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Faculty of Health Sciences

Department of Medicine

Medicine Subspecialties

Specialty Selective Clerkship

As part of medical training, entry into the clerkship rotation marks the transition point of the student from learning the principles of medicine to application. This is a two-week core rotation. The Specialty Selectives (SEL) program offers a unique student learning environment in allowing this shift toward pragmatism to occur. Medical students are provided opportunities to observe and actively participate in clinical interactions in order to acquire the knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes and judgement required for future practice.

Clinical clerks should identify that a physician as not just a medical expert but also a communicator, collaborator, health advocate, manager, professional and scholar. One of the major aims of the rotation is to understand the various roles a medical subspecialist portrays and the impact upon patient care.

During the SEL rotation, students are expected to gain an understanding of the values of the profession including duties to their patients, inter-professionals, colleagues and to society in general.

Overview

Welcome

The Specialty Selective Clerkship program is a dynamic two-week core clerkship rotation spanning multiple specialties in medicine including cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology (GI), geriatrics, hematology, intensive care unit (ICU), infectious diseases, nephrology, neurology, medical oncology, respirology and rheumatology. Each rotation includes one-on-one or small group tutorials with a member of the faculty (or specialty fellow) where key concepts of each specialty are reviewed. Each Specialty Selective rotation has one – three clerks per rotation, resulting in a highly personalized learning experience for students. The Selectives rotation provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn how to manage acute patients within each specialty in the hospital setting, as well as gaining exposure assessing patients in busy ambulatory care clinics. In addition, many of the rotations offer the opportunity for the students to learn specialty specific procedures such as performing a paracentesis during the GI rotation.

Each rotation has carefully selected faculty coordinators who are passionate and engaged ambassadors of their respective specialties, all of whom work diligently to ensure that the students have productive learning experiences and come to have an appreciation of the scope of practice within each specialty. Every effort is made to showcase the specialties to the students exposing them to not only the types of conditions managed but also allowing the opportunity to interact closely with faculty to see what a career in each of these subspecialties entails. The Specialty Selective Clerkship rotation presents student awards annually. Many of our faculty and residents have been recognized with teaching awards. As the Specialty Selective clerkship director, is it my goal to ensure students have a highly educational clinical experience with engaged and enthusiastic mentors allowing the students to leave the rotation with a sense of the scope of the specialty.

Robert Spaziani
Specialty Selectives Clerkship Director

Objectives

There are two sets of goals during the Specialty Selective rotation. The first set of goals are CanMEDS based. The second set of objectives reflect each individual specialty.

1. Patient Care (CanMEDS Medical Expert and Patient Advocate Roles)
Provide patient-centred care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health

2. Knowledge for Practice (CanMEDS Medical Expert and Patient Advocate Roles)
Demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, epidemiological and social-behavioural sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care

3. Practice-Based Learning and Improvement (CanMEDS Scholar and Professional Roles)
Demonstrate the ability to investigate and evaluate one’s care of patients, to appraise and assimilate scientific evidence and to continuously improve patient care based on constant self-evaluation and life-long learning

4. Interpersonal and Communication Skills (CanMEDS Communicator Role)
Demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families and health professionals

5. Professionalism (CanMEDS Professional Role)
Demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities and an adherence to ethical principles

6. Systems-Based Practice (CanMEDS Manager and Health Advocate Roles)
Demonstrate an awareness of, and responsiveness to, the larger context and system of health care, as well as the ability to call effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care

7. Inter-professional Collaboration (CanMEDS Collaborator Role)
Demonstrate the ability to engage in an inter-professional team in a manner that optimizes safe, effective patient- and population-centred care

8. Personal and Professional Development (CanMEDS Scholar and Professional Roles)
Demonstrate the qualities required to sustain lifelong personal and professional growth

MacDOTS

There are five mandatory MacDOTs, designed to be similar to Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), that need to be completed. They are as follows:

  • One physical exam relevant to specialty
  • One history relevant to specialty
  • One professional competency (ProComp)
  • The remaining two MacDOTs can be a combination of any of the above MacDOTs

Specialties Offered

Information Box Group

Hamilton Campus

  • Cardiology
  • Dermatology
  • Geriatrics
  • Gastroenterology
  • Hematology
  • Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Medical Oncology
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology
  • Respirology
  • Rheumatology

Waterloo Campus

  • Allergy/Immunology
  • Cardiology Selective
  • Endocrinology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Geriatrics
  • Hematology/Oncology
  • ICU Medicine
  • Infectious Disease
  • Nephrology Selective
  • Neurology
  • Respirology

Niagara Campus

  • Cardiology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Geriatrics
  • ICU Medicine
  • Infectious Disease
  • Internal Medicine
  • Medical Oncology
  • Nephrology
  • Neurology

Regional Campuses

Waterloo Campus

Niagara Campus

Contact Us

Please email us for more information.

Information Box Group

Robert Spaziani

MD

Associate Professor

Specialty Selectives Clerkship Director

spaziar@mcmaster.ca McMaster Experts Profile
Head shot of Rachelle Dyment

Rachelle Dyment

Fellowship Administrator Medicine
Specialties Central Fellowship Office
PGME Fellowship Office

(905) 522-1155 x 33310 dyment@mcmaster.ca