Elective Opportunities
DEPARTMENT OF ANESTHESIA (back to top) Anesthesia Resuscitation In the clinical setting of the Operating Room, Obstetrical Suite, Recovery Room and Pain Clinic, students will be encouraged to participate as the principles of applied physiology and pharmacology are discussed and demonstrated. The acquisition of practical skills such as airway management (including endotracheal intubation) and securing intravenous access are significant features of this elective. The further skills necessary to monitor the cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic responses anesthesia and surgical stress will be developed, with an added emphasis on cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Co-ordinator - Dr. R. Tanzola
Contact - Department of Anesthesiology - (613) 548-7827
DEPARTMENT OF CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE (back to top) An elective in Critical Care is aimed at the senior medical student who has some previous experience with acute care medicine on the wards. It is suggested that the ICU elective be a minimum of 3 weeks. The student works along side the rest of the health care team in our multidisciplinary medical/surgical ICU. The objectives for the rotation focus on the examination of the critically ill patient as well as being able to identify and manage the early phases of resuscitation and undifferentiated illness. There may be opportunity to develop and practice some of the technical skills within the environment of the ICU.
Coordinator - Dr. John Drover
Contact - Critical Care Program office, Anna Tavares 549-6666, ext. 6335.
DEPARTMENT OF DIAGNOSTIC RADIOLOGY (back to top) Clerkship Electives are offered year round in the Department of Diagnostic Radiology. Students participate as “observers” and will gain considerable knowledge of Diagnostic Radiology as it relates to all aspects of clinical medicine. At the same time they will have an opportunity to gain a basic knowledge of the imaging modalities available within the department. Requests can be tailored to accommodate electives in a specific area of imaging (i.e. MSK, Chest, Vascular, CT Scanning, Ultrasound) or a general elective incorporating exposure to a variety of imaging modalities. During the elective period, students are expected to attend all departmental rounds. Supervision and evaluation will be provided by Faculty Staff covering specific areas of imaging. Electives are not available over the Christmas - New Year's break.
Supervisor Dr. P. Fenton, Faculty Staff
Contact - Tammy Kearney (613) 549-6666 ext. 2613
DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE (back to top)
The Department of Emergency Medicine offers electives enabling clinical clerks to work under the supervision of the Emergency Medicine physicians in the Emergency Departments of the Kingston General Hospital and Hotel Dieu Hospital. During this elective students will be exposed to acute medical and surgical conditions as well as a wide variety of primary care problems. Availability of electives depends on the number of clinical clerks doing required rotations in the Department. Electives are not available over the Christmas - New Year’s break.
Departmental Clerkship Co-ordinator - Dr. Jim Landine
Contact -
Mary Lee (613) 548-2368
DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE (back to top)
The Department of Family Medicine at Queen's is glad to learn of your interest in Family Medicine electives! We have several opportunities for clerkship elective students starting in the 2012/2013 academic year. Unfortunately we can accommodate only one student per block.
The elective dates for 2012/2013 are as follows:
Clerkship Electives:
1. September 24 - October 5, 2012
2. October 8 - October 19, 2012
3. October 22 - November 2, 2012
4. November 5 - November 16, 2012
5. November 19 - December 1, 2012
6. February 12 - February 23, 2013
7. February 19 - March 2, 2013
8. February 26 - March 9, 2013
Queen's Students: Please contact the Undergraduate Program Assistant Kristie Salsbury at 613-533-9300 x73008 if you have any questions.
Visiting Elective Students: Please contact medelect@queensu.ca for more information.
We also encourage all students interested in Family Medicine electives to contact our provincial partners:
Rural Ontario Medical Program Eastern Regional Medical Educational Program Southwestern Ontario Medical Education Network Northern Ontario School of Medicine Weeneebayko General Hospital (Moose Factory, Ontario) A unique rural elective is offered to third and fourth year medical students in the Department of Family Medicine at the Weeneebayko General Hospital. Students are matched to one of ten family physicians on staff at this fully accredited 58 bed teaching hospital servicing the 10,000 predominantly Cree residents living in the six communities along the western shore of James and Hudson Bays. Travel to and from Kingston and accommodation is provided.
