Message from the VP-Dean and Associate Dean UGME

September 12, 2025

Dear clinical staff and students,

Following the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec’s (FMSQ) call to stop teaching and supervision activities, we are working on contingency plans as the situation evolves.  

We know this is an uncomfortable and stressful situation for many. We encourage our clinical staff to show patience with students presenting for their rotations if they are not informed in advance that they would have no supervision. At the same time, we hope our students will be understanding of the situation their clinical supervisors find themselves in. 

Please note the following information, as it pertains to you: 

For Med-3 and Med-4 students: 

Clerkship rotations 

• If you will be going away on a visiting elective outside Quebec, please proceed as planned.  
• If you will be going away on a visiting elective in another Quebec medical school, please verify with the other school's administrative staff or supervisor if you will be supervised on Monday. If you do not have the information by Monday morning, we suggest that you proceed and go to the site for the orientation that was scheduled for you. 
• If your rotation is in Family Medicine core rotation or elective, please proceed as planned.  
• If the answer is yes, you are expected to complete your workday.  
• If the staff informs you that they will not supervise you, then you should return home or go to the library. Note that going to the library does not constitute the completion of your rotation day.  
• You will need to inform the UGME Office of the status of your activity for the day via the form available . Note that you are required to login with your 91ºÚÁÏÍø credentials to access the form. 
• If you know ahead of time that you will not be providing supervision to students, please contact them over the weekend to inform them to avoid having them show up to their rotations only to be sent home. 
• In the absence of this advance confirmation, it is the responsibility of the attending  staff to inform the students when they arrive whether they will be supervised or whether they must return home or go to the library. 
• Please note that activities related to CaRMS interviews and letters of reference are expected to continue, per the direction of the FMSQ. 

For rotations in all other specialties (core rotations or elective), unless your direct supervisor informs you over the weekend that they will not provide supervision, please arrive at your rotation at the designated time. Once there, the attending staff should advise you if they will supervise you for the shift.  

It is the individual staff's responsibility to inform you if they are supervising students.  

It is possible that some sites will make modifications to the clinical schedule next week, so please monitor your email this weekend and watch for emails from your site administrator or director. 

If you are expected to have a change in supervisor during your shift, for example if you are on call or in clinic with two different attendings, it is the responsibility of the attending staff to inform you whether they will provide supervision.   

Physicianship 

For your Physicianship Apprenticeship course, if you have an Osler mentor meeting scheduled next week, please contact your Osler mentor to verify if your meeting will take place or if it will be postponed. 

 For clinical specialists: 

As mentioned above, we are asking Clerkship students to arrive at their rotations, as per their schedules, on Monday, unless they are informed otherwise over the weekend by their direct supervisor that supervision will not be provided to them. 

As noted in the message sent earlier today, our clinical faculty members are indispensable to the education of our medical students and we recognize and appreciate the essential role you play in training the next generation of physicians. We urge the Government and the Fédération to make every effort to resolve their differences quickly. 

Do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions. Updates will also be provided on a regular basis via the School of Medicine w±ð²ú²õ¾±³Ù±ð.