Step 1: Choose your Paper
What is a Position Paper?
Position Papers define OMSA’s official stances on important issues, and serve as guiding principles in discussions both internally and with external stakeholders.
Position Papers provide a platform for OMSA to inform stakeholders of the medical student perspective. They provide justification for an opinion or stance that should be taken by the organization. Position Papers are reviewed and voted on by OMSA Council for official endorsement. Once endorsed, these Papers guide OMSA Council members and representatives both in internal committee discussions and in meetings with external organizations. Position Papers are a significant undertaking, usually suited to current policy topics that align with OMSA’s priorities.
What is a Perspective Paper?
Perspective Papers represent student perspectives on medical education or healthcare issues that matter to them.
A Perspective Paper provides an opportunity for students to explore a wider breath of topics, to share their advocacy, voices, and opinions. They serve as a platform to highlight medical students’ opinions from across the province. One key difference is that Perspective Papers are not officially endorsed or reviewed by OMSA Council, and thus do not represent the official stance or guide future advocacy efforts of OMSA. All topics are welcome for submission. The topic of your Perspective Paper can be anything you are passionate about – any medical education, health policy, or broader advocacy issue in Ontario.
Step 2: Choose a Topic
All topics under MEDICAL EDUCATION and ADVOCACY are welcome!
Medical Education: focus on issues related to the medical curriculum, trainee well-being, clerkship, etc.
Advocacy: focus on issues related to local/provincial healthcare (e.g. family medicine crisis, vaccine hesitancy, etc.)
Step 3: Submission Process
Applications are due October 20th, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST, and are to be submitted via the Position & Perspective Proposal Application Form. Details regarding submission can be found in the Position and Perspective Papers Handbook. Additionally, the template for proposal submissions can be found in the Authors Resource Folder.
Pro-Tips for Authors
Keep it Lean: Aim for 5 killer recommendations. Quality > Quantity.
Check the Vault: Look at past Position Papers to see what a winning document looks like.
Phone a Friend: Not sure if your idea fits? Email the VP Advocacy (advocacy@omsa.ca) to bounce ideas around before you start writing.
Next Application Deadline: TBD 2026
Resources Below
For questions
Please direct any questions to advocacy@omsa.ca or education@omsa.ca