The objectives of this elective are 1. To develop understanding of cross-cultural issues in determinants of health. 2. To learn about aboriginal perceptions and priorities of health and about the aboriginal community. 3. To develop cross-cultural communication skills. 4. To learn about the impact of political, social and economic factors on health status. 5. To experience patient care in a remote primary care setting with limited on-site specialty back up.
To arrange a Moose Factory Elective contact the
Undergraduate Office DEPARTMENT OF MEDICINE (back to top) The Department of Medicine is pleased to assist any student wishing to complete a 2 – 4 week elective in any of the following subspecialty areas of interest:
Allergy and Immunology Cardiology Endocrinology Gastroenterology General Internal Medicine Geriatric Medicine Haematology and Oncology Infectious Diseases / Infection Control / Medical Microbiology Nephrology Neurology Respirology Rheumatology The elective students will have exposure to many learning opportunities in the area of their choice, in a wide variety of clinical settings, including out-patient clinics, in-patient wards, consults, and will function as an integrated member of the health care team. Students are also encouraged to attend the various teaching rounds at the bedside and in the seminar rooms that occur in the Department of Medicine on a daily basis. This elective should provide students with the opportunity to further develop their skill set in assessing, diagnosing, and managing patients with acute and chronic diseases in the field of Internal Medicine and its subspecialties.
Contact -
Administrator DEPARTMENT OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY (back to top) The availability of electives in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is largely based on learner volume (Clerks and Residents). Potential elective students are encouraged to contact Julie Wimmer regarding availability.
Rotations in the department generally include patient management in labour & delivery, operating room and emergency room setting, as well as out- patient exposure in clinics in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Students are encouraged to participate in teaching conferences and rounds.
Electives Coordinator - Dr. Richard Thomas
Contact - Ms. Julie Wimmer 613-549-6666 ext. 2139
e-mail:
julie.wimmer@queensu.ca DEPARTMENT OF ONCOLOGY (back to top) Clinical Oncology
Students will have the opportunity to work with Oncologists in the evaluation and management of patients with cancer. Electives are clinically oriented and range from one to four weeks duration. Longitudinal electives are also available. Students will be exposed to both Medical and Radiation Oncology Programs. We welcome students and will make every effort to accommodate specific requests. If the student is so inclined, a research project in areas such as radiobiology, radiation physics, tumour immunology, cancer epidemiology, palliative care, radiation or medical oncology may be developed and carried out under supervision. The objective of the elective will be to encourage the student to pursue a particular interest in oncology, in the context of a clinical overview of this challenging and exciting medical speciality.
Supervisor - Dr. C. de Metz
Contact:
Janice Frame, Education Assistant, KRCC 613-544-2631 ext. 6884
DEPARTMENT OF OPHTHALMOLOGY (back to top) Ophthalmology offers electives ranging from 1-2 weeks in length. These can be for students interested in pursuing an ophthalmology residency, or for those who would like to learn and practice their ophthalmology clinical skills. For the former, we provide a rotation through the various subspecialty clinics, which allows an opportunity to explore the various areas of ophthalmology, as well as the occasion to meet our attending staff and residents. You get a very good idea of what a residency position at Queen's would be like. For those interesting in learning more ophthalmology and a chance to practice various clinical skills, arrangements are made for a rotation through our busy and interesting Emergency Eye clinic. Please visit
www.queensophthalmology.ca for details.
Supervisor – Dr. Stephanie Baxter
Contact –
Erin Twiddy (613) 544-3400 x 3203
DEPARTMENT OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY (back to top) A clinical elective will place emphasis on the diagnosis and management of common ear, nose and throat disorders. The student will be exposed to in-hospital patient care, operating room procedures, general otolaryngology clinics and specialty clinics (e.g. Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic, Cancer Clinic or Hearing-Impaired Clinics). A research project can also be arranged.
