Travel Policy

The purpose of the UGME Student Travel Policy is to prescribe college-level standards for approval of undergraduate medical students’ travel for academic purposes and to ensure reimbursement of students for such travel when appropriate.

This policy provides for the consistent approval of undergraduate medical student travel when this travel is required by the UGME program.  This will require that strategies are employed to ensure student safety as well as ensure a standard for reimbursement for travel expenses.

This policy applies to all undergraduate students registered in the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program at the University of Saskatchewan irrespective of the geographically distributed site/campus to which they are currently assigned.

This policy pertains to travel associated with Year 1 Community Experience (MEDC 112), Year 3 Rural Family Medicine Core Rotation (MEDC 307), Year 4 Electives (MEDC 407), Orientation and Consolidation Weeks in Years 3 and 4, Supplemental examinations and OSCEs, Integration Weekends, Career Planning sessions and Making the Links (CHEP 411 and 415).  This policy does not pertain to personal travel or in situations in which a student may attend sessions across sites for a personal reason (Session Attendance Across Sites Procedure).

1.0  Mandatory Academic Sessions for which there is no reimbursement for travel

In order to enhance diversity in the medical students’ learning experiences, academic activities are arranged outside of the home campus/site of the students.  Mandatory sessions of this type include Year 1 Community Experience (MEDC 132/142), Year 3 Rural Family Medicine Core Rotation (MEDC 307), other Year 3 Core Rotations offered in sites outside the main campuses, Career Planning sessions, and Year 4/5 Electives (MEDC 407 and 505). 

Procedure:

• After the student has been approved to attend the academic activity, they are required to complete a Student Travel Insurance Form.   The form should be submitted to the UGME Office.

2.0 Mandatory Academic Sessions for which there is reimbursement for travel expenses

In order to ensure comparability of learning experiences and assessments there will be times during the UGME program when students are required to attend sessions at their home campus/site if they are at a distributed site (e.g., students who participate in the Saskatchewan Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship), or attend sessions away from their home site.   Mandatory sessions of this type include Orientation and Consolidation weeks in Clerkship and Supplemental OSCEs in Years 1 to 4.

3.0  Non-Mandatory Academic Sessions for which there is reimbursement for travel expenses

There are some non-mandatory academic sessions that occur during the academic year which support student engagement such as Integration Weekends. 

4.0 Travel Approval for Sessions for which there is reimbursement of travel expenses

Medical students who must travel for mandatory or non-mandatory academic sessions for which travel expenses will be reimbursed are required to complete an Authority to Travel form through Concur. 

5.0 Travel Expenses

Transportation:

Medical students, who attend academic sessions for which travel expenses may be claimed, will be reimbursed for travel when the travel exceeds 35 km (one way). Local travel will not be reimbursed. 

Medical students making requests for reimbursement should make every reasonable effort to find and use economically responsible transportation options.  Whenever traveling between Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert, medical students are encouraged to contact their site specific Undergraduate Medical Education administrative support or the Office of Student Affairs.

If a private vehicle is the preferred or only mode of transportation, reimbursement will be in accordance with the University of Saskatchewan’s per kilometer rate. This rate is reviewed on an annual basis. 

Housing/Accommodations:

In the event that housing/accommodations are required, it is preferable that medical students stay with family or friends.  In this case there will be a reimbursement of $30 per day.  Reimbursement will be consistent with the length of required accommodation specifically related to the mandatory academic session.  As an example, it is expected that only one night of accommodations would be required for an OSCE or supplemental exam held in the morning; for an OSCE or supplemental exam held in the afternoon, no accomodation would be required. 

Accommodations are also available on the Saskatoon campus at some times during the academic year.  Consideration will be made to utilizing on campus housing when available.  

If hotel accommodations are required, the UGME program reserves the right to compensate students up to a level equivalent to standard non-luxury hotel rates for a single room in a commercial establishment of reasonable class.

Meals:

Medical students are eligible for reimbursement at the per diem rate for meal expenses while traveling. 

Non-allowable expenses:

·       Traffic and parking fines

·       Lost or stolen tickets, cash or personal property

·       Damage to a private vehicle due to collision or other physical damage

·       Students traveling in a private vehicle as passengers cannot claim for kilometers traveled

Travel expense claims should be submitted through Concur.

6.0  Travel Tips

As travel for mandatory academic sessions can occur throughout the year students are encouraged to follow these recommendations at all times when travelling:

• Check for the latest weather and road condition updates.
• Notify a friend or family member of the destination and anticipated arrival time.
• Drive at an appropriate slower speed if the weather is inclement.
• Allow additional time to reach their destination if weather conditions are not ideal.
• If travel is not recommended due to inclement weather, or if the student does not feel safe travelling for any other reason, they should not travel and should advise relevant program staff as soon as possible.  Those situations will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Please see the Inclement Weather Policy based on location.

(Portions from Queen’s University Student Vehicle Travel Safety Guidelines)

The Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education, is responsible for providing oversight to the overall administration of the UGME Student Travel Policy.

The Manager, Undergraduate Medical Education, with the assistance of the Undergraduate Medical Education Office, is responsible for the implementation, monitoring, maintenance, and evaluation of the UGME Student Travel Policy.

Instances or concerns of non-compliance with the UGME Student Travel Policy should be brought to the attention of the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Medical Education, within the College of Medicine.

The Manager, Undergraduate Medical Education, provides overall stewardship to the standard operating procedures associated with the UGME Student Travel Policy.

This policy will be housed on the College of Medicine Sharepoint, in the UME Document Management Centre.  It will also be housed in SAMC Sharepoint folder.  This policy will be posted on College of Medicine website, under the Policies tab of the Students dropdown menu.  Any approved updates will be distributed to the Year Chairs and all admin coordinators/support staff responsible for Pre-Clerkship and Clerkship across the province, who will distribute it to all faculty leads Year Sub-committees.

Program Manager, UGME
Phone: 306-966-6142
Email: ugme.medicine@usask.ca