Observerships
Observerships are approved through Medical Affairs to grant access for the individual to be present in clinical areas of the hospital. You may contact any faculty member or service in the department of Psychiatry in which you have an interest in conducting an Observership. It is up to the individual faculty as to whether they have the time to provide an observership. If they would like to provide you with an observership experience, contact Medical Affairs and complete the associated observer request form for the affiliated hospital (SJHC/LHSC).
Please follow the process as outlined on the Medical Affairs website which explains the documents you must submit along with the faculty request; found under "quick links" for both LHSC and SJHC.
Year 1 and 2 is a good time to enroll in observerships to get an early exposure to Psychiatry. Registration opens at the end of September and closes at the end of May. Observerships must take place outside of class time during the academic year. Both Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry and hospitals state that:
An Observer is not permitted, in any circumstances, to provide any patient care. This prohibition includes but is not limited to:
- taking a medical history,
- conducting physical examinations,
- diagnosing or treating patient’s condition,
- ordering, preparing or administering drugs,
- documenting on patients’ health records, either in electronic or hard copy format,
- having independent access to health records, either in electronic or hard copy format,
- performing or assisting in surgical procedures, or diagnostic patient interventions,
- obtaining consent,
- interacting directly with patient/SDM,
- providing health care advice.
