REAP > REAP Québec.

In Québec at the pre-clerkship level, summer jobs in hospitals are available for medical students in designated areas. Through this project, medical students are exposed to living and working in different nonuniversity settings throughout Québec.

At the clerkship level there are options for rural rotation. Each of Québec's 4 faculties of medicine has developed affiliation with regional hospitals that receive trainees for 4-week clinical rotations in family medicine. The preceptors in these regional areas usually receive a university appointment. The Quebec Ministry of Social Affairs funds the supervision of the trainees by allocating to the preceptors, per 4-week block, a stipend per trainee that is paid through the affiliated university. The clerks have their travel, lodging and meals paid. Recent cutbacks have limited availability of this program.

At the postgraduate training level, residents in family medicine are required to do a mandatory rotation at a nonuniversity site. For at least 10 years, family medicine residents, as part of their 2-year residency, must spend 2 months of training in a nonuniversity area fulfilling specific regional training objectives. Again the government pays the resident's travel, lodging and meals, and the stipend for the preceptors in the designated teaching sites. Most of these sites are rural.

• McGill University has their electives catalogue on-line, with instruction on how to apply as a visiting medical student. There is no formal rural placement program as such but about a third of McGill students choose a one to two month rural placement for doing an elective prior to their clerkship. This can be at one of the designated rural sites. There is no funding from the university, but the rural and regional hospitals provide accommodation and some travel costs for Quebec Students. A "special" rotation can be arranged outside of the McGill system but needs approval at least 3 months prior to the rotation. Local McGill Dept of Family Medicine rules currently require that the supervisor be a certified family physician or "a community physician in an accredited family medicine teaching site." There are some bursaries for doing electives but they are usually earmarked for defraying costs of out of the country placements.

  Contact: Giovanna Cucchiara Family Medicine Coordinator
  517 Pine Ave West, Montreal Quebec, H2W 1S4
  Tel (514) 398-7375 Fax (514) 398-4202
  email fmunderg@med.mcgill.ca

• Université de Montréal lacks a formal rural placement program in the clerkship. However there is a 4 week family medicine block and a 4 week elective block that has some possibility of rural option. Funding from the province is present for reimbursement of travel and lodging for Quebec students as mentioned in the description of provincial programs. There are 5 associated rural sites but priority goes to family medicine residents. The university allows visiting medical students. They specify that there is no remuneration and there is a non refundable $100 fee for the application.

  Contact: Madame Rachel Gagnon (Undergraduates)
  C.P 6128, succursale centre-ville
  Montréal Québec H3C 3J7
  Tel (514) 343-6808 Fax (514) 343-6629
  Dept of Family Medicine (Residents)
  Tel (514) 343-6497

• Université Laval requires that a 4 week rotation in family medicine take place in the regions for all students. These rotations are all rural or in a regional rural center. Laval students may apply to take this rotation at a site affilliated with another university. Due to funding cutbacks these slots are limited in number and there is no present ability to handle students from the other universities. There is also a 4 to 8 (max 12 weeks) week elective period in the clerkship for which students from other Universities may apply. A handful of these settings are rural. The student must be at the clerkship level (eg DCEM4 for France), offer official proof of that, and approval from the sending university, as well as proof that the sending university has malpractice coverage for the student. The application must be filed no later than 6 months prior to the rotation.

  Contact: Dr Pierre Leblond, Directeur D'Externa
  Faculé de médecine, pavillon Ferdinand-Vandry
  Université Laval, Ste-Foy Québec G1K 7P4
  Tel (418) 656-2131 X 5704 Fax (418) 656-2733
  email agatehe.beaulieu@fmed.ulaval.ca

• Université de Sherbrooke There are no formal rural elective programs, nor funding for such. There is an opportunity for 5 UdeS students to do a summer preceptorship before clerkship in New Brunswick. As elsewhere, students are welcome to organise a rural elective.

  Tel (819) 564-3200 Fax (819) 564-5378
  

The following lists of sites and preceptors has been obtained from various sources in an attempt to give students as much choice and information as they might wish. Click on the area of your choice and see who might be available!