Acknowledgements | Program Funding & Development

This project was developed and is operated by the University of Saskatchewan, College of Medicine’s Division of Continuing Medical Education (CME), in partnership with the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA), College of Physicians & Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS), and the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), with support from the College of Medicine Faculty Development. Funding for CoMPAS was provided by the SMA and Saskatchewan Ministry of Health (MoH). Thank you for these partnerships.

Navigate your personal & professional growth.

CoMPAS was established to create and support professional connections and relationships amongst physician peers. It is open to all physicians! If you think a peer supported pathway would help you better navigate challenges in clinic care, exam preparedness, leadership development, research, and personal balance/wellness – CoMPAS is the program for you.

Physicians in their first five years of practice in Saskatchewan can enroll as a Coachee/Mentee, regardless of their scope of practice, specialty of practice, or their practice location (rural/urban). We hope that each Coach Mentee Pair (CMP) feels more ready for the practice of medicine, and connected to the community you serve in. As a more experienced physician in Saskatchewan, Coach/Mentors with more than five years of practice in Saskatchewan, will be trained and regularly supported to be ready to help their peers become more successful in the first years of practice.

All physicians are welcome to apply into CoMPAS! 

CoMPAS Program Manual

Take a deeper dive into the CoMPAS program.
The manual reviews everything you need to know about the program. *latest version: Sept 13, 2023

• CoMPAS Program Manual

Coach / Mentor (+5 years)

Ideally a Coach/Mentor should have more than five year's experience practicing medicine and providing patient care in Saskatchewan. Preference will be given to physicians with experience that offer a diverse perspective when faced with limited resources and are knowledgeable about community engagement. We define the Coach/Mentor role as follows: 

COACH

In the role of a peer coach, we encourage coaches to guide a peer physician colleague through questioning, reflection and other appropriate strategies & tools. This ongoing dialogue between colleagues can promote desirable and sustainable changes to benefit both career development, patient care, and personal wellness. The relationship within CoMPAS is formal. Through an enhanced relationship with a physician colleague, working together allows the coachee to comfortably explore areas for personal growth & reflection with assistance from their coach.

Coaches support & advise colleagues to help them be successful. They can advocate for the mentee & help the mentee advocate for themselves. Coaches help identify opportunities, locate resources, and connect with influential people who can assist the mentee in their career. Coaches may be able to help a mentee get to a place more directedly, helping to identify areas for career advancement. Career advancement is defined by the mentee and may be in areas such as exam preparedness, specializations, clinical delivery of care, leadership, or research.

Within the CoMPAS program, our Coach/Mentors will be able to analyze situations and communicate with their Coachee/Mentee to determine the proper approach to learning and guidance.

Coaches...

• Are actively practicing medicine within Saskatchewan. 
• Have an active registration and in good standing with CPSS.
• Have more than 5 Years of practice experience in Saskatchewan.
• Have a willingness to learn through peer engagement and interactions.
• Can create up to 30 hrs / year to dedicate to program onboarding, and coaching peer interactions.
• Have willingness to meet all training/educational requirements developed and prepared by Faculty Development and the CME teams.
• Will complete coach training once; however they can facilitate several Coachees/Mentees at once, or new Coachee/Mentees into the future.

Coachee / Mentee (-5 years)

Ideally a Coachee/Mentee should have less than five year's experience practicing medicine and providing patient care in Saskatchewan. We define the Coachee/Mentee role as follows:

MENTEE

The program is open to all physicians in Saskatchewan (family medicine, Royal College specialists, rural and urban practice locations) in their first five (5) years of practice in Saskatchewan. This applies both to new to practice physicians, as well as physicians who have practicing medicine in another country or jurisdictions and are now new to Saskatchewan. CoMPAS provides you with an experienced peer Coach, who has been practicing in Saskatchewan for some time. Your Coach can assist you with exam preparedness, local resources, case management discussions or debriefs, leadership readiness, research direction, personal wellness, etc.

Mentees...

• Are actively practicing medicine within Saskatchewan.
• Have an active registration and in good standing with CPSS.
• Are in their first five (5) years of practice within Saskatchewan.
• Have a willingness to learn through peer engagement and interactions.
• Can create up to 30 hrs / year to dedicate to CMP engagement and other program activities.
• Have willingness to meet all training/educational requirements developed and prepared by Faculty Development and the CME teams.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

The University of Saskatchewan reaffirms our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. The CoMPAS program included, the purpose is to create and nurture a diverse and inclusive community that encompasses our legal, moral, and ethical responsibilities. We support the principles of diversity, equality, and human dignity and reflect them back into our daily interactions and decisions. We aim to strengthen the community and enhance excellence, innovation, and creativity in all domains.

As a CoMPAS participant, the commitment is to share the responsibility for creating a supportive and inclusive environment. CME and the CoMPAS administrative team commit to providing relevant resources, educational workshops, and evaluative tools to support all EDI elements that will help create and sustain a welcoming environment for all involved.

All new program participants will be required to:

• onboard, administration forms
• complete eight self-directed online modules; and
• attend the training day in full.

Check your calendar.

CoMPAS Training Day is a full day, highly engaging, virutal learning experience with peers from 8 am - 4:30 pm. All new program participants receive a one-time stipend to support attendance.

• If you cannot clear your schedule / clinic for the next Training Day date, please consider delaying your application. Contact compas@usask.ca for more details or how to proceed to ensure availability.

See 'Accreditation' below for more details and continuing professional develolpment credits. Applications for each iteration will close 4-6 weeks in advance of the training event.

Accepting Applications for Year 3

Individual applications, for both the Coach/Mentor and the Coachee/Mentee, are required to be considered for selection into the program. The CoMPAS Selection Committee will review all applications and a communication will follow accordingly to all those that applied, within the program timelines.

If you cannot clear your schedule / clinic for the next Training Day date, please consider delaying your application. Contact compas@usask.ca for more details or how to proceed to ensure availability.

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Mentorship Program Entry

CoMPAS also wants to support physician engagements at a local level, or within your community of practice. The mentorship program is available to a Coachee/Mentee who has already identified a Coach/Mentor they wish to be paired with. This is for physicians who want a formal engagement with a colleague they work closely with and would enter the program pre-matched. Once accepted, both physicians are required to participate in the CoMPAS Coaching Basics and Training Day together.

• Identify your mentorship Coach / Mentee in your individual application above - both must apply. 

Scientific Planning Committee / Program Steering Committee

• All potential sources of bias have been mitigated by the CME office.
• If you are interested in joining our committee, email compas@usask.ca and you will be forwarded to the CoMPAS Program Coordinator for follow up.

• CoMPAS Steering / Planning Committee

Continuing Professional Development Credits

All program participants will be provided access to the University of Saskatchewan's learning management system (Canvas) that will host program resources and additional training tools.

Coach / Mentors - extra training opportunities support the role of Coach / Mentor to be able to professionally and safely, handle a variety of sensitive scenarios within a CMP. This will provide Section 1 & Section 2 Learning Credits for your Mainpro+/MOC journey.

Coachee / Mentees - are asked to participate in developing a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) to further support personal and professional goals. Time dedicated to PLPs will provide Section 2 Learning Credits for your Mainpro+/MOC journey. 

Dr. Melissa McGee
Physician Lead, CoMPAS
Email: meg597@usask.ca

Darla  Schiebelbein
Program Coordinator, CoMPAS
Email: darla.schiebelbein@usask.ca

CoMPAS Administrative Support
Email: compas@usask.ca

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