Roles and responsibilities

Student roles and responsibilities

You are ultimately responsible to become familiar and to adhere to all deadlines and policies of the program and of the university.

In particular, you are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic integrity, ethics and conduct as per the University of Toronto’s Code of Student Conduct and Code of Behavior on Academic Matters. In addition, you must follow policies of the teaching pathology laboratory and hospital and exhibit expected professional behaviors during your practicum rotations.

You are responsible to become familiar with, and to successfully complete, all course expectations.

You should inform the program regularly about your progress during and outside of the advisory meetings. You should maintain an open communication with your course coordinator(s) and/or members of the program administration concerning any problem. In the event of a conflict in the course coordinator-student relationship, you are encouraged to reach out to the Field Director, in a timely fashion. The Program Director is also available to meet with students. See Policy on Grievance and Appeal for further details.

Student Delegate roles and responsibilities

In April - May of every year, two 2nd year students will be selected by their peers to represent them. The roles and responsibilities of these student delegates include:

Representing the program at the Canadian Association of Pathologists - Pathologists' Assistants section (CAP-ACP) and American Association of Pathologists’ Assistants (AAPA) student committees.
Attending and presenting at townhall meetings, curriculum planning committee meetings and practicum education planning committee meetings information from CAP-ACP and AAPA as well as issues brought up by the 1st and 2nd year PA students.

Program Director roles and responsibilities

The Program Co-Directors each oversee a Pathologists’ Assistant, and a Clinical Embryologist field.

They hold an appointment with the University of Toronto, and must:

be responsible for the overall organization, administration, instruction, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, curriculum planning and development, directing other program faculty/staff, and general effectiveness of the program
have regular and consistent contact with students, faculty, program administration and the university’s governing bodies
receive reports from the Field Director.

Field Director roles and responsibilities

The Pathologists’ Assistant Field Director oversees the Pathologists’ Assistant field.

They hold an appointment with the University of Toronto, and must:

be responsible for the organization, administration, instruction, evaluation, continuous quality improvement, curriculum planning and development, directing other program faculty/staff, and general effectiveness of the field
have regular and consistent contact with students, faculty, and program administration
report to the Program Director.

Course Coordinator (Didactic Instructor, Clinical Liaison and Site Lead Pathologists’ Assistant) roles and responsibilities

All Course Coordinators are certified professionals in their respective fields, hold an appointment with the University of Toronto, and must:

demonstrate knowledge and proficiency in their content areas
demonstrate the ability to teach effectively at the appropriate level
participate in teaching courses
evaluate student achievement
participate in the development of curriculum, policy and procedures
assess course outcomes.

In addition, Clinical Liaison and Site Lead Pathologists’ Assistant coordinate clinical instruction at the Practicum site.

Curriculum Advisory Committees roles and responsibilities

Two Curriculum Advisory committees meet regularly to provide input into the program/curriculum to maintain current relevancy and effectiveness. All committee members are practicing physicians, laboratory professionals and/or academic professionals who hold and appointment with the University of Toronto and who have knowledge in the education of Pathologists’ Assistant and/or Clinical Embryologist.

Program advisory committee consists of the Program Director, the Field Director, and 2 - 3 external advisors with relevant professional experience. This committee focuses on ensuring that the program meets the needs of the pathology community at large. This committee currently meets bi-annually.

The Curriculum Planning Committee consists of the Program Director, the Directors of the Pathologists’ Assistant and Clinical Embryologist fields, and Didactic Instructors. This committee focuses on matters relevant to both fields, particularly the term 1 and term 2 courses as well as the Capstone Research Project.

The Practicum Education Planning Committee consists of the Program Director, Pathologists’ Assistant Field Director, Clinical Liaisons and Site Lead Pathologists’ Assistants. This committee focuses on matters relevant to the Practicum rotations.