Principle

All learners must complete their postgraduate training program(s) within a reasonable length of time with every effort made to balance learner well-being with academic requirements. Postgraduate training programs of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) are designed to be completed as full-time programs; however, it is recognized that completing a postgraduate training program on a part-time basis may be necessary or desirable to accommodate learners under exceptional circumstances (e.g. family or personal responsibilities; illness; disability; etc.).  Learners returning from extended medical leave should refer to the Faculty of Medicine’s Leave Management Policy.

Purpose

To facilitate the development of part-time postgraduate training programs under appropriate circumstances.

Scope

All postgraduate training programs at Memorial University (Memorial) with the exception of learners returning from extended medical leave.

Definitions

Learner — A trainee registered in a postgraduate training program accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

Postgraduate Training Program — A period of training in a specific discipline of medicine prescribed by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) leading to certification by one of these bodies.

Program Director — The faculty member assigned responsibility for the overall conduct of the residency program in a given clinical discipline.

Residency Program Committee — A committee established to assist the Program Director in the planning, organization, and supervision of the postgraduate training program.

Policy

1.0 Under exceptional circumstances, consideration may be given for a learner to complete a portion of their postgraduate training program on a part-time basis.

1.1 The majority of any postgraduate training program must be completed on a full-time basis.

2.0 Part-time postgraduate training schedules are developed on a case-by-case basis and will reflect what the applicable postgraduate training program can reasonably provide.

2.1 There may be obligatory full-time required training experiences mandated as part of the overall postgraduate training program since clinical education must include a period of on-call experience. Required training experiences that require a deviation back to full-time status must be explicitly highlighted as part of the new part-time postgraduate training curriculum map.

3.0 In all cases, the regulations of the applicable national college regarding part-time postgraduate training will apply.

3.1 For RCPSC programs, these are outlined on the RCPSC webpage in the Policies and Procedures for Certification and Fellowship, Section IV, 4.3.1 Fractional (Part-time) Residency Training.

3.2 For CFPC programs, these are outlined in the Requirements for Residency Eligibility – Part-time or shared residency training.

4.0. Modified from the Part-time Residency Training Guideline of the Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine, the following conditions for acceptability of part-time postgraduate training apply:

4.1. A learner can only request part-time postgraduate training after they have successfully completed their first year of training (non-Competence by Design programs) or the Foundations of Discipline stage (Competence by Design programs).

4.2. Only learners who are in good academic standing will be considered for part-time postgraduate training.

4.3. A part-time training commitment is to be no less than 60% of that of a full-time learner.

4.3.1. The postgraduate training program will be extended based on the part-time training commitment.

4.3.2. Minimum time requirements apply. No more than one third (1/3) of a required training experience can be missed. Missing greater than one third (1/3) of a required training experience will result in the entire required training experience being deemed incomplete.

4.3.3. Incomplete required training experiences will be added as time required to finish the program.

4.3.4. A waiver of training will not be granted.

4.3.5. Excluding leave entitlement, time off is not permitted. In extraordinary circumstances special leave without pay would need to be requested separately, in writing with reasons for the request.

4.3.6. No more than two (2) months of training can be completed outside of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

4.4. A part-time program must include all components of the postgraduate training program. The curriculum will be designed by the Program Director in consultation with the learner prior to the start of the part-time training and the learner will have a copy prior to commencing their training. The learner will be in agreement with the proposed part-time curriculum.

4.4.1. The Program Director will certify that the supervision and assessment is equivalent to that of the other full-time learners in the program and the educational experience is equivalent in all other respects to the normal full-time training program.

4.5. Prior to a learner commencing part-time postgraduate training, approval is required by the:

4.5.1. Residency Program Committee (RPC); and

4.5.2. Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME).

4.6. The implementation of any deviations to a previously approved part-time postgraduate training program requires approval by the RPC which must be documented in writing and forwarded to the Associate Dean, PGME.

4.7. All part-time learners shall be registered as “residents in training” but will receive credit only for the fraction of training for which they complete.

4.8. Learners are required to maintain full licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador (CPSNL) and full insurance coverage by Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) while completing part-time training.

4.9. If a part-time learner is not progressing as expected or is requiring modifications to training as a result of performance concerns, the learner may be required to convert back to full-time training.

4.9.1. If a part-time learner is required to complete a formal remediation plan or probation period, they will be required to convert back to full-time training. The learner, Associate Dean, PGME, and the applicable National College and applicable regional health authority shall be informed of the conversion back to full-time training.

4.10. When returning to full-time studies, the learner must rejoin at the regular change over dates.

4.10.1. A minimum notice equivalent of (8) eight weeks may be required to switch back to full-time studies.

4.11. The learner would not normally revert back to part-time studies unless there are exceptional circumstances.

5.0. Off-service Call (Moonlighting)

5.1. Part-time learners are not permitted to complete duties and on-call service outside of those mandated by current required training experiences.

6.0. Salary and Contractual Benefits/Obligations

6.1. A learner’s salary and contractual benefits and obligations as outlined in the collective agreement of the Professional Association of Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador (PARNL) will be modified to reflect the percentage of the part-time /full-time schedule the learner will be completing.

7.0. University Fees

7.1. As a result of modifications to a learner’s full-time status, registration fees and/or other graduate student fees will be assessed on a case-by-case basis in consultation with the Office of the Registrar and Financial and Administrative Services.

Procedure

A.0 The learner submits a written request for part-time training to their Program Director, outlining the reasons for the request. A minimum of (8) eight weeks’ notice is required.

B.0 The Program Director and learner meet to discuss the logistics of part-time training, taking into consideration the following aspects:

B.1. Educational training requirements of the program, continuity of care, as well as loss of educational benefits only provided through full-time training;

B.2. Determination of the duration and percentage of the part-time training period;

B.3. Expected date of return to full-time training and if an incremental return to full time training might be beneficial to the learner; and

B.4. Impact on the postgraduate training program and the learner’s peers.

C.0 A complete part-time postgraduate training request package is submitted by the Program Director to the RPC for review. The package must include the following:

C.1. rationale for part-time training;

C.2. part-time training curriculum and schedule, including any required deviations or special arrangements based on required training experiences; and

C.3. documentation indicating that the plan has been reviewed and approved by the learner.

D.0 Approval of a learner’s part-time training by the RPC shall be documented in the RPC meeting minutes. Once approved by the RPC, the Program Director (or delegate) will send the request and package to the Associate Dean, PGME for review.

E.0 The final decision of the Associate Dean, PGME, regarding the approval of the part-time postgraduate training request will be communicated to the learner and Program Director, in writing.

E.1. For learners in RCPSC programs, the notification of part-time residency application form is to be submitted to the College once the request has been approved by the Associate Dean, PGME.

E.2. PGME will inform the appropriate regional health authority of the modifications.

Related Documents

Related Links

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

The College of Family Physicians of Canada

FoM Waiver of Training Policy

FoM Leave Management Policy

FoM Moonlighting Policy

Part-time Postgraduate Training Application Form

Professional Association of Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador

Procedures:

There are no procedures associated with this policy.