Supervisors – Drs. Andre Tan and Russell Hollins
Contact -
Ms. Elvira Miranda (613) 544-3400 ext. 3616
DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS (back to top) The Department of Pediatrics is pleased to offer the following elective opportunities, subject to availability:
General Pediatrics
This elective in Outpatient General Pediatrics will concentrate of the presentations seen in hospital-based general pediatrics. Working with the Pediatricians of the Division of General Pediatrics, students will have exposure to infants, children and adolescents in general pediatric consultation clinics, urgent care clinics, sexual assault clinics and exposure to adolescents in foster care or juvenile detention.
Other Opportunities
The Department of Pediatrics is willing to work with individual students who wish to pursue an elective in Pediatrics and can customize opportunities to student needs.
Elective Supervisor: Dr. Richard van Wylick, Course Director -- Pediatrics and Development, Pediatric Clerkship and Integrated Clerskhip School of Medicine Queen's University
Contact: Elizabeth King, Pediatric Education Coordinator at kinge@queensu.ca or 613-544-3400 ext 3305
DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE (back to top) The department offers elective experiences in laboratory medicine disciplines including Anatomical Pathology, Hematopathology, and Neuropathology. This will provide an excellent opportunity for physicians in training to explore these disciplines in more depth. The clerks will participate as members of the team, alongside pathologists and pathology residents, in the analysis of microscopic slides and the correlation of this analysis with other clinical and laboratory (molecular, cytogenetic, hematologic, and biochemical) data in order to arrive at a diagnosis. Through exposure to general surgical, hematologic and autopsy pathology the clerk can gain a broad overview of laboratory medicine but the elective may also be specifically directed to subspecialty areas including, amongst others, dermatopathology, hematopathology, GI pathology, forensic pathology, gynecologic pathology, neuropathology and cytology. Assignment to specific supervisors will be made according to the field of interest.
Supervisor – Dr. T. Childs (613) 533-2820
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY (back to top) The Department of Psychiatry provides a diversity of clinical, academic and research experiences, for Clinical clerks. These range from Specialty Population, Clinical Placements, and Research Projects to Outreach Clinics.
The electives are flexible and can be customized to the needs of each clinical clerk e.g. a clinical placement on Geriatrics or a combination of this and Neuropsychiatric aspects of medical illnesses in Consultation Liaison.
Students interested in sharing our stimulating and challenging department may contact Dr. Nasreen Roberts: 613 544 3310 ext. 3510 who will direct you to the person in your area of interest.
1. General Adult Psychiatry Division
Director: Dr. Kola Oyewumi, (613) 544 3310, ext. 2534
This placement has an inpatient, outpatient and research component. The inpatient unit at the Hotel Dieu hospital is a short-term acute psychiatric unit where you would be exposed to almost all major psychiatric disorders. The clinical supervisors and the multidisciplinary team will ensure your training for future diagnostic and management these disorders.
The outpatient component gives you access to excellent specialty clinics run by internationally recognized experts in mood disorder, anxiety disorder clinic and the first episode psychosis. There is ongoing research component built into these clinics. Additionally there are outreach clinics and consultation clinic to the Family Medicine Centre
2. Consultation Liaison Service.
Dr. Louis VanZyl, (613) 548-3232
This service is based in the Kingston General Hospital. Of the three psychiatrists on this service two of the psychiatrists are involved in undergraduate teaching and are considered excellent tutors. This service is a superb amalgam of scholarly research and clinical excellence. You will see psychiatric aspects of all medical illness and the interface between psychiatry and general medical, surgical and gynecological condition. Specialty clinics like the HIV consult clinic and drug studies are another excellent aspect of this service
3. Geriatric Psychiatry Division
Dr. Ken LeClair, (613) 546-1101
This Division is at the Providence Continuing Care Centre (PCCC) and is a large division with a number of national experts in this fastest growing population. The didactic teaching and interviewing skill training for this placement is excellent and sought after due to the capacity of the program to provide a very comprehensive training package with clinical experiences in a multitude of settings: nursing home, hospital and home. The psychiatrists in this program have produced an excellent undergraduate teaching paradigm.
