CBMC Assistant Dean, Student and Resident Affairs

PURPOSE OF CAMPUS: 

Dalhousie University and Cape Breton University entered into a partnership in 2022 to establish the Cape Breton Medical Campus in Sydney, NS, with a goal of admitting the first cohort of learners in 2025. Together, the institutions share the goal of enhancing their contribution to Nova Scotia’s evolving health reform agenda by:

• increasing the number of family physician specialists and, eventually, Royal College specialist physicians serving communities in rural Nova Scotia;
• training physicians with exceptional skills and cultural competencies in the areas of family medicine, rural family medicine, rural practice, and L’nu health;
• advancing healthy communities through promotion of a preventative and collaborative care model that enables equitable access across the full continuum of care;
• creating opportunities for interprofessional education between physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, public health professionals, and other healthcare professionals to meet the current and future needs of communities in rural Nova Scotia; 
• improving health outcomes in rural communities and across Nova Scotia health zones, through interdisciplinary research, particularly in the areas of aging, frailty, and other diseases prevalent in rural communities (such as cancer and diabetes), as well as Indigenous health and African Nova Scotian health; 
• mobilizing inspired, passionate physician leaders to increase training capacity in Cape Breton and rural Nova Scotia; and
• advocating for family physicians and the health care system as a whole.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Cape Breton Medical Campus (CBMC) is one of the three campuses of Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine. The main administrative office is located on the CBU Campus in Sydney.   CBMC offers a continuum of education programming for up to 30 students per year over the 4-year undergraduate program. In addition, postgraduate residency training programs are provided as sites and streams of postgraduate training programs of Dalhousie University Postgraduate Medical education. Clinical teaching is provided by more than 650 faculty distributed throughout the clinical teaching sites and supported by local staff and academic leadership in Nova Scotia Health regional facilities. A partner in the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, Cape Breton is a developing leader in rural clinical trials capacity building. The Centre of Excellence for Healthy Aging is dedicated to programs and research that translates into improved care for older adults in rural Nova Scotia. Continuing professional development is provided to all faculty regardless of geography

JOB SUMMARY:

The Assistant Dean Student and Resident Affairs, CBMC provides academic and administrative leadership in the Faculty of Medicine with regards to student and resident affairs. The Assistant Dean oversees range of services and supports offered to students and includes: all aspects of career navigation, progression and certification, personal and medical needs, wellbeing and stress adaptation, academic advancement, professionalism, and financial literacy and debt management. The Assistant Dean communicates with and provides support to residents with regards to personal, social, financial, career planning and academic matters so as to facilitate a positive and successful experience in residency on all campuses. The Assistant Dean works collaboratively with the Assistant Deans Student & Resident Affairs at DMNS and DMNB to ensure comparable experiences and access to services and supports at distributed sites throughout the Maritimes.

This role is a 0.3 FTE role and the ability to work flexible hours within the CBMC schedule structure is a requirement

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. RESIDENT AND STUDENT SUPPORT

Dalhousie Medical School believes in a learner-centered approach to medical education that results in a positive and successful experience during medical training, regardless of training site. The Assistant Dean provides the support to students and residents with regards to personal and wellness-related matters that may impact their training.

Representative duties: 

• Meet and/or be accessible to all learners based or on rotation in Cape Breton
• Assist learners in identifying and navigating university processes, e.g., leaves, appeals, etc.
• Provide individual or group counseling and support as required in personal, social, financial, career planning and academic matters requiring accommodation or remediation.
• Provide crisis intervention for acute events, family matters, illness, etc.
• Identify students and residents with communicable diseases and provide referral to appropriate specialists, e.g., infectious diseases. Follow the FOM policy on dealing with residents and students with communicable diseases
• Counsel learners with acute or chronic illness – potential harm for self or others.
• Help facilitate the provision of educational accommodations for learners
• Assist learners in responding to inappropriate behavior by faculty or staff.
• Facilitate medical care when health matters affect academic performance.
• Verify student immunization records as required for hospital privileges for local and elective placements.
• Verify student Criminal Record Check(CRC) and Vulnerable Sector Check(VSC)
• Ensure contact is maintained with learners in difficulty to evaluate the situation and ensure issues are resolving.

2. Career Counseling
   
   

A primary objective of Dalhousie Medical School is to train students and residents to be outstanding clinicians, who are broadly prepared to practice in their chosen field of medicine.

