Application Manual of IFMSA-QuĂŠbec Local Officers 2015-2016 Call for applications, position descriptions, required documents, deadlines.
Updated by :
Gabriel Lavoie Secretary-general 2015-16 secgen@ifmsa.qc.ca Prepared by :
David Alexandre Galiano Vice-president to internal affairs 2013-14
INTRODUCTION
This guide is designed to be a helpful resource for anyone interested in applying for the Local Officers positions. Please find below the tasks description, the application process, a short description of IFMSA-Québec's committees and who to contact for any information requests. On every campus, there are 4 Projects Committees (Global Health, Reproductive Health, Public Health, and Human rights and Peace) and 3 Exchanges Committees (Clinical, Research and Immersions). IFMSA-Québec is currently looking for filling all the Local Officier vacant positions, so we can complete a dynamic team committed to medical students’ social involvement.
TASK DESCRIPTION The Projects Committees Local Officer (2 for each campus and each committee) are responsible for initiating, continuing and coordinating their committee's activities on their campus. They are supported by the National Officer and work with their colleagues from the other universities. This is a non-exhaustive list (but not limited to) of activities that can be held throughout the year, by committee:
Public Health (SCOPH) : mental health awareness activities, nutrition workshops in primary schools, talks on public health matters such as non-communicable diseases and epidemiology, mental health workshops in high schools, etc.;
Global Health (SCOGH) : Talks on global health matters, tuberculosis campaign, climate changes awareness workshops, attending global health conferences such as the Yale Unite for Sight one, movie nights, etc.;
Reproductive Health (SCORA): sexual health awareness workshops in high schools (Sexperts!), HIV/AIDS awareness activities, raising awareness towards sexual diversity, dinner talk on urban health, etc.;
Human Rights & Peace (SCORP): talks on human rights matters, such as world geo-politic conflicts and migration, raising awareness towards refugees and migrants health, movie nights, campaigns, etc.
The Exchanges Committee Local Officers (2 for each campus and each committee) are responsible for organizing and managing the exchanges happening on their campus throughout the year. Specifically, they:
make sure all the internships offered by IFMSA-Québec run smoothly on their campus; prepare the outgoing students applications and make sure nothing is missing; welcome and manage the incoming students' internships; work, with the support of the Social Program Coordinator, towards developing the Social Program on their campus.
The time devoted to the position varies from week to week and depends on your campus reality (exam schedule, vacations, etc.). One should expect 1 to 3 hours of involvement per week in average. Please note that some weeks will be less busy than other, which is totally up to you.
HOW TO APPLY Your application must be sent in .pdf at elections@ifmsa.qc.ca before Wednesday, September th 16 2015, 23:59. It should contain:
A one-page maximum motivation letter, explaining why would like the position and what you wish to accomplish during the 2014-2015 term;
A two-page maximum curriculum vitae (CV), with your contact information;
A conflict of interest declaration detailing the other decision-making bodies where you sit (if relevant).
Successful applicants must attend the training day during IFMSA-Québec's Fall Congress (http://congresnational.ifmsa.qc.ca) on September 26th and 27th 2015. Attendance to the Congress is MANDATORY to take over the Local Officer's functions.
CONTACT INFORMATION For any question regarding the application process, please email: Gabriel Lavoie at secgen@ifmsa.qc.ca For any question regarding the committees, please email: Public Health: Bing Yu Chen at npo@ifmsa.qc.ca Global Health: Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers at nogh@ifmsa.qc.ca Reproductive Health and HIV/AIDS: Sarah Bergeron at nora@ifmsa.qc.ca Human Rights and Peace: Ioana Fugaru at norp@ifmsa.qc.ca Clinical Exchanges: Michael Skulimowski or Weronika Jakubowska at neo@ifmsa.qc.ca Research Exchanges: Tara D’Iganzio or Xiya Ma at nore@ifmsa.qc.ca Immersions : Maxime Leroux-Lapierre at noi@ifmsa.qc.ca
A short description of each committee, relevant issues and related projects follow, as well as the call for the vacant national positions.
