Community Partners
Community partners are vital to the ICE:HC curriculum. Community-Based Student Learning (CBSL) experiences are supported with classes on community development and social determinants of health, and opportunities for students to reflect and share what they learn with peers. Community partners are paired with faculty instructors as co-educators and contribute to facilitating discussions in class.
Between September and May, a small group of 3-4 medical students will spend 10 Thursday afternoons participating, observing, and/or working with you on an initiative that contributes to the goals of your organization and provides advocacy for the community that you serve.
What kind of work can you do with us?
In addition to participating in work already happening at your organization, students will contribute to a deliverable that is determined by the needs of your organization. The HC team will work with you to develop a plan for how you would like the students to contribute. Some options include:
Consultation:
Community partner(s) identify and introduce challenges, and students help to develop solutions. For example:
- Pamphlets, presentations, websites and videos
- Developing marketing ideas, identifying fundraising opportunities, building social media presence and public awareness about your organization
Project-Based Work:
Students contribute to initiatives led by community partners. For example:
- Lessons on healthy lifestyle choices, exercise instruction, health promotion, safe internet use
- Information booklet/pamphlet design for a specific community organization
- Contributing to annual reports, conducting literature reviews, and other tasks that will also provide opportunities to use research and writing skills
One-on-One Programming:
Each student is paired with one individual from or through the partner organization. For example:
- Mentor programming
- Refugee outreach: assistance with filling out forms in English (tax forms, important documents)
- Virtual/phone "Friendly Visiting"
FAQ
I am interested in having students come to our organization, what is my role as a Community Supervisor?
Community Supervisors for CBSL are called co-educators and are linked with faculty (family physicians and allied health professionals) in a continuous partnership. Students in that faculty member’s small tutorial group are connected each academic year to your organization, and placement activities can continue and grow over the years.
Co-educators do not need to have a medical or science background. CBSL placements are strictly non-clinical in nature. The expertise you share with our students will be rooted in your own organization and community, and your knowledge of the people you work for and with. There is no other specific educational or professional requirement for CBSL supervision.
Co-educators are invited to help facilitate a tutorial session for students at the University, where they share their expertise and provide a critical perspective from the front lines.
Co-educators do not need to have a medical or science background. CBSL placements are strictly non-clinical in nature. The expertise you share with our students will be rooted in your own organization and community, and your knowledge of the people you work for and with. There is no other specific educational or professional requirement for CBSL supervision.
Co-educators are invited to provide feedback on our curriculum at Community Partner Advisory Council meetings, and to evaluate students’ professionalism at the end of the placement.
What are the dates that I have to commit to for the upcoming academic year?
The academic year runs from September to May. Students will connect with you to arrange plans to meet either in-person or virtually on their placement dates. On our end, we wish to be flexible, as we understand that circumstances may change quickly in terms of whether you are permitted to have students in your space or not. If you have any issues scheduling this with your students, please let us know.
The following has been shared with all parties:
- The number of Field Experiences in the schedule represents the minimum expectations for student engagement in CBSL.
- In student schedules for Year 2, there is protected time for Field Experiences on ten Thursday afternoons. These blocks are intended to preserve time in student schedules.
- Partner organizations may have other enriching opportunities to engage students that fall outside of protected times. Students are expected to be flexible in arranging times for Field Experiences with their community partners.
- With the community partner supervisors, students will negotiate days/times for Field Experience visits using the scheduled protected time and/or other unscheduled times where they do not have mandatory classes.
- Once the days/times of field experiences have been arranged, students should share the details with their tutor.
Will I work with the same faculty member each year?
Yes! Of course, there will inevitably be some turnover on both ends, but the intention is for faculty tutors and community supervisors to continue to collaborate year over year.
Can faculty tutors engage in work with the students during the placement?
Typically, faculty tutors will not be engaging in the students’ work during their CBSL placement, and do not direct or decide what the work will be. There may be some rare exceptions here, as there may be opportunities that arise for professional collaboration, but as a rule, their role is supportive.
I am a current community supervisor, who can I reach out to if I have an issue with the students?
If you have any issues with student attendance, professionalism, etc., please contact the Faculty Tutor for your group or the ICE:HC Director. Our Administrative Staff can be reached at md.hc@utoronto.ca.
Do I have to complete any placement agreement forms?
Our placement sites are an integral piece of the student experiences and as part of this we want to ensure that both our placement sites and students are protected. The University enters into a standard placement agreement with all of the various sites where placements take place (both clinical and non-clinical). As well, The Ministry College and Universities (MCU) has issued Guidelines for Workplace Insurance for College and University Students on Unpaid Work Placements that detail the process for students on work placements who are enrolled in an approved Ontario university program.
To facilitate student placements at your site, we will be reaching out to you to provide further information and for you to review and sign the following documents:
- University of Toronto Student Placement Agreement, which outlines responsibilities of students, placement sites, and the University
- Letter to Placement Employers, which deals with workplace insurance for students and indicates whether your office is covered by WSIB
You will only be contacted if a placement agreement has lapsed, and/or if there isn’t any agreement in place already.