Selectives

A "Selective" is a student selected clinical placement, which is meant to help further the goals and objectives of the Transition to Residency (TTR) Course.  It differs from an Elective in that Electives generally are not aligned with a specific course or curriculum.  In the case of TTR, students are using the clinical placements of Selectives to gain in-depth experiences of the concepts taught in the "Central" teaching weeks of the course.  These are places for students to receive mentorship, guidance, and new experiences as they are about to embark on the PGY1 phase of training. They will be 3 or 4 weeks in length.

Selectives are mandatory experiences that Students must complete in order to graduate. They are as important as any other form of clinical experience that occurs during medical school.

The Goals of the Selectives are: 

1. to increase the student’s familiarity, experience and abilities within the breadth of physician roles in common health care settings;
2. to develop holistic competence, as demonstrated in real practice settings, for students in the areas of Communication, Collaboration, Management, Health Advocacy, Scholarship and Professionalism;
3. to promote awareness and experience with health equity and health systems issues, as dealt with in routine practice environments, to increase students’ effectiveness in interacting with these issues after graduation from the MD program.  

Objectives for Selectives:

At the end of each Selective, the student will be able to: 

1. Demonstrate competence in each of Communication, Collaboration, Management, Health Advocacy, Scholarship and Professionalism in the specific setting of the Selective, such that they can undertake these roles at the PGY1 level.  (This will primarily be assessed by the supervisors using a MedSIS assessment instrument.)  
2. Demonstrate an understanding of a significant health equity issue as it pertains to the experience of ONE selective, through the production of a written assignment.  (This will be assessed centrally through the course.) 
3. Demonstrate an understanding of a significant health systems issue as it pertains to the experience of ONE selective, through the production of a written assignment.  (This will be assessed centrally through the course.) 

How to Involve Students in your Selective (also see Practical Tips and Resources)

The basic principle of having a student in your setting for a Selective is to let them get fully embedded in the type of work you do.

Since there are so many settings in which Selectives take place, it is impossible to give exact instructions on how students should participate in every setting.  The closest comparison would be that of an elective student.  However, these students will be evaluated by you for course credit (see Evaluation tab above).

There are no specified mandatory activities.  You should feel free to involve the student in any aspect of your work, and to recruit others if appropriate to participate.

These students have done many clinic and ward based rotations.  They should be able to assess patients on their own in your setting with a brief orientation.  They need to review their findings, and generate a plan for management, with your supervision.

These students are ready to develop to a resident level.  This means they should get involved with organizing care, working with consultants and allied health directly, explaining plans and counselling patients.  Their Evaluations will be based upon these sorts of activities.