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Basic Cardiac Life Support
Basic Cardiac Life Support
Students registering in the M.D.,C.M. program are required to provide, by July 31 of the year in which they commence undergraduate medical education, proof of certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), level C or C+, and automated external defibrillation (AED) training. Certification must be valid at the start of the undergraduate medical education, and students are responsible for maintaining their certification throughout the program. Certification must be granted, or fully recognized, by one of the following organizations:
Infectious Diseases and Infection Control
Infectious Diseases and Infection Control in Undergraduate Medicine
Immunization
To assure that students are not exposed to undue health risks and do not pose a risk to their patients, students must provide evidence of appropriate vaccination by July 31 of the year in which they commence undergraduate medical education, according to the information provided by McGill's Rossy Student Wellness Hub.
- All students must be immunized against Hepatitis B and all students must have Hepatitis B titres (HbsAb) measured. Non-converters will be tested for Hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg). Non-converters will be offered counseling by the Student Wellness Hub. Students who test positive for the surface antigen will be referred to the Undergraduate Associate Dean. If repeat serology does not confirm immunity, and the person is not a carrier, they will be given the option of another series of vaccines or a series of intradermal vaccines to attempt sero-conversion.
- Annual vaccination for influenza is required for all students. The student should retain proof of vaccination.
- Adequate vaccination against COVID-19 according to Quebec provincial standards (PIQ) is required for all students. The student should retain proof of vaccination.
- Vaccination against other infectious diseases may be required, if need arises.
You have access to the Student Wellness Hub as soon as you are accepted into the program. Consult the Admissions Office 'New Students' website link provided in your offer of admission letter for detailed instructions to complete and submit the necessary forms.
If you choose to complete your immunizations through your family physician or your CLSC, make sure to follow the McGill immunization requirements since the Student Wellness Hub will not accept different immunization protocols.
The completed form(s) must be submitted as soon as possible, and by July 31 of the year in which you are commencing the undergraduate medical education program at the latest.
For the purposes of verification of compliance with the immunization requirements, you grant permission to the Office of Admissions to securely share your immunization form with the Student Wellness Hub.
All immunization requirements must be met by Orientation Day. Students who do not meet these requirements may be asked to withdraw.
For details, see mcgill.ca/ugme/policies-procedures/infection-control-immunization, mcgill.ca/ugme/policies-procedures/covid-19-procedures-ugme-policies-academic-year-2020-2021 and mcgill.ca/wellness-hub/hub-clinical-services/medical-notes-and-immunization-reviews.
Mask Fit Test
All students are required to have a Mask Fit Test in order to choose the appropriate mask for their use. Students must have a mandatory Mask Fit session prior to Transition to Clinical Practice (TCP). The University may be able to offer this test free of charge.
Students who are pursuing clinical rotations in Canada or the United States may be required to be refitted prior to their arrival at the actual clinical rotation's facility.
The UGME office will provide students with the latest procedures and clinical requirements for mask fittings, this policy may be revised in line with local public health directives.
Policy on Students Known to be Infected with Blood-borne Viruses (e.g., Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV)
Individuals who carry blood-borne pathogens might not be permitted to perform certain procedures that may pose a risk to patients and co-workers.
Students who are seropositive for Hepatitis B and/or C or HIV and/or any other blood-borne agent have a professional obligation to notify the Associate Dean of UGME upon entry into the program. Specific measures will be undertaken by the UGME office. Rotations may be modified for these students due to these circumstances.
The student will be referred to the Service d'évaluation des risques de transmission d'infections hématogènes (SERTIH). Modifications to clinical rotations may be made. The student will be assisted in acquiring appropriate health care. Specific career counselling will be given. Students will be advised not to select residency programs where patient safety would be put at risk. This may limit the residency programs to which the student may apply.
Should core clinical rotations need to be modified, notation of this will be made in the Medical Student Performance Record (MSPR/Dean's letter). The student is professionally responsible to self-disclose their seropositive status to the residency program to which the student matches. For details, see mcgill.ca/wellness-hub/access-care/vaccines.