PROJECTS COMMITTEES Projects committees (in IFMSA World: Standing Committee on...) each have a specific theme and aim at raising awareness towards their theme on the campuses using diverse tactics. The same committees exist at the international level, which facilitates communication, knowledge and ideas sharing across the world.
Public Health (npo@ifmsa.qc.ca) The public health committee aims at promoting and preserving health of our populations by acting upstream on the social determinants of health, such as life habits, access to proper healthcare, education and environment. Specifically, the committee organizes educational activities for the university community, offering an exchange platform for discussions on public health matters. Abbreviation: Standing Committee on Public Health (SCOPH)
Global Health (nogh@ifmsa.qc.ca) The committee wants to raise awareness and mobilize medical students and the general population towards global health issues and health injustice. We aim at training a generation of citizens aware of their role on the global scale and their impact on health, by organizing talks on the various campuses and by educating elementary school children on how climate changes issues can impact on health. Abbreviation: Standing Committee on Global Health (SCOGH)
Reproductive Health & HIV/AIDS (nora@ifmsa.qc.ca) The sexual health and AIDS committee of IFMSAQuĂŠbec gathers medical students that wish to promote sexual health to the public as well as to future health professionals. The committee aims at raising awareness towards HIV, maternal and reproductive health, female genital mutilations and gender and sexual diversity. Abbreviation: Standing Committee on Reproductive health including AIDS (SCORA)
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Human Rights and Peace (norp@ifmsa.qc.ca) The committee works towards human rights respect in a health perspective. It tries to demonstrate the direct link between human rights and social determinants of health with awareness campaigns, talks and community internships with diverse populations. Aboriginal health, refugee rights, medicine access, urban populations issues and world conflicts putting healthcare access at risk are all issues covered within the committee. Abbreviation: Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP)
EXCHANGES COMMITTEES Exchanges committees are responsible for organizing clinical, research and immersive internships in more than 30 countries. They are in charge of finding the internships for incoming students; help with the application processes, the pre-departure trainings and supporting the incoming students as well as the outgoing ones from when they apply until they completed their internship.
Clinical Exchanges (neo@ifmsa.qc.ca) The committee aims to give the opportunity to medical students across the globe to participate into an exchange program. The committee also strives to offer an educative cultural experience that goes beyond the traditional medical school curriculum, allowing medical students to know the different ways to practice medicine as well as the health problems of other countries. Abbreviation: Standing Committee on Professional Exchanges (SCOPE)
Research Exchanges (nore@ifmsa.qc.ca) The committee aims to give an opportunity to students worldwide to participate in a research exchange of IFMSA and to offer and educative experience, which goes beyond the traditional medical school curriculum. Abbreviation: Standing Committee on Research Exchange (SCORE
IMMERSIONS (noi@ifmsa.qc.ca) The committee is responsible of preparing and overlooking the clinical immersion in a low resource setting. Following the necessity to improve the pre-departure training and to teach the ethical components of international placements, the SCOI added to its mandate the promotion of pre-departure training for all students going abroad. The SCOI has also spread its activities outside of IFMSA-Québec, more specifically to the Québec faculties of medicine. Abbreviation: Standing Commitee on Immersions (SCOI) The SCOI is recruting for the positions on it’s team in Québec. If you are interested in applying, please submit a letter of motivation (1 page) and a curriculum vitae (2 pages) at elections@ifmsa.qc.ca before September 9th 2015, 23h59. Global health immersions program coordinator The SCOI’s foreign immersions coordinator is responsible for the logistical aspects of the immersions : applications, emails, preparations for trainings, contactings presenters, etc. He is also responsible for keeping the program running smoothl and to support the LOIs. FMSS/SCOI program coordinator The FMSS/SCOI program coordinator is responsible for the dealings implicating the Faculté de Médecine et des Sciences de la Santé de l’Université Sherbrooke as they relate to pre-departure trainings for UdeS students. He is tasled with coordinating the training team as well as planning the pre-departure trainings. Canadian immersions program coordoinator The Canadian immersions program coordoinator is responsible for organising one intership in the province of Québec for a profesional from each of the host nations for SCOI (Benin, China, Peru and Rwanda), in an effort to provide bilateral opportunities with our imersion locales.
