885-5426 ext. 21104
mychayl@mcmaster.ca

Sara Poole
Clinical Placement Program Manager
sapoole@mcmaster.ca
 
Patrycja Rzyszczak
Program Administrator
Community Faculty Liaison & Development
rzyszcp@mcmaster.ca