Family Medicine

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A Day in the Life of a Preceptor is an accredited certificate program developed by family physicians, for family physicians to advance teaching skills in Family Medicine.

What are the opportunities to teach in Years 1 & 2?

You can teach with patient care (Office Visits) or without patient care (Seminars).

Office Visits: Students observe you in a typical or specialty family medicine setting and practice skills they are learning. You provide feedback on where they are doing well or need to improve. You commit to 10-12 half days (2-3 hours each) or 5-6 full days (4-5 hours each) per term. Times are flexible to suit your schedule.

Seminar: Students learn in a small-group case study setting (8-10 students). Tutor guides with case studies and learning objectives are provided. Each session lasts 2.5 – 3 hours.

Teach in Year 1

Office Visits

Flexible days and times, based on mutual availability.

Seminar

Tuesday & Thursday from 1:00PM – 4:30PM at Life Sciences Centre, UBC.

Teach in Year 2

Office Visits

Flexible days and times, based on mutual availability.

Seminar

Monday & Wednesday from 1:00PM – 4:30PM at Diamond Health Care Centre, VGH.

What are the opportunities to teach in Years 3 & 4?

You can teach Clerkship or Electives.

Clerkship: Students gain an understanding of the total health care of individuals and their community, including the philosophy of medical care from birth to death, and from home to hospital and back home.

Electives: Students gain an understanding of general (urban and rural) and focused electives.

Teach in Year 3

Clerkship

  • The focus is on students participating in the active delivery of care in a clinic versus hospital.
  • 85-90% of students complete their 4-week FP clerkship in a rural or semi-rural location; 10-15% in an urban or suburban locations.

You commit to a minimum 3.5 days per week over a 4 week rotation within the year. Commitment can be shared with local colleagues.

Teach in Year 4

Electives

  • 2 and 4 week electives are in very high demand as competition for Family Practice residencies has increased.
  • Focused electives include anesthesia, emergency medicine, opioid substitution, geriatric medicine, oncology, dermatology, indigenous care, sports medicine, obstetrics, hospitalist and palliative care.

You commit to a minimum 3.5 days per week over a 2 or 4 week rotation within the year. Commitment can be shared with local colleagues.

FAQ

Do I need a UBC Faculty Appointment to teach?

Yes, a UBC faculty appointment is required to teach. Forms and contacts for a Clinical Faculty Appointment can be found here.

How are tutors remunerated?

You will be paid $100.98 per session for teaching 1 student, or $123.42 per session of 2 students, if eligible.

In addition, you will receive a UBC faculty appointment which includes many benefits such as free access to most leading medical journals online.

What is the schedule breakdown for Years 1 & 2 office visits?

Approximately 10–12 half days (or 5–6 full days) total throughout each term.

  • A half-day session is ~2-3 hours, and dates/times are flexible to suit your schedule.
  • Sessions can be combined into full-days in order to reduce the number of overall “visits.”
  • The experiences can take most days/times throughout the week based on mutual availability across the term.

As a guideline, we have dedicated time for the students placements on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons, as well as Thursday mornings. We can also accommodate visits outside of these times if preferred.

What will students be doing in my office?

Students learn either through in person visits or via tele-health. For example, students can take a history for 20 minutes while you see two patients, and then you can review with them and observe or demonstrate part of a physical exam.


Consider enrolling in A Day in the Life of a Preceptor, a novel certificate program developed by family physicians, for family physicians to advance teaching skills.

Who are my Family Practice contacts?

Family Medicine Clinical Faculty Administrator (UBC Appointment & Payments)

Years 1 & 2 General Support

Undergraduate Program Director

Years 1 & 2 VFMP Co-Site Directors

Years 3 & 4 Directors

Years 3 & 4 VFMP Co-Site Leads

“The strengths of this rotation included the preceptor, the variety of experiences, the supportive learning environment and the phenomenal community. I loved every minute of my experience and would love to go back!”

Certificate Program: A Day in the Life of a Preceptor

Gain teaching tips and takeaways from experienced family physicians who understand the day-to-day of taking in medical learners while juggling clinical work.

Preparing for Teaching

Understanding the level of the learner, co-constructing goals, optimising your office set-up.

Learning Relationships

The impact of role-modelling, fostering professionalism and inclusivity.

Teaching Skills (In Office)

Strategies to develop clinical reasoning, time-efficient teaching, and laddered learning.

Teaching Skills (Virtual)

Incorporating learners into virtual environments, developing active learning strategies and rapport for online.

Feedback, Assessment, Observation

Your role in assessment, constructing feedback conversations, and supporting the learner in difficulty.