Senior Program Assistant

Job Title

Senior Program Assistant, Year 1

Job Category

CUPE 2950

Job Profile

CUPE 2950 Salaried - Sr Program Asst-Med Ed (Gr8)

Job Family Group

Staff - Union

Department

Lectures and Labs | Medical Undergraduate | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range

$5,027.00 - $5,413.00 CAD Monthly

Job End Date

July 21, 2028

Posting End Date

November 22, 2026

Note:Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

This position is a leave replacement for 18 months.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Job Description Summary

The incumbent in this position will coordinate the first year of the MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP), including Foundations of Medical Practice I (MEDD 411) & Foundations of Medical Practice II (MEDD 412).  The incumbent will compile information necessary for the development of timetables and schedules and any other planning for the first year program. The position also coordinates all pre-registration materials for students and all aspects of their orientation to medical school. Tasks include event planning, contributing to course development, faculty recruitment and responding to student enquiries.

The first-year program is delivered via a distributed model to  328 students in the Faculty of Medicine. The distributed medical sites consist of  208 students in the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program (VFMP) at the Vancouver campus, University of British Columbia,  40 students in the Northern Medical Program (NMP) at the University of Northern BC (Prince George), 40 students in the Island Medical Program (IMP) at the University of Victoria, and  40 students in the Southern Medical Program (SMP) at the Okanagan campus, University of British Columbia.

This position has the responsibility for the first-year program coordination, primarily at the VFMP. As the course schedules for first year are generated by the position, the incumbent is in constant liaison with Course Directors, Site Leads, instructors, program staff and affiliated hospitals (as necessary). It is expected that the incumbent will handle student enquiries of both a non-routine and routine nature. With respect to non-routine matters, the incumbent will interpret guidelines and policies and procedures in determining how the matter should be handled, and what type of action should be taken, or refer the matter to the appropriate person.

The multifaceted nature of this position requires that the incumbent provide exceptional prioritization, communication, and judgment to ensure that the needs of all parties (i.e., students, staff and faculty) are appropriately accounted for and communicated. The incumbent works independently with minimal supervision and needs to use initiative, interpretation, and ingenuity to support the smooth delivery of curriculum and material distribution. A high degree of professionalism and clear communication is required.

This position is located at Life Sciences Centre (LSC) at the UBC Point Grey campus. The expected hybrid arrangement schedule for this position will be 3 to 4 days per week in-office, depending on peak periods and academic scheduling and subject to operational requirements.

Organizational Status

This position reports to the Lectures & Labs Team Lead, MDUP, Faculty of Medicine. The incumbent also works in close coordination with teaching faculty and program staff at the IMP, NMP, and SMP, and collaborates with other administrative staff at VFMP.

Work Performed

Program Administrative Support for MEDD 411 and MEDD 412:

• Coordinates all aspects of the orientation to medical school for Year 1 students
• Assists with the planning, scheduling and resource management for the relevant courses in Year 1 in collaboration with the Course Directors, Site Leads, Program Managers, and Lectures & Labs Team Lead. This includes preparing documentation and corresponding with lecturers and clinicians in the program.
• As the lead Program Assistant for MEDD 411, oversees the planning, scheduling and coordination of local and provincial sessions for the course, in conjunction with program administrators from the distributed sites.
• Assists in developing and editing MD Undergraduate Admissions materials intended for newly admitted students.
• Oversees and edits the onboarding content on the MD Undergraduate Program orientation website.
• Confirms lecturers and sends reminders regarding lecture scheduling. Responsible for the organization and distribution of Year 1 learning materials.
• Coordinates with Course Directors on urgent matters and works to find appropriate solutions when necessary.
• Organizes and maintains files and assists in maintaining student records relating to Year 1 VFMP students.
• Coordinates with Course Directors to ensure textbook lists and other course assigned reading materials are accurate and updated annually.
• Coordinates with UBC Security to grant LSC access to Year 1 students as part of the orientation process, and to students in other years as appropriate.
• Coordinates the issuance and replacement of Health Authority and Faculty of Medicine ID cards for Year 1 students.
• Creates and maintains email list-servs for Year 1 students and committees and curricular groups relating to Year 1 courses.
  
  

Student Support:

• Responds to all inquiries from Year 1 students as well as Year 2, 3 and 4 students who require assistance while at LSC and advises students regarding university policy and programs. Redirects complex issues to Student Affairs, Site Director, Course Director and/or Team Lead, Lectures & Labs as appropriate.
• Liaises with the Year 1 class president and student representatives, Medical Undergraduate Society (MUS), and other student representatives to organize events, offer advice and support.
• Recognizes students in distress and directs to Student Affairs, Counselling Services or Student Health Services as appropriate.
• Researches, writes and edits information for, and produces, the Year 1 Registration Package and supporting material.
• Creates and maintains the Year 1 central class list, accurately reflecting information changes and student leaves of absence.
• Provides Year 1 students with online registration information for Workday, Faculty of Medicine requirements, and updates student records for Year 1 students.
• Coordinates annual student locker clean out and cuts locks for students as requested.
  

