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COVID-19: Faculty of Medicine Update 2020/03/11 - MSSS directive regarding learners, travel, conferences

Published: 12 March 2020

To all members of the Faculty of Medicine, including all learners:

On Tuesday, March 10, the Quebec Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) issued this letter regarding the evolving COVID-19 outbreak. Below is a summary of the MSSS’s directives regarding the role of all learners in the health professions. Additionally, the letter introduces travel restrictions, also summarized below, for all persons working in the hospital/clinical settings, including health care providers, learners, scientists, administrative support staff, all others. The MSSS directives take effect immediately.

The Faculty’s position is that all members of the Faculty, including health care providers, learners, scientists, administrative support staff, all others, who enter into the hospital/clinical or adjacent research milieus, whether they are in contact with patients or not, are expected to respect the travel restrictions below.

Moreover, those who do not work, train or conduct research in the hospital/clinical or adjacent research milieus are similarly expected to exercise social responsibility and an abundance of caution when making decisions about travel, as well as conferences and events. It is recommended that all abstain from travel outside Canada.

As members of the Faculty and health care system, we must exercise extra vigilance to safeguard against COVID-19, to stay healthy and to prevent the virus’s spread. Most of us either work in the clinical environment or regularly interact with those who do. Contracting and spreading COVID-19 would put our health care system and our patients at increased risk, as well as others. Thank you, in advance, for your commitment and support.

Summary of MSSS Directives (March 10, 2020)

Care of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases and the role of health profession learners

Students:

Medicine and other health profession students (nursing, physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, etc.) should not enter the room of a patient with a suspected or confirmed case of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).
All rotations, including electives, may continue, even in hospitals designated as centres for people who test positive for COVID-19.

Residents:

Residents are health care employees, as well as learners, and they are expected to take part in the care of all patients. However, for patients with a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19, contact should be limited to essential care to reduce the risk of infection and to ensure the optimal use of personal protective equipment.
Residents who are immuno-compromised should not be involved in the care of anyone being tested for, suspected of or treated for COVID-19.
Pediatric patients are not considered a population at risk.

New rules governing professional travel

All professional travel outside of Canada (including the United States) for all persons working in hospitals is suspended until August 31, 2020. This includes travel to attend a conference or a meeting, take part in a delegation or clinical rotations, and electives. This applies equally to all learners in the health professions in contact with patients.
This directive does not apply to learners undertaking a second residency training program or a post-residency fellowship training in another country. In these cases, the host country’s COVID-19 rules apply.

Personal travel

The above restriction does not apply to personal travel. However, the MSSS encourages health care professionals and learners to be very prudent as, depending on where they travel, a self-isolation period may be required upon their return home.

As the COVID-19 situation is rapidly evolving, we expect to send Faculty-wide updates as new information becomes available and decisions are made. I also encourage you to consult the websites below on a daily basis.

Thank you all for the pivotal role you are playing to manage, treat and turn the tide on this formidable virus.

Sincerely,

David Eidelman, MDCM
Vice-Principal (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine

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