Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG)

The Family Medicine Interest Group (FMIG) is the student group committed to promoting family medicine among medical students at the University of Alberta. Our aims are to increase exposure to family medicine during undergraduate medical education, to promote postgraduate training and practice in family medicine, and to improve the overall image of family medicine within the undergraduate medical school setting. To achieve these aims, we run several events throughout the year where students are given the opportunity to learn and to explore various aspects of family medicine. These include our speakers' series, our Clinical Skills Night, and our Mix 'n' Mingle networking event. The FMIG is supported locally by the Department of Family Medicine, who provide us with financial support and the inspiration for many of the events that we run. We also work closely with the national body for family physicians, the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CPFC), who help us brainstorm topics for our events, provide us with financial support, and also provide medical students' the opportunity to attend national conferences like the annual Family Medicine Forum that is held each November.

Although the FMIG runs many events throughout the year, at the end of the day, we want students to gain an appreciation of family medicine and the critical role that family physicians play in our health care system. Family physicians are quite literally the front-line of health care, and a career in family medicine offers much in terms of patient interaction, relationship building, practice flexibility, work-life balance, and opportunities to use one's skills in a myriad of ways to benefit our patients. We hope to see you at our events throughout the year, and if you have any questions and suggestions, please feel free to email our leaders (you can find their contact information on the Club Leaders page).

Past events have included:

• Intro to Family Med - Overview of family medicine in terms of clinical practice, residency, work-life balance, and future developments in the field

• End of Life Care - Overview of medical assistance in dying (MAID), particularly as it applies to family medicine

• Clinical Skills Night - Students rotated between stations where they got to practice suturing, ophthalmoscope and otoscope use, breast and pelvic exams, digital rectal exams, urinary catheterization, and birthing.

• ACFP Mixer - An opportunity to dine and to network with family physicians from diverse backgrounds

• 2+1 Enhanced Residency Training - Discussion of the various enhanced skill residency programs such as emergency medicine, geriatrics, anesthesiology, palliative care, and sport medicine

• Research in Family Medicine - An opportunity to explore the different types of research that family physicians are conducting and to get involved in research projects.

• Immigrant and Refugee Health Care - Discussion of what to consider when interacting with the immigrant and refugee population in a health care setting, including barriers to health care, insurance options, and practical tips and advice

• Addictions Lunch Talk - Overview of challenges affecting patients when it comes to addictions and mental health from the perspective of a family physician who has had first-hand experience with these issues

• Family Medicine Residency and Life after Residency - Overview of residency and the first few years of practice from the perspective of a family medicine resident and newly-minted family physician, including opportunities and challenges

• Business Aspect of Family Medicine - An opportunity to learn about the non-clinical side of family medicine, including managing/owning a clinic, group practice, reimbursement options, and how to establish an effective work-life balance

• Family Medicine Mix 'n' Mingle - An opportunity to dine in a small group setting with family physicians from various backgrounds including academic family medicine, geriatrics, obstetrics, rural family medicine, global health, residency, and research

• Lifestyle Interventions in Primary Care - Discussion of how to encourage patients to adopt healthy lifestyles including diet and exercise changes and introduction to the evidence supporting different diets and exercise plans

• CaRMS Talk - An opportunity to hear from 4th-year medical students who have been accepted into Family Medicine residency programs. Topics include elective selection, the reasons they chose family medicine, and general advice for medical students.

-Talia Campbell

2023/24 Club lead