Curriculum & Academics

Academic Program

Family Medicine academic program consists of academic sessions, courses, and retreats. Academic sessions occur every four weeks comprised of the College of Family Physicians of Canada priority topics and select clinical topics relevant to Family Physicians practicing in northern Ontario, simulation and procedures, critical appraisal and evidence-based medicine, and research. In the first year of residency, the NOSM program schedules additional sessions covering topics such as Residents as Teachers, Indigenous health, crucial conversations, medical errors, and patient safety. Simulated Office Orals (SOOs) are offered to residents in the second year of residency as part of exam preparation. Due to the wide geographic distribution of residents and preceptors, sessions may be augmented by the use of distance education technology, including videoconferencing.

The NOSM program also provides financial support for residents to obtain certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), and Acute Critical Event Simulation (ACES). Residents are also provided with some financial support to attend conferences such as Family Medicine Forum and Society of Rural Physicians Rural and Remote Medicine Conference.

Residents meet annually for Family Medicine Program and/or All Resident retreats, which offer interactive learning, guest speakers and unique content specifically suited to practicing medicine in the North, and connecting with resident colleagues.

Professionalism Competencies

Professionalism is a core value for all health professionals and it is at the heart of your study and practice. Professionalism will be highlighted throughout your residency, in both academic and clinical settings, and embedded in the evaluation process as one of the fundamental roles in the CanMEDS framework. The following document describes the intended outcomes for a family medicine resident, specifically with regards to the development of professionalism competencies: Professionalism Competencies.

Scholarly Activities

Residents complete a number of scholarly activities during their training: presenting to their colleagues on medical topics, facilitating discussion for critiquing journal articles, presenting a research or scholarly inquiry to colleagues, and writing a scholarly report. These activities contribute to the development of effective teaching practices, formulating and investigating scholarly questions, and disseminating and communicating knowledge to professional audiences. Residents also contribute to the quality improvement of the Family medicine program by providing feedback on the clinical experiences and academic curriculum; this data is collected and utilized by the program to augment the overall program curriculum.

Clinical Curriculum

The NOSM Family Medicine Clinical Curriculum incorporates a diversity of experience and proficiency in areas integral to community-based Family Practice. Each resident will spend significant time in the community practice of Family Medicine preceptors. Residents participate in all aspects of the practice, including provision of continuous care to their own patients within the practice and participation in the care of all in-hospital patients within the practice whenever possible. Participation in the care of the practice’s patients in multiple environments including the hospital, patient’s home and other scenarios is encouraged.

Domains of Care	Curriculum Objectives
Across the Life Cycle	Care of Children and Adolescents Care of Adults Care of Elderly Maternal and Newborn Care Men’s Health Palliative Care Women’s Health
Care of Underserved Patients	Behavioural Medicine & Mental Health Global Health & Care of Vulnerable and Underserviced
Procedural Skills	Procedural and Surgical Skills
Other Curriculum Objectives	Acute and Critical Care Professionalism Competencies

Throughout the program, elective rotations provide additional flexibility and enable residents to tailor their training to achieve competence in the domains of care and their individual learning objectives not met by immersions in the regular core rotations. Diversity of experience during elective rotations is encouraged and recognized as being extremely valuable.

**Sample PGY1 Clinical Curriculum**
Rotation	Duration
Family Medicine	16 weeks**
Family Medicine Rural	8 weeks
Internal Medicine	4 weeks
Emergency Medicine	4 weeks / 16 shifts
OBS/Women’s Health	4 weeks
Mental Health	4 weeks
Pediatrics	4 weeks
Electives	8 weeks
Total: 52 weeks

**Sample PGY2 Clinical Curriculum**
Rotation	Duration
Family Medicine	16 weeks**
Family Medicine Rural	8 weeks
Internal Medicine	4 weeks
Emergency Medicine	4 weeks / 16 shifts
OBS/Women’s Health	4 weeks
Surgical Selective	4 weeks
Electives	12 weeks
Total: 52 weeks

This is the typical Family Medicine Clinical Curriculum; however, due to the needs of the communities, some of the Family Medicine Program Streams will demonstrate slight differences in Curriculum. PGY2 variations: Obs/Women’s health rotation in PGY2 may be exchanged for a FM-OBS rotation; Emergency Medicine in PGY2 may be done in a rural community.

**Note: Family Physicians (preceptors) who do not do hospital rounds – the resident is required to do 3 additional weeks of Internal Medicine.