OPEN SPOTS ON THE NATIONAL TEAM We are looking for interested members to fill those positions on the National Team, left vacant after the Spring Congress 2015 in Montreal. We warmly encourage you to consider applying, shall you be tempted by national challenges. A motivation letter (1 page), a CV (2 pages) and a short action plan (1 page) must be sent to elections@ifmsa.qc.ca before September 16th 2015, 23h59. Please note that working knowledge of French is required.
National Coordinator for the SCORP Recalling the direct link between the respect of basic human rights and health of individuals and populations, this committee works on the social determinants of health, including access to healthcare, education, employment, housing and social acceptance. It is also preoccupied with such things as international conflicts, as well as the reality faced by at risk and migrant populations. The national coordinator is responsible for coordinating his local teams’ efforts, to collaborate with other national coordinators on the realisation of the national campaign. Finally, he is the link between the SCORP in Quebec and abroad.
Spot it Coordinator The Spot it project is a peer education project dedicated to teaching high school students about the negative health impacts associated with exposure to UV radiation, as well as skin cancer and available options to prevent harmful exposure. The coordinator is tasked with the running and growth of the project on all of IFMSA-Québec’s campuses, as well as ensuring good collaboration with the national officer for public health, acting as liaison for the schools and managing the promotional and educational material.
OSMOSE Co-coordinator for Montreal The OSMOSE project, French for Ouverture à la Santé Mentale au Secondaire, aims to break the silence around mental health. The activities, given by medical students to classes of 10th or 11th grade, attempt to untangle the layers of misconceptions around mental health. Many different issues are discussed, including anxious disorders, depression, eating disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders and phobias. The OSMOSE committee is currently looking for a second coordinator to be responsible for the University of Montreal. A coordinator is responsible for ensuring the quality of the OSMOSE trainings, to collaborate with the NPO on matters of relating to both, to manage his project’s promotional material and, if necessary, to look for external financing.
Sexperts Co-coordinator for Montreal
The peer education project Sexperts aims to increase sexual health awareness amongst high school students. This project’s mains goals are to enable youth to take responsibility for their own sexual health, to stimulate their curiosity, to promote respect of themselves and of others, to debunk some myths around sexuality and to provide tools and simple resources for taking informed and responsible decisions about their sexual activities. The project is currently looking for a second coordinator for the University of Montreal. A coordinator needs to ensure the project is maintained, to recruit presenters, to keep in touch with schools and to keep the Presentation Manual updated.
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Global Health Colloquium Coordinator (csm@ifmsa.qc.ca) Organised yearly by IFMSA-Québec, the Global Health Colloquium (GHC) brings together experts, students and members of the public for a series of presentations and workshops focusing on global health. Furthermore, participants are encouraged to think and debate about these issues. This year, IFMSA-Québec’s national team is thinking of trying a new formula for the GHC, and we are looking for a coordinator to manage the team working on this large-scale project. As for the other positions on the GHC’s team, the call for applicants will start soon after the selections of the GHC coordinator.
Editor for the Global Health Newsletter (bsm@ifmsa.qc.ca) The Global Health Newsletter (Bulletin de santé mondiale, or BSM) is IFMSA-Québec’s official bilingal publication. Showcasing the vison of medical students implicated in public and global health, as well as medical education, the BSM is published every trimester. We are currently looking for someone to take over the mantle of chief editor.
Alumni Division Coordinator (anciens@ifmsa.qc.ca) IFMSA-Québec’s Alumni Division represents all alumni from Québec’s medical faculties, but is more routinely refers to old IFMSA-Québec members who are still interested in contributing to the organisation. The coordinator is responsible for organising activities to allow alumni members to come together and meet new members, for promoting current IFMSA-Québec events in the alumni network, as well as to obtain financial support for the organisation.
