Integrated Clinical Experience: Health in Community (ICE:HC)
ICE:HC is a core component for all students in Foundations, the first two years of the MD Program. Through a combination of didactic and experiential learning modalities (including in-class sessions, reflective assignments and community-based experiences), students participate, observe, contribute and explore advocacy as they reflect on three core questions:
What is community?
Where is community?
why are some people healthier than others?
Overall, ICE:HC allows students to become familiar with the social and physical determinants of health for both individual patients, and for communities as a whole, and to understand their role and position in relation to those determinants. Community-engaged learning also gives MD Program students the opportunity to develop and apply skills in patient interaction through working with diverse and/or marginalized populations.
In Year 1, students engage in a blended curriculum which integrates large group sessions, tutorials, immersive community health experiences, and reflection.
In year 2, students are connected with a community organization (through their tutor and tutorial group) where they will engage in meaningful work, while answering questions connected to topics in community health, the role of medicine, and the role of the physician in society.
For more information about the benefits of the University's approach to experiential learning, visit the Experiential Learning Hub.
Community Partner Organizations and Community-Based Service Learning (CBSL) in ICE: HC
As part of ICE:HC, students complete Community-Based Service-Learning (CBSL) placements at partner organizations. Community organizations act as co-educators with faculty (family physicians and allied health professionals) in a continuous partnership.
The CBSL placement invites students to participate, observe, contributeand learn about advocacythrough sustained, hands-on involvement with their community partner's organization. Community co-educators work with physician and interprofessional health faculty to co-facilitate tutorial sessions that explore topics and themes connected to community development and community health.
The student experiences are intended to inform their interactions with patients and to encourage them to consider equity, diversity and culturally safe choices in their future practice.