Further details are available at mcgill.ca/wellness-hub, mcgill.ca/ugme/academic-policies/infection-control-immunization, mcgill.ca/ugme/academic-policies/infection-control-immunization/infection-control-precautions.
Academic Standards and Essential Skills
Academic Standards and Essential Skills for Undergraduate Medicine
Any student wishing to register with the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in an undergraduate Medical Education program will be held to the standards outlined below:
Applicants to McGill University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Undergradaute Medical Education programs are evaluated and selected on the basis of academic, personal, and extracurricular dimensions. The Faculty admits those candidates who best demonstrate the potential to become excellent physicians. Applicants are therefore expected to demonstrate that they possess the intellectual, physical, and emotional capacities to meet the requirements of the curriculum without altering the essential program elements. Furthermore, the student must meet these requirements within a reasonable period of time. McGill seeks to provide its graduates with broad general knowledge in all fields of medicine and competence required to enter graduate medical training in a variety of specialties and subspecialties.
McGill University will consider for admission to its medical school any applicant who meets its academic and non-academic criteria. Once admitted the student must demonstrate the ability to perform the skills listed in this document. In conformity with the McGill University Policy Concerning the Rights of Students with Disabilities and the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (R.S.Q., chapter C-12), eligible students will receive reasonable accommodations appropriate to their disability. Appropriate accommodations are defined and arranged by the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in cooperation with the Office for Students with Disabilities.
The essential skills required for matriculation, promotion, and graduation at McGill University are defined according to the objectives of our curriculum which in turn are based on the CanMEDS Roles framework of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the Four Principles of Family Medicine of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. The CanMEDS roles are Medical Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Manager, Health Advocate, Scholar, and Professional. The Four Principles of Family Medicine are “the family physician is a skilled clinician”, “family medicine is a community-based discipline”, “the family physician is a resource to a defined practice population”, and “the patient-physician relationship is central to the role of the family physician”. For more details see mcgill.ca/ugme/mdcm-curriculum-joint-programs/vision-mission-mdcm-program.
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As a Medical Expert and Communicator, the student must have abilities in the areas of observation, communication, motor, intellectual-conceptual, integration, and quantisation.
Adequate skills in observation require that the student be able to accurately observe a patient and acquire visual, auditory, and tactile information. The student must be able to decode written documents, use a stethoscope with or without aids, and observe near and distant objects.
To communicate, the student must be able to speak, write, hear, and perceive non-verbal communication. A student must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients, families, and any member of the health care team. A student must also be able to summarize coherently a patient's condition and management plan verbally and in writing.
The student must possess the motor skills required to directly perform palpation, percussion, auscultation, and other diagnostic manoeuvres in a timely manner. It is also desirable that the student be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general and emergency medical care.
- As a Medical Expert and Scholar, the student must demonstrate the intellectual, conceptual, integrative, and quantitative abilities to measure, calculate, reason, analyze, and synthesize the information that is gathered, and to problem-solve in a timely fashion.
- As a Collaborator and Manager, the student must be able to communicate in an efficient and effective manner with patients, their families, members of the health care team, colleagues, and teachers. S/he should be able to develop mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with these individuals. The student should also be able to function in various environments including the ambulatory setting, the hospital and other health care facilities.
- As a Professional and Health Advocate, behavioural and social attributes are particularly important and must be mastered. These include the application of good judgment and the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, as well as an ability to adapt to changing environments and to function in the face of uncertainties. S/he must be able to tolerate the physical, emotional, and mental demands of the program and function appropriately under stress. S/he must consistently demonstrate the emotional health required for full utilization of her/his intellectual abilities.
Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest, and motivation are all personal qualities that physicians must demonstrate and are expected qualities of students.
The student must conform to the Handbook on Student Rights and Responsibilities of McGill University and the code de déontologie (code of ethics) of the (CMQ).