INcommunity Coordinator
Please note that working knowledge of French is required. The national Officer of INcommunity oversees the organization of immersions promoting a better understanding of local underserved communities. The coordinator ensures the development and visibility of the project throughout the different campuses, maintains good relations with Quebec medical faculties, and helps to develop different partnerships within the communities, while offering an educative experience to the participants beyond the traditional curriculum.
INcommunity Internship Coordinator (incommunity@ifmsa.qc.ca) The INcommunity team is looking for the following coordinators: Migrant internship, Offender internship, Urban internship, Aboriginal internship. A motivation letter (1 page), a CV (2 pages) and a short action plan (1 page) must be sent to secgen@ifmsa.qc.ca before September 16st 2015, 23h59. Please note that working knowledge of French is required. INcommunity is a program oriented towards the discovery of neglected and marginalies communities within Quebec. In an action paradigm oriented towards local needs, four week internships, preceded by few days of formation, are offered to students during the summer period amongst one of four targeted populations: migrants, offenders, urban populations and aboriginals
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Internship Coordinator Each INcommunity internship locale is supervised by at least one coordinator. The coordinator’s tasks are divided into three sectors: internship planning, selection and support of applicants and participation in the INcommunity team. 1. INTERNSHIP PLANIFICATION In the year preceding the internship, the coordinator: reviews the feedback given by participants from previous years to improve his internships; if necessary, updates the objectives and reflection questions for his internship; if necessary, updates the partners document for his internship; contacts partners to verify their availability and to confirm their participation in the internship program for the year; contacts new organisations that could be interested in taking in students and who’s activities fit the intended objectives of the internships; keeps his partners document up to date and accessible to other coordinators (through INcommunity’s Google Drive folder). Inside, he mentions the contact information for the organisations as well as a contact person and maintains an archive of past partnerships; A few weeks before the start of the internships, the coordinator: contacts partners to remind them of their participation in this year’s program, as well as to confirm their precise openings; builds the schedules for the internships; if necessary, updates the information codex for his internships by adding pertinent readings and by adding a final list of partners; if necessary, updates the feedback document for his internships. 2. SELECTION AND SUPPORT OF APPLICANTS Before the internship, the coordinator: participates in promoting INcommunity internships to students; participates in the selections of applicants and ensures the selected applicants are contacted and given pertinent information including the INcommunityé training dates; participates to the INcommunity training day, wherein he can meet his applicants to explain to them the details of their internships. During the internships, the coordinator : does regular follow-ups with his participants via email or telephone to ensure that any issues with the internships’ progress are dealt with swiftly and efficiently; reminds to his participants the importance of assisting to the debriefing meetings, as well as to do the required readings in the codex; according to his availability, participates in the debriefing meetings and stimulated discussions using the debriefing guide; remains available to listen to and discuss his participants’ questions, issues and difficulties. After the internship, the coordinator: communicates to his participants the feedback form, the questionnaire to evaluate new aptitudes as well as the template for the final report; ensures sure that all previously mentioned documents are received within the agreed upon delays; thanks the partners for their participation; reads his participants final reports; in light of them, he ensures that the required modifications to the internship, the codex or the training are taken into account as soon as possible to ensure the best and most pertinent internship experience possible.
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3. PARTICIPATION IN THE INCOMMUNITY TEAM All through the year, the coordinator: participates to the INcommunity team meetings to the utmost of his capacity; assists the project coordinator in his tasks; keeps other coordinators updated on the progress of the planification of his internships. If you have any questions, please contact Christine Ouellette, INcommunity’s coordinator for the year 2015-2016 at incommunity@ifmsa.qc.ca
Pour toutes questions : Gabriel Lavoie Secrétaire-général secgen@ifmsa.qc.ca | www.ifmsa.qc.ca
©2015-2016
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