Representative duties: 

• Design, implement and evaluate student affairs curriculum through access to existing programs that can be delivered from either site electronically or through local resources.
• Follow the established curriculum for career counseling across the four years of MD training
• Provide counseling for individual residents considering program transfer including the relative risk and benefits of such a change, as well as the general process and outcomes of transfer requests.

• Assist learners who choose to leave medical school or a residency program or are being dismissed
• Recruit faculty, staff and other individuals from allied health, community and government groups to participate in the delivery of programs, seminars, workshops, etc. which assist learners in career planning
• Ensure learners have access to resources and advice on all potential careers in medicine.
• Provide individual career counseling for all students ensuring career counseling incorporates all factors in career choice and progression including lifestyle, practice setting, business models, etc.
• Ensure the introduction, access and training in the electronic resources available to assist with individual career planning, e.g., Careers in Medicine (CIM).
• Provide elective counselling as it relates to career planning

2. FINANCIAL WELLNESS

Given the high cost of a medical education, learner debt load and the need to encourage learners from all socio-economic backgrounds, the Assistant Dean leads efforts to provide financial counseling to students and residents. 

Representative duties: 

• Facilitate referral of learners to resources to assist them with financial management or counselling when required or requested.
• Facilitate formal educational activities around financial planning.

3. SOCIAL SUPPORT 

Given the collegial nature of the medical profession and the need for physicians to work on teams, the Assistant Dean works with students, residents, faculty and staff to promote a positive and collaborative medical school experience at all three campuses and throughout the Maritimes.

Representative duties: 

• Works with Maritime Resident Doctors (MaRDocs) and the PGME office to enhance the residency experience through social activities and events.
• Facilitates collaborative activities and social interchange amongst the learners at all sites in as much as possible.
• Consult with MD class leadership to determine the needs of the class including specific requests for content specific events.
• Oversee the planning, organization and implementation of events specific to the Cape Breton Campus including orientation, celebration for convocation, etc.
• Serve on Faculty of Medicine and CBMC committees as required and/or related to the role.

E.        ADMINISTRATION

Representative duties:

• Responsible for administrative staff and faculty members working for Student and Resident Affairs.
• Submit and be accountable for annual budget for Resident Affairs.
• Serve on Faculty of Medicine committees as required.
• Chair Faculty of Medicine Resident Wellness Committee
  
  

IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS:

• Assistant Dean Admissions, Assistant Dean Student Affairs and Assistant Dean Resident Affairs, to develop faculty policy, planning and operations in Cape Breton
• Dean, Senior Associate Dean, CBMC and other Associate/Assistant Deans to implement faculty policy, planning and operations
• Assistant Dean Office of Professional Affairs, CBMC
• CBU and Nova Scotia Health leadership and support services and organizations
• Dalhousie Medical Student Society to delivery collaborative activities.
• Maritime Resident Doctors (MaRDocs) and faculty leadership and staff of the Postgraduate Medical Education Office to enhance the residency experience through social activities and events
• Student and Resident Affairs Leads to develop and maintain student supports at partnering sites
• Associations and Societies in Nova Scotia involved in Medical Education, such as Doctors Nova Scotia
• Other individuals/organizations as needed

REPORTING & ACCOUNTABILITY: 

The Assistant Dean Student & Resident Affairs, CBMC reports to the Senior Associate Dean of the Faculty of Medicine through:

• Regular meetings with the Senior Associate Dean;
• Oral reports at the Council of Assistant and Associate Deans’ meetings;
• Annual written reports to the Senior Associate Dean outlining goals achieved and newly established; and
• Oral and/or written reports as required by the Dean or Senior Associate Dean.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

• MD degree required
• Master’s degree in Education or Medical Education is considered an asset
• Ability to work a flexible schedule.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to organize and prioritize workloads, as well as the ability to work independently and multi-task in a deadline driven, team environment
• Ability to navigate and work with confidential setting with sensitive data
• Knowledge of medical education programs and/or academic health care environment would be beneficial.
• Demonstrated self-starter that has shown to exercise initiative and sound judgment in all aspects of work

Applications for the successful candidate will include a:

• cover letter describing the expertise of the applicant
• complete resume

Please upload all required documents to Additional Documents if no designated area is listed. Incomplete applications will not be considered.