Registration with the CMQ
Registration with the Collège des Médecins du Québec (CMQ)
All students studying medicine in a Quebec university are required by law to register with the Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ) by September 30 of their first year of study. Electronic registration is required. All students enrolled in the M.D.,C.M. program will receive an email from the CMQ office to confirm their registration. A student who fails to comply with this requirement or who has their registration withdrawn will not be permitted to continue in the program. For details please refer to .
Security (Criminal Record) Check
Security (Criminal Record) Check
Language Proficiency
Language Proficiency for Undergraduate Medicine
The primary language of instruction in the M.D.,C.M. program is English at the Montreal Campus, and French at Campus Outaouais. Required clinical placements in Montreal are in francophone or bilingual settings (in Greater Montreal or in our larger clinical network, including rural Quebec settings), and in francophone settings at Campus Outaouais and with their associated partner sites.
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Statement on Language Proficiency
French is the official language in Quebec and thus health and social services administered by the Ministry of Health are bound by the Charter of the French Language. In order to provide essential services and safe care to all patients within a Quebec-based healthcare setting, students must achieve an appropriate level of French before entering their respective health profession program’s clinical affiliations where they integrate their knowledge, skills and attitudes. This will ensure all students have every opportunity to maximize their learning with all patients, families and fellow health care workers they meet during their studies at McGill University.
Potential applicants may wonder whether their current ability in French language proficiency will allow them to meet the linguistic demands of studying in a health profession program at McGill University. Some of the clinical communication competencies learners will exercise during their studies include: listening to a client; responding to questions by patients or their family and asking questions to learn more; explaining a condition in formal and informal terms so a client/patient can understand; speaking with other healthcare professionals (such as doctors, nurses, physiotherapists) about cases. These conversations often occur in a fast-paced or high-stakes environment in-person or on the phone, and may require writing notes in a file that are clear to other professionals.
To assist potential applicants to our health professions programs in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, we are suggesting a free language self-assessment questionnaire developed by the Canadian Language Benchmark as a self-assessment tool: . The questionnaire will give students a good sense of the adequacy of their language skills for our programs. Applicants are not expected to send the results of the questionnaire to the program.
English Language Requirement for undergraduate Medicine admisions
As of Fall 2021, proof of English-language proficiency is only required for candidates educated exclusively outside of Canada in non-English speaking countries, as per the McGill-wide policy for English proficiency.
French Language Requirement for undergraduate Medicine admissions
Fall 2022: post-admission assessment
After accepting an offer of admission, non-francophone students who have not previously studied at the secondary or post-secondary franciphone institutions will be informed by email that they must complete an online language assessment at McGill’s School of Continuing Studies before program orientation day. After the assessment, students will be informed of their language level, and the corresponding Continuing Studies courses they are eligible to take. The Faculty will also receive this information, allowing us to better understand the language skills of the entering class and support students.
Fall 2023: Pre-admission proof of French proficiency required by the application deadline.
Minimum proficiency level: B2 (mid-intermediate) for Montreal Campus, C1 (advanced) for Campus Outaouais
The following candidates are exempted from having to submit proof of French proficiency:
All other candidates must submit a valid French-language proficiency test score. A list of accepted tests is available below. Candidates who do not complete one of the accepted tests will be required to take a test from McGill University’s School of Continuing Studies at their own expense. A link to register for this test will be provided prior to the opening of the Fall 2023 cycle.
What you need to know about the School of Continuing Studies test
This online written test must be taken before the application deadline. Candidates who are short-listed in the medicine admissions process will receive an invitation after the application deadline but before invitations to interview are issued to complete an oral test with the School of Continuing Studies. Only candidates meeting the miminum proficiency requirement are eligible for invitation to interview.
Other accepted test scores
- Diplôme d'études en langue française/Diplôme approfondi de langue française (DELF/DALF): (B2 for Montreal, C1 for Outaouais)
- McGill Certificate of Proficiency in French (SCS) or French for Professional Communication (SCS): Certificate awarded
- Test de connaissance du Français (TCF) family of tests: Test de connaissance de Francais Quebec (TCFQ) Test de Connaissance du Français (TCF) Test de connaissance du français tout public (TCF TP) The score is valid for two years.
