Entry into another phase of training, and perhaps moving to a new city, can be confusing. As part of your orientation you will be given a great deal of information in the first few days. Faculty and staff realize that much of this cannot be absorbed immediately, so please feel free to seek clarification as needed. This handbook is designed to document some of the features of the Residency Training Program in Family Medicine for future reference. It should also be useful in planning some aspects of your education.
The Residency Training Program at Western had its formal beginnings in 1966 in the St. Joseph's Family Medical Centre. The Victoria Hospital Family Medical Centre soon followed. Some years later, the Southwest Middlesex Health Unit was opened in Mount Brydges, to serve both native peoples in nearby reserves, and rural people from a small town. The fourth, in Byron, is affiliated with London Health Sciences Centre and opened in 1978. In 1991 the program began a phased expansion into community teaching practices in Goderich, Tavistock, and Strathroy.
In 1999, the program was separated into 2 streams, urban and rural, for purposes of the CaRMS match. The rural/regional program is a popular and highly rated family medicine education to prepare graduates for rural practice.
In 2004, through the South Western Ontario Medical Education Network (SWOMEN), our program officially expanded to include Windsor as our first full-time trainee started. As we go forward more positions will open in Windsor and other areas throughout Southwestern Ontario.
The urban program gives residents a broad range of experience in all aspects of family practice.
Graduates of both streams will be fully equipped with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to meet the challenges of family medicine today.
The traditional program at Western, as at most Canadian centres, is a two year program beginning after graduating M.D., and leads to the certification examination of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Several third year positions are available in Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Care of the Elderly Academic Family Medicine and Enhanced Skills. New third year positions are being developed so that opportunities may exist for you for further training in Palliative Care, Women’s Health and Academic Studies in Family Medicine. You can obtain further information about these opportunities from the Postgraduate Director.
Medicine training consists of 4 months in your home-base family medical practice in each of the PGY1 and PGY2 years. In the PGY1 year there is a two month family medicine elective and the PGY2 year there is a two month family medicine rural component. These are described in more detail in the curriculum section of this handbook. The options for training in the elective and rural components of family medicine are also subject to availability and adequate financial resources. We trust you will appreciate the variety and flexibility of your family medicine training experience. You will have a minimum of four months and a maximum of six months (where positions available), in each year in family practice to follow the same practice population, which will provide an excellent experience in continuity of care, one of the cornerstones of family medicine.
During the time spent in family medicine teaching practices, you will have the experience of providing care to a wide range of patients crossing the full spectrum of family medicine care. This experience will occur in a variety of settings including office or clinic, hospital, nursing home and in the home itself. You will experience hand-over rounds, weekly team meetings with allied health professionals, evidence-based and case-based teaching. You will have the opportunity to participate in rounds and case presentations.
We strongly recommend you to think seriously about how you are going to learn from the program. Many learning opportunities are provided: the experience of family practice under supervision; working relationships with your staff physician and allied health personnel; direct observation of your clinical methods; videotape reviews; case conferences, rounds and team meetings; sessions with visiting consultants; small group learning, practice audits; seminar courses; guided reading in family medicine and the wider medical literature; specialty enrichments and rotations. The learning habits you acquire in the next two years should be those that will remain with you for life. One of the most important things for you to do in the program is to lay the foundations for a lifetime of growth as a physician. We can help you to think about this, but we cannot do it for you. It's up to you.
The program has a mandatory core content, which includes the course work and a resident project. Before permission to sit the Certification Examination (CCFP) is granted, the Postgraduate Director must assure the College that the applicant has satisfactorily completed his/her training. The Director's assessment is based on an evaluation of the applicant's participation in all aspects of the program. It is important, therefore, that the resident become familiar with the objectives and policies outlined in the following sections.