Scheduling and Curriculum Planning:

• Contributes to the planning and delivery of workshops, tutorials and lectures for MEDD 411 and MEDD 412.
• Collaborates with Course Directors and Site Leads in Year 1 to coordinate any changes to schedules.
• Liaises with Resource Coordinators to ensure the booking of regularly occurring and one-off events relating to the first-year curriculum.
• Liaises with the Curriculum Materials Coordinator and Digital Solutions regarding changes to schedule, sessional scripting and/or AV requirements for Year 1 teaching sessions.
• Coordinates the development of first year weekly schedules and arranges the uploading of learning materials to Elentra.
• Maintains organized folders of current and archived VFMP materials for each course on  the team share drive. Regularly backs up materials to the Year 1/2 SharePoint.
• Maintains the MEDD 411 teaching schedules and receives all requests for edits to master schedule.
• Announces changes to the first-year class regarding course information, timetables, and room scheduling.
• Arranges and orders equipment and workshop materials as necessary.
• Coordinates, attends and takes minutes at MEDD 411 course planning meetings.  Attends MEDD 412 course planning meetings.
• Liaises with the Curriculum Management Unit in facilitating Educational Activity Forms for all teaching faculty.
  

Event Planning:

• Coordinates special events for the orientation to medical school reception, including the Welcome Address and Stethoscope Ceremony. This includes reserving facilities, coordinating catering, scheduling participants, advertising events to students, staff and faculty, recording attendance, ensuring event is within budget guidelines.
• Composes letters and invitations for Orientation events and oversees the production of invitations, nametags and other materials.
  

Financial:

• Tracks teaching and payment of faculty in Year 1 via the Teacher Tracking and Payment (TTP) portal or via manual process as necessary.
• Processes payments for supplies and materials as required.
• Ensures payment of all program-related requisitions and expenses incurred.
  

Committees:

• Arranges and attends committee meetings relating to orientation to medical school. Records and distributes minutes where appropriate.
• Provides support for CBL tutor and pre-cluster meetings, when necessary
  

Other:

• Ensures availability for training as new programs, software and procedures are implemented that affect incumbent’s job area.
• Updates and edits the Year 1 Program Assistant procedure manual and other reference documents.
• Acts as general backup and support to the Year 2 Lectures & Labs Senior Program Assistant
• Participates in the invigilation of student examinations.
• Handles enquiries of both a non-routine and routine nature.
• May be required to work outside regular working hours, including occasional early/late meetings or on a weekend.
• May be required to occasionally work from the Vancouver General Hospital Site to attend meetings and/or to invigilate.
• Performs other related duties as necessary in keeping with the qualifications and requirements of the job.
  

Consequence of Error/Judgement
The incumbent, in coordination with theLectures & Labs Team Lead , is responsible for the management of MEDD 411 and the day-to-day administration in year 1 of UGME.

The Year 1 schedule is extremely detailed and errors in scheduling could have considerable impact on students learning, faculty and student satisfaction and on the cost of delivering the curriculum. The incumbent works within broadly established guidelines and will, in conjunction with Course Directors, be establishing any new procedures that are required. It is important that student records are dealt with conscientiously, and students are given accurate information regarding their program, since mistakes can have a long-term impact. Impact of error is considerable as material is widely distributed. It is important that faculty (e.g. Course Directors, Site Directors and instructors) at all sites are dealt with in an efficient and professional manner as the impact of any decisions can have repercussions for faculty, students, general public, staff and the image of the Faculty and University as a whole.

Supervision Received
Duties are performed independently as required, under limited supervision. Work is supervised by the Lectures & Labs Team Lead in MDUP.

Supervision Given
None.

Minimum Qualifications
High school graduation, plus two-year post-secondary diploma, plus four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience and training in office procedures and administration.
• Knowledge of UBC payment categories and terminology related to levels of clinical faculty teaching is an asset.
• Ability to effectively use MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Adobe Acrobat Pro, videoconferencing software, and database software at an intermediate level.
• Experience with Curriculum Management Systems such as Elentra, SharePoint, and Resource Scheduler is an asset.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, including composing clear and grammatically correct correspondence and business documents.
• Ability to accurately maintain electronic calendars, and schedule and coordinate complex meetings with a large number of attendees.
• Ability to deal with a diversity of people in a calm, courteous, and effective manner.
• Ability to multitask, problem-solve, and prioritize work effectively to meet critical deadlines.
• Ability to maintain a high level of efficiency, accuracy, and attention to detail.
• Ability to make thoughtful, informed decisions, and to determine when to act independently or seek assistance.
• Strong ability to exercise sound judgment, tact, discretion, and confidentiality.
• Ability to gather, record, and organize information.
• Ability to work independently and within a team environment.
• Highly effective interpersonal and organizational skills.
• Flexibility and a “can-do” attitude.