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Learner Assistance

2021-22 PGMEAC

Agendas, Minutes & Attachments

May 27, 2022

  • Agenda
  • Minutes

Attachments

April 29, 2022

Attachments

March 25, 2022

Attachments

February 25, 2022

At our meeting on Friday, February 25, 2022, the following highlights were shared:

  • MRRP is currently active until March 31, 2022
  • Re-start to in-person activities at sites – contact your individual hospital for update
  • New website for OLA is almost ready for launch – click here for a preview of what’s to come
  • Resident electives are going ahead nationally and for international electives
  • Visiting electives for the current third year medical students will be cancelled
  • International electives for medical students are closed until January 2023
  • Wellness survey will be disseminated in the coming weeks
  • Return to in-person activities at hospitals sites – this document will circulated once we receive the final version from TASHN.

Attachments

January 28, 2022

At our meeting on Friday, January 28, 2022, the following highlights were shared:

  • Resident Doctor Appreciation Week is February 7 – 11, 2022
  • Program Administrators Appreciation Event will be on Wednesday May 4, 2022
  • PGY1 Welcome Reception will be on Wednesday, June 29 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm – Virtual or In-Person TBD
  • Updated MRRP Framework and PGME FAQs are attached below

Attachments

January 19, 2022 - Special Meeting

Key Points:

1. TASHNe MRRP Framework

The framework on application of the Ministry of Health’s Medical Resident Redeployment Plan (MRRP) has been updated and will be distributed once finalized.

2. PGME MRRP FAQs

In consultation with PARO and PGMEAC, item #5 in the PGME FAQ has been revised to clarify the role of the Restricted Registration Certificate and MRRP.

3. Office of Learner Affairs (OLA)

OLA is available to provide support to all PG Learners relating to wellness, resource access, short-term counseling and navigating assistance.  To speak with someone in the OLA office, please send an email to ola.reception@utoronto.ca. OLA resources and supports can be found here

PGME latest updates on COVID-19

Attachments

January 13, 2022 - Special Meeting

Key Resources:

1. Sponsored Trainees MRRP Participation

PGME has reached out to the MOH to receive clarification. All questions relating to sponsored trainees can be directed to Shannon Spencer at sd.spencer@utoronto.ca

2. TASHNe MRRP Framework

The framework on application of the Ministry of Health’s Medical Resident Redeployment Plan (MRRP) has been approved by the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) Education Committee and supported to be applied consistently by all TAHSN hospitals. Quick access to the full document can be found here.

3. PARO Resources

PARO continues to support and update their resources for residents. Active involvement with discussions and decisions remains at hand.  Resources for programs and residents relating to COVID-19 can be found here.

4. Office of Learner Affairs (OLA)

OLA is available to provide support to all PG Learners relating to wellness, resource access, short-term counseling and navigating assistance.  To speak with someone in the OLA office, please send an email to ola.reception@utoronto.ca. OLA resources and supports can be found here.

Emergency Childcare Service information can be found in the attached document. Up-to-date information regarding approved emergency child care providers can be found here.

5. Housing Support for Self-Isolation Due to Exposure at Work

Given the current state of the pandemic, PGME has reactivated the COVID-19 Housing Subsidy Program from the Dean’s COVID-19 Priority Fund to support postgraduate trainees who require self-isolation – full details can be found in the attached document.  For housing support inquiries or information, please email pgme.redeployment@utoronto.ca

PGME latest updates on COVID-19

Attachments

January 6, 2022 - Special Meeting

As a result of recent discussions with key stakeholders at PGMEAC and TAHSNe, concerning the current situation with the Omicron variant, we have developed:

  1. Updated Recommended Redeployment Principles
  2. Recommendations on the use and application of the MRRP
  3. Information on Emergency Child Care

1. Medical Resident Redeployment Program
Regarding MRRP, Program Directors are encouraged to advocate for the use of MRRP with their Hospital Medical Education Offices and it is strongly recommended that Program Directors connect with Hospital Medical Education Offices for retroactive MRRP (to December 1, 2021), as soon as possible.

2. Recommended Redeployment Principles:
The following recommendations for resident redeployment over the next few weeks were put forward in recognition of the need for a rapid response and short term solutions. The Hospital Medical Education Offices will engage, in collaboration with the PDs and PGME, short-term (non-block based) redeployment instead of the block based and centrally coordinated process that was in place in earlier phases of the pandemic. This approach is viewed as more effective in addressing service gaps, preserving the educational experience for learners and infusing more equity in the process. While the focus of this strategy is to support local site based redeployment, PGME is committed to the ongoing support for learners and programs and to maintaining open communication. PGME will be kept informed and engaged with all redeployment activity. For redeployment related inquiries or information, please email pgme.redeployment@utoronto.ca.