4. Forensic Psychiatry Division
Dr. J. Arboleda-Flórez (Chairman/Head Department of Psychiatry) (613) 544-3310, ext. 2548
This division is at the PCCC and is renowned by the affiliation of its Director to the World Health Organization in the area of psychiatry. A vibrant mixture of academic scholarly research and clinical experience provides a fertile ground for training the numerous national and international graduate and postgraduate trainees and fellows.
This division has close links with the Epidemiology Department of Queens and is renowned for its work on the mentally ill offender and de-stigmatization of psychiatric patients. There are a number of excellent mentors and teachers who are enthusiastic and eager to teach and guide the trainees through this very special population.
5. Child and Adolescent Division
Dr. J. Leverette, (613) 544-3310, Ext. 3017
The C&A is in the Hotel Dieu Hospital and has an adolescent inpatient unit, day program and outpatient service. You will get excellent exposure to all interventions and treatment modalities. Outreach consultation is provided by the psychiatrist to community mental health agencies in Smithsfalls, Brockville and Kingston. This division provides clinical training in the areas of, Emergency and Urgent consult, Mood and anxiety disorders and inpatient. There are a number of intramural teaching sessions each week in which all staff and trainees participate. There is a very active Multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and management. Additionally this division has trained family therapists who provide excellent teaching and exposure in dealing with family issues. The Division boasts highly academic and research orientated staff. There is ongoing research in Medical Education, Suicidality and Mood Disorder.
DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION (back to top) The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation offers a variable length clinical elective based at St. Mary's of the Lake Hospital. Individuals wishing to improve their skills/knowledge in musculoskeletal and neurological examination/diagnosis/treatment would find this a particularly useful elective experience. In addition to clinic evaluations, acute care consults and rehabilitation unit patient care; the elective student will have an opportunity to work with the members of the multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams. Patient impairment groups include: acute and chronic neuromusculoskeletal pain problems, sport and work related injuries, spinal cord and brain injury, strokes, limb amputations, pediatric neuromusculoskeletal problems and problems requiring nerve conduction and needle EMG evaluation
Coordinator - Dr. J. Wee
Departmental Assistant,
Ms. B. Smith at (613) 533-6290
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY (back to top) The following 2-4 week elective programs are available in the Department of Surgery:
• General Surgery
• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Plastic Surgery
The elective experience will provide the student with an opportunity to strengthen their clinical problem solving while working with a team of Attending Faculty and Resident Housestaff caring for Surgical Inpatients at Kingston General Hospital. In addition to the hospital experience, students will be exposed to a high volume of ambulatory encounters at Hotel Dieu Hospital which will enable them to practice and improve their clinical assessment and provide opportunities for both pre- and post-operative assessment and follow-up. A variety of sub-specialty interests can be accommodated on the General Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery services, if space is available. In addition, students who register for a four-week elective may have the opportunity to become involved in a limited research experience such as a chart review. Students will be placed on the call schedule as part of their elective experience.
Students should contact Ms. Mara Kottis, Program Assistant, in writing via email to determine whether there is space available during their scheduled elective time. Students must demonstrate a prior satisfactory standing in Surgery in order to be eligible for an Elective rotation.
Contact information:
Ms. Mara Kottis
Department of Surgery
76 Stuart Street
Kingston, ON K7L 2V7
kottism@queensu.ca DEPARTMENT OF UROLOGY (back to top) We welcome any medical students who wish to investigate urology as an elective at Queen's. Electives can last from one to four weeks although 2 to 3 weeks would be optimal. Many of our residents have attended medical school in other centres but have usually had some time to experience our program. If an elective is not possible we would encourage at least a site visit to familiarize prospective applicants to Kingston and the program at Queen's.
Elective dates and site visits can be co-ordinated through Bev Howes at 613 549 6666 x3743.
