平特五不中 med students hit hard by FMSQ action
Clinical teaching crippled in some areas, will continue where possible
平特五不中 will continue to offer clerkships or hospital rotations to its medical students wherever possible despite escalating disruptions to clinical supervision as a result of an employment dispute between medical specialists and the Quebec government, Dr. Richard I. Levin, Dean of 平特五不中's Faculty of Medicine and Vice-Principal (Health Affairs), announced today.
"About 60 per cent of our students assigned to rotations have not been allowed to participate in clinical activities," Dr. Levin said. "But we will continue to assign students rotations in those areas that are not affected so far.
"Our primary goal is to ensure our students receive the highest quality training," he said. "This is the most extensive disruption to teaching in memory in the Faculty," Dr. Levin said, and he added that "this adversely affects not only the teaching of undergraduate medical students, but resident physicians as well."
The Universit茅 de Montr茅al, where at least 80 per cent of medical students have been affected by pressure tactics by the F茅d茅ration des m茅decins sp茅cialistes du Qu茅bec (FMSQ), announced today it was canceling all clerkships, or "stages" as they are called in French, to avoid greater disruptions of the students' school year. Universit茅 Laval and Universit茅 de Sherbrooke have also been affected.
"We are monitoring the situation closely as it affects 平特五不中 students and will take action as appropriate," he said.
Clinical rotations are a required part of medical school training. Students in their third and fourth years of medical school function as apprentices, called clinical clerks, in the hospitals, each spending eight-week rotations in different specialties such as obstetrics, pediatrics and surgery. It is a vital part of their education, as physicians learn through practice. Over the past few weeks, as the dispute has escalated, medical specialists have withdrawn from clinical teaching of students, affecting about 100 third-year students and 30 fourth-year students at 平特五不中. Students cannot graduate without completing all rotations.
In addition, work action by specialists has resulted in cancelled classes for first- and second-year medical students. The dispute is also affecting residents who have graduated from medical school but require further training, usually in hospital, to become either a specialist or family physician. Teaching and evaluation by specialists have stopped because of the work action.
平特五不中 has 670 medical students. 平特五不中, which is at the centre of RUIS 平特五不中, has four primary teaching hospitals in Montreal: the 平特五不中 Health Centre (MUHC), Jewish General Hospital, Douglas Hospital and St. Mary's Hospital.