  • Learners remain where they are currently rotating (including any related call regardless of site).
    • Learners, regardless of home specialty, can be called upon to provide care in a manner or volume not normally encountered within their current rotation. Within this group, redeployment should occur in this order of preference:
      • Learners currently on rotation in their home specialty should be redeployed first. Examples: Emergency Medicine residents on EM rotations participating in screening units operated by the ED, Medicine residents on CTU rotations redeployed to cover alternative wards, Pediatric residents on clinic rotations redeployed to flu clinics).
      • Learners currently on rotation in a specialty other than their own, which is being called upon to provide care. (In consultation with their “home” program to ensure they are not needed elsewhere.) Example: Surgery residents doing an Emergency Medicine rotation being redeployed to an evening vaccination clinic operated by Emerg.
  • Learners on non-clinical experiences are called back into clinical service.
    • Learners who are on research months or on non-call service within the affected institution can be called back to take call or engage in clinical activities.
  • Learners need to be called back to ‘home’ rotation.
    • Learners in a given specialty can be asked to provide care in their home specialty while on another rotation. Example: Emergency Medicine resident on Psychiatry rotation being asked to redeploy to the Emergency Department to cover absences.
  • Learners need to be ‘loaned’ to other services.
    • Learners who have the skillset and/or who have previously completed key prerequisite experiences, can be asked to shift their work to another service from that of their home discipline and their current service. This decision will be made by hospital leadership (Senior executive team in most cases led by the CMO) after due consideration of clinical needs and competency profile of learner groups and in consultation with education leads (rotation coordinators, university program directors). Example: A General Surgery resident who is on Plastic Surgery being called to provide call in the ICU.
  • Learners need to be sent to another facility.
    • Learners may need to be redeployed to help address surge or other extraordinary circumstances across the network. Ideally this would only be done within specialty. Example: Anaesthesia residents rotating at a busy community site that has been repurposed as a screening facility can be redeployed to a trauma centre to address increased surgical volumes.
  • Other PG learners on a voluntary basis.
    • Learners may volunteer to help in redeployment activities with consent of the university program/fellowship director and relevant hospital authorities.

3. Emergency Child Care and Other Resources:
Please note, the City of Toronto Emergency Child Care will be available for eligible workers on January 10th, 2022. Information regarding Emergency Child Care locations and eligibility can be found here: https://www.toronto.ca/home/covid-19/affected-city-services.

Please note, during January 5 to January 17, 2022:

  • childcare programs for infants, toddlers and preschoolers will operate as usual;
  • home childcare programs are permitted to provide childcare to kindergarten and school-aged children;
  • there will be no childcare programs for kindergarten and school-aged children operating in childcare centres;
  • childcare providers not operating during this period are prohibited from charging fees during this time and parents will not lose their childcare space(s).

Emergency childcare services are reserved exclusively for children of essential service workers identified in the Province of Ontario’s List of Workers Eligible for Emergency Child Care who have no other alternatives. The list of eligible workers is available at https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/200082#BK11

Up to date information regarding approved emergency child care providers can be found here.
Please note additional approved sites may be added. It is recommended that the site is checked regularly for these updates.

Learner Affairs resources and supports

PGME latest updates on COVID-19

November 26, 2021

At our meeting on Friday, November 26, 2021 the following highlights were discussed/presented:

  • PARO will be conducting an additional environmental scan of food available while on call at different hospitals. One was originally completed pre-pandemic, the Toronto GC team is looking to update and expand the scan and follow-up with the new PG Dean Dr. Giuliani in the New Year.
  • H. Flett, Professor of Learner Wellness shared on projects being developed to support learner wellness across the continuum looking at opportunities to develop programs and curriculum to support learner wellness.
  • N. Incardona, Lead for Professionalism and Ethics, presented the work taking place in Medical Education: Breaking down hidden curriculum of negative values that have been invading the learning culture; faculty development on interconnecting professionalism and ethics principles when evaluating learners through an EDI and social accountability/responsibility lens are just a few highlights that were shared.
  • R. Pattani and P. Bryden presented on the principles and processes of addressing learner mistreatment across the continuum.  Key points included: Process of what happens when a learner comes forward with a concern; addressing disclosing vs reporting; transparency with faculty about the process, to complement the work being done in LEO for leadership to raise concerns and for faculty to address concerns.
  • Access to the Learner Experience Annual Report can be found here

Attachments

October 29, 2021

At our meeting on Friday, October 29, 2021 the following highlights were discussed/presented:

  • Teaching to Teach Workshops are up and running. If you are interested in learning more or would like to schedule a Teaching to Teach workshop, please contact the PARO office at 1-877-979-1182 or paro@paroteam.ca.
  • The Ministry of Health Pandemic Payout funding will be sent to PGME in the next week and PGME will distribute to all trainees who qualify.
  • CPSO informed PG that trainees who were not able to partake in the MCCQEII will have a pandemic exemption and can get full licensure from the CPSO without it at this time.
  • AFMC announced their unanimous decision that all medical schools in Canada will continue virtual interviews and a compressed timeline for 2023 PGY1 match.
  • An update from the Office of Indigenous Health was presented on the work being done nationally and locally – see attached for contact information and more details.

Attachments

September 24, 2021

At our meeting on Friday, September 24, 2021 the following highlights were discussed/presented: 

  • Dr. Tony Pignatiello has a new role as the Associate Dean, Learner Affairs. The Learner Affairs office will provide support to Undergraduate Medical Education (MD and MD/PhD), Postgraduate Medical Education (residents and fellows), Medical Radiation Sciences, Physician Assistant, and Occupational Therapy programs
  • PGYI Quotas Allocations were approved and will be sent to the Ministry of Health
  • MOH is considering reinstating the Medical Residency Redeployment Program (MRRP) which ended in July.  Update: The Ministry of Health has reinstated the program for September 22, 2021 through to December 31, 2021.
  • Electives outside of home schools are not permitted for this academic year
  • Streamlined Onboarding WG is looking for a Co-Chair – if you are interested, please speak to Jackie James or Patricia Houston
  • Proof of vaccination for PG Trainees is required at all clinical sites.  PG Trainees must upload to POWER and PGME will monitor and update statuses on a weekly basis

Attachments