Having access to primary care is an essential part of staying healthy, and many residents will find themselves outside of their home communities during their training. We strongly encourage every resident to locate and establish themselves with a family physician. At the start of each academic year, we refresh our list of Northern physicians who have agreed to take on residents as patients. If you require a physician, please contact your Learner Affairs Officer, email pgewellness@nosm.ca or send a request through the NOSM U Well App.

NOSM University is committed to ensuring that residents with disabilities have equal opportunities to succeed in residency while upholding the high academic standards of our programs. Disabilities can include physical limitations, medical conditions, learning disorders and mental health disorders. The Academic Accommodations including in the Clinical Environment Policy can be found online at PGME Office Policies, Procedures & Forms website. If you are a resident with a disability who is in need of accommodations, please get in touch with your LAO directly or the Accessibility Advisor, who can be reached via accessiblityadvisor@nosm.ca

Learner Support Services is delighted to announce the new Student Assistance Program (SAP) from Homewood Health, replacing the EFAP Lifeworks by Morneau Shepell. 

Starting September 1st, 2022, all NOSM University learners will have access to the SAP services through Homewood Health. Homewood Health is known for its personal touch and exceptional level of clinical service delivery. The SAP program from Homewood Health will include several new services and will provide access to a full range of health and wellness services:

 

Homewood Pathfinder

Homewood Pathfinder is your solution for today’s complex world. It offers you a wealth of expert tools and resources, a curated care path and SAP service recommendations based on your individual needs and preferences. With Homewood Pathfinder, you select your preferred approach to access support. You can choose from a digital experience, a fully ‘live’ experience by telephone, or a blended experience. This choice improves your SAP by allowing you to instantly access tools, resources, and service recommendations in the way you are most comfortable with.

Counselling Services

Counselling services are available over the telephone, by video, face-to-face, or online. The counsellors are highly qualified with a minimum of a master’s degree, typically in social work or psychology. The counselling is based on a short-term model with a solution-focused approach that is meant to help people understand their concerns and develop a plan of action to address them.

Life Smart Coaching

This is a series of work-life services that include parenting, childcare and eldercare, legal consultation by qualified lawyers, financial guidance through certified financial experts, nutritional coaching by Registered Dietitians, and career coaching, which includes pre-retirement and shiftwork guidance provided by career counsellors and smoking cessation support. Each service has been developed to allow you to take a proactive approach to manage everyday challenges and life transitions and receive information and support that suits your unique situation. Mostly, these services are delivered by telephone and often include an assessment, a personalized package of information and useful tools with your best interests in mind. 

 

How To Access Services 

Please visit Homewood Health’s website at  visit www.Homeweb.ca and log into Member Services to access the SAP online services.

All learners can access any Homewood Health EFAP services beginning September 1st, 2022.

If you are in crisis, immediate support is available through Homewood Health. Please be assured that the program is completely confidential. If you have any questions, you may contact Homewood Health 24/7/365-day at 1-800-663-1142 (EN) or 1-866-398-9505 (FR).

Resident wellness rests upon a foundation of respect for PARO-OTH Collective Agreement protections, freedom from intimidation and harassment, safe and healthy working environments, and safe housing and transportation. Residents are encouraged to come forward if ever these conditions are not met. Recognizing that you may need clarification of these standards or assistance with advocacy, the Wellness LAO is available to provide support.

For further information on mistreatment, please visit the “I need help, Crisis Information” link on our resident wellness homepage.

To access our PGME Policy and procedures page please click,  PGME Office Policies, Procedures & Forms website.

The PGY1 Core Curriculum includes wellness topics like fatigue management, burnout, mindfulness and resiliency in order to help you develop the lifelong skills to stay well in medicine.

Ontario Medical Association Physician Health Program (PHP)
The Ontario Medical Association Physician Health Program (PHP) provides a range of direct services to physicians, residents and medical students, as well as supportive services to family members.

The PHP provides confidential support for individuals who are struggling with substance use and mental health concerns, as well as with other behaviours that have a personal and professional impact. The PHP also offers support and education to physician leaders, hospitals, and other worksites; as well as to anyone else who is concerned about a loved one or colleague.

PHP support is responsive, helpful and knowledgeable about local resources. All PHP services are confidential, and residents are referred to appropriate services geared to caring for physicians in their own community, or one nearby if preferred.

