University of Toronto

Program Highlights

Type of curriculum: Horizontal - Hospital based FMTU.

Curricular outline:

PGY1 Duration PGY2 Duration

EM 2 blocks* ICU 1 block

Surgery 1 block EM 1 block

IM 2 blocks Hospitalist 1 block

OB/GYN 2 blocks Public Health 1 block

MSK 1 block Geri 2 blocks

PAEDS 2 blocks Oncology 2 weeks

Mental Health 1 block Palliative 6 weeks

Electives 2 blocks Electives 3 blocks

Community FM 2 blocks

*1 block equals 4 weeks

Curriculum Comparison Chart

Unique features: Residents manage own roster of ~ 200 patients and other resident’s patients with acute issues, primary care provider in RM clinic, FM inpatients and FM OB, only residents in hospital so more learning opportunities, regional health centre with community feel. FM is the only residency program based in the hospital leading to a 1:1 ratio with staff experiences.

Scholarly activities: Requirement to complete academic project. Formal QI curriculum.

Community Highlights

Recreation: Short drive to Toronto or Muskoka, local specialty shopping, live theatre, and many annual festivals. Outdoor recreation opportunities at nearby beaches, trail systems, ski hills and more.

Cultural notes: Exposure to diverse ethnic populations with particularly prominent Francophone culture.

Cost of living: The average cost of living in Barrie is less than in Toronto, but still 10% higher than the national average.[1]

Resident Testimonial

Barrie was an amazing program for my family medicine training. The staff were incredibly supportive of residents throughout our two years. They are very patient-centered, and have great practical pearls for clinical practice. The program is a perfect balance of community medicine where family physicians have a broad scope of practice (hospitalist, palliative care, low risk OB, LTC, ER, etc.), and still having enough supports and teaching from specialists as it is still a relatively large hospital. We are the only core residents at the site, which means you get to know staff very well and have lots of learning opportunities when off-service, too. I would 100% make the choice to come to Barrie again and would highly recommend the program!

1.    On average, how much travel is required in this stream? (i.e. are you based on one community, or do you travel based on rotations, teaching, etc.)

Mostly based at one site. Some travel for certain core rotation - eg. on Public Health you may go to neighbouring cities in the district to do inspections - but fairly minimal in the grand scheme of things. Electives are flexible either local or distributed.

2.    What is the breadth/scope of family medicine in this program? Does your program's teaching emphasize particular rural skills (e.g. obstetrics, emergency medicine, mental health, etc.)?

Variable, but has the potential to be quite broad. Some family physicians have their own family practice and do hospitalist medicine (or follow their own inpatients in hospital), palliative care, low risk OB, shifts at the local youth shelter, sports medicine, ER, LTC, etc.

3.    What do you do for fun in your community?

Hiking, skiing, water sports, etc.

4.    Do you have the option to travel for electives? If yes, where have you gone? Can you provide some examples?

Yes. Residents have done other UofT site electives, and gone even further (eg. in Collingwood, Hamilton, Calgary, London, Thunder Bay, etc.)

5.    What is the scope of practice of other specialties or rotations in this program? Do these specialties have their own residents or only family residents that rotate through?

Very broad range of specialists including general pediatrics and NICU, OB, ICU, cardiology (new CCU opened within the last few years), nephrology, oncology (regional cancer centre), etc. We are the only core residents at the site, meaning there are tons of learning opportunities with specialists. Occasionally they will have an elective learner, but there is little overlap in opportunities.

6.    Can you briefly describe what the research portion of your program entails?

PGY1 QI project - pick a project and do PDSA cycles. PGY2 research project - apply through REB, do the project (could be qualitative, quantitative, retrospective chart review, prospective studies, etc.).

7.    What makes this program unique? What drew you to it?

The staff really care about learners and patients - they are phenomenal role models and colleagues!