- TEF Family of tests, including TEF Canada, TEFaQ (TEF Express is not accepted). Test d’évaluation du français (pour les études en France): Note: The following four examinations are mandatory: oral comprehension, written comprehension, oral expression and written expression. The scores are valid for two years.
- Test de français international (TFI): The scores are valid for two years. Note: - A TFI global score of 605 is equivalent to the B2 level; 785 is equivalent to the C1 level. - The TFI does not contain a speaking component. Applicants who submit this test and are short-listed will be invited to complete the oral test through McGill’s School of Continuing Studies. They will be responsible for registering for the oral test.
- Other standardized test scores may be submitted for consideration; acceptance is at the discretion of the Admissions office
Pathways for underrepresented groups in medicine
Candidates applying in the Rural and Small Populations, Indigenous or Black Student Application Pathways are invited to contact the Office of Admissions to learn about options for support or accommodations in meeting the language proficiency requirement.
Practicing medicine in Quebec after graduation
Students educated outside of Quebec in a language other than French, who choose to practice medicine in Quebec, will need to complete the separate Office Québécois de la langue Française (OQLF) Examination toward the end of their MDCM studies. See for more information.
Information Technology
Information Technology for Undergraduate Medical Students
Because a large portion of the curriculum is available electronically, admitted students must have a personal computer with word processing/office suite software, standard web browsers, and Internet connection. The Medicine E-curriculum can be accessed via .
Portable workstations such as laptops with wireless network connectivity (Wi-Fi/802.11b or greater; see McGill Wireless Networks at mcgill.ca/it) are recommended. On campus, students may have access to restricted computer laboratories, printers, and limited workstations (including Macs) for temporary assistance.
Be advised that electronic media, multimedia, and other information technologies are used by the Faculty for teaching purposes and to promote learning, including being audio- and/or video-recorded as part of the program; for example, at the Steinberg Centre for Simulation and Interactive Learning. By submitting your application, you are indicating your agreement with these terms.
Standards of Behaviour and Code of Conduct
Standards of Behaviour and Code of Conduct for Undergraduate Medicine
As a student in a professional faculty, individuals are expected to adhere to certain standards of behaviour. Common courtesy and respect are minimal requirements for all members of the academic community (faculty, students, and staff). Although students are in an early stage of their careers, their activities and interests are in two spheres: that of a student/learner and that of a professional (physician/dentist). Even though not yet a doctor or dentist, students are expected to abide by the standards of the profession. The general public expects medical and dental students to act like professionals. There are various codes and statements of rules and regulations which identify these expectations; some will speak primarily to the professional role, whereas others are much more relevant to the experience as a student. Many have components that overlap. For example, honesty and integrity are expected of the student and the professional. Student/faculty harassment, abuse, and mistreatment are not tolerated. For more details, see:
- Standards of Behaviour in the Learning Environment;
- Code of Conduct;
- Student Mistreatment;
- Student Professional Behaviours
- Guidelines for Medical Students in Social and Other Media;
- WELL Office.
Students who demonstrate inappropriate professional conduct or are found guilty of a criminal offence may be dismissed from the program. All students should consult mcgill.ca/secretariat/policies-and-regulations for further information.
Medical Equipment
Medical Equipment
Students are responsible for the purchase of their own medical equipment. The following are required during the first year:
- stethoscope
- pen light
- reflex hammer
- ophthalmoscope/otoscope
- tuning forks (128Hz)
- BP cuff
- ocular protection - personal goggles permitted if they meet published Health Canada Standards (or CSA-Z94.3)
The following laboratory supplies are also required:
- a white long lab coat
- anatomy dissecting kit/2 persons (not biology kit)
- one box of gloves
- one pair of safety glasses/person
Students are also responsible for purchasing two white lab jackets for the first year via the Undergraduate Medical Education Office. Information about this and the “White Coat Ceremony” will be circulated at the beginning of the first year. The Ceremony is held in September or October of the second year.
It is recommended that students have a smart phone or pager during TCP (Transition to Clinical Practice) and Clerkship so that their clinical teams can reach them.