The OMA Physician Health Program can be reached through their confidential line at: 1-800-851-6606 (Ontario only). Additional information is available online at php.oma.org.

---

The Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO)
Paro is your professional association responsible for negotiating and upholding your collective agreement, as well as providing direct support services for its members.

PARO maintains a 24h helpline, which is a confidential support service for residents and their families. The toll-free number is accessible anywhere in Ontario.

PARO Help Line: 1-866-HELP-DOC (1-866-435-7362). Additional information can be found at www.myparo.ca/helpline.

The PARO website also includes wellness information, tips for thriving in residency, and strategies for stress. These and other resources can be found here: www.myparo.ca.

The distributed nature of NOSM University Postgraduate Medical Education programs means our residents spend quite a bit of time on the road, and our Northern weather can sometimes make our highways unsafe. If ever you judge the conditions to be unsafe for highway travel, we prefer that you stay off the road. If this causes you to show up late for the first day of your next rotation, or an academic session, so be it! Contact your program coordinator as soon as possible so alternative arrangements can be made, for example teleconferencing in. There is no penalty for keeping yourself safe. Please refer to the Postgraduate Medical Education Resident Safety Policy for additional information pertaining to transportation/travel safety and more .

All resident communication with Wellness Program personnel, including personal health information, will be handled confidentially within the limitations of the law. Your program director, faculty supervisors and colleagues will not be informed of the content of these communications without your consent.

Postgraduate Medical Education Resident Wellness Confidentiality Policy

The resident Wellness Program would like to remind residents of the importance of taking breaks. In addition to our support, the Collective Agreement also provides professional time and lieu days. To find out more on the resident responsibilities for sick days, short term and long-term leaves please visit the PGME Office website.

Postgraduate Medical Education Leaves of Absence Policy

Resident Leaves Checklist

Canadian Medical Association Wellness Support Line

The CMA Wellness Support Line (www.cma.ca) will link Ontario residents to the OMA Physician health program. For Ontario, the Wellness Support Line is 1-800-851-6606 which offers counselling and access to mental health supports to physicians, medical learners and their immediate families. It is a 24/7 bilingual (French and English) service, delivered via Morneau Shepell and is designed to complement existing resources available through physician health programs in provinces and territories across Canada

For further information on their wellness support line, please visit the CMA Support line.

The CMA Physician Wellness Hub

The CMA Physician Wellness Hub (the Hub) is one of the key programs the CMA has created to drive change in the culture of medicine and to promote health and wellness in the medical profession for the benefit of practitioners, the health system and all Canadians. The Hub aims to improve physician wellness individually as well as at the system level and to promote a collaborative approach to physician health and well-being.

The Hub is a national collection of nearly 300 physician health and wellness resources, spanning 22 topics. Resources include original CMA content and curated information from other trusted sources. Information is targeted to physicians, residents and medical students seeking guidance and wellness self-help, and CMA membership is not required to access it. The Hub also has material for those leading wellness initiatives and programs. The CMA will continue to add tools and resources to the Hub, as needs arise and as new materials become available.

The Hub also incorporates two other key CMA health and wellness initiatives: The Wellness Support Line and Wellness Connection and aims to support other high-quality health and wellness initiatives developed by the provincial and territorial physician health programs. The CMA worked collaboratively with the provincial and territorial medical associations and provincial health programs, other medical stakeholders and physicians to leverage their input and enhance resources that are already in place for physicians and medical learners.

The Hub is a tremendous source of all kinds of resources, such as articles, videos, podcasts, etc. It is easily searchable. A quick search of the hub’s content visit their website CMA Hub

Resident Doctors of Canada

RDoC is dedicated to supporting its members’ health and wellness throughout their medical training. Please visit their Website to learn more about how they have taken a leadership role in a number of resident wellness projects.

• RDoC Wellness site link
• Link to the RDoC poster “How do we change the culture? We start by changing the language”. Poster

 

NOSM University  Connections

NOSM University Health Sciences Library- Health and Wellness page

NOSM University Francophone Medical Education

NOSM University Indigenous Medical Education

NOSM University IMG Support and Resources Site

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

Kids Help Phone

LGBT Youthline

Settlement.Org: Welcome to Ontario