Travel & Housing Policy
The McMaster Community and Rural Education (Mac-CARE) Program is funded by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to support medical students and residents from the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.
Mac-CARE funding will be offered only if the previous eligibility criteria have been met.
Mac-CARE encourages McMaster medical learners and residents to travel away from their Academic Home Base and live temporarily in the community in which they are undertaking a clinical rotation. Mac-CARE funding is intended to offset the cost of a second residence or a daily commute to support clinical learning in a Mac-CARE community.
Learners may be eligible for Mac-CARE funding when they participate in rotations that are between one month/block (a minimum of 4 consecutive weeks* in the same community) and six months/blocks in duration, AND meet the following criteria:
- Part A: If you are an eligible medical learner
- Part B: in a MOH Approved Mac-CARE Community
- Part C: which is greater than or equal to 35 kms from your Academic Home Base or registered home address, whichever distance is shorter
*Exception for Undergraduate McMaster Clerks: Housing and/or Travel reimbursement is provided for clinical rotations, due to changes in the UGME curriculum.
Temporary Housing OR Commuting?
Mac-CARE funding will be offered only if the previous eligibility criteria have been met. You will choose EITHER to: live temporarily in the Mac-CARE community OR to commute daily.
To receive Mac-CARE funding, registration submissions MUST be submitted on or before the rotation start date. No exceptions.
The final reimbursement step must be completed within 60 days of the final day of the rotation. Claims that are submitted late will not be processed.
