Pre-clerkship in HIV

The OHTN’s Pre-clerkship HIV elective program provides Ontario’s medical students with additional exposure to HIV issues, increasing their awareness of HIV management, both from the perspective of the clinician as well as persons living with HIV.

Here’s what 2nd year medical students from the University of Ottawa had to say about their experience in 2014/15:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T5IKYJCDlU

How do the students learn?

OHTN funding provides the student-led programs with opportunities to organize guest lectures, observe HIV physicians in practice, learn from people living with and/or affected by HIV, and to observe specialized practices like testing clinics and addiction sites.

There is no limit to the number of students that can be enrolled in the elective, and students who participate do so voluntarily, depending on their personal and professional goals. The OHTN currently funds programs at the University of Toronto, Queens University and the University of Ottawa.

What have we accomplished?

On April 17th, 2015, we hosted Are we prepped for PrEP? an online conference for Ontario’s next generation of HIV physicians. 55 community members, academics, physicians and medical students from across Ontario all contributed to this interactive discussion.

Our learning objectives were to (1) give participants a chance to learn basic information about the science and implementation of PrEP in Ontario, (2) become aware about how PrEP is currently being used by one HIV Prevention Clinic in Toronto, ON, and (3) discuss what role that emerging physicians will play regarding PrEP in Ontario.

We’re proud to report that 90% of respondents to the conference evaluation were satisfied, or very satisfied, with their learning experience, and 60% of respondents increased their knowledge of PrEP by at least one learning level.

If you’re interested, you can watch a recording of the online conference.

How to apply?

To apply to the OHTN’s Pre-clerkship HIV elective program, prepare a short (3-4 page) proposal that includes:

  • Learning goals and objectives
  • A summary of events, activites and lectures that your school’s elective program will organize throughout the year
  • An itemized budget to request OHTN funding (up to $5000)
  • A clear plan of how people living with and/or affected by HIV in your community will contribute to your program’s educational activities

Send your proposal to Mitch Harris, Education & Training Coordinator, 416-642-6486 x 2241.

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