NOSM University offers a 12-month PGY3 residency in Care of the Elderly. The program is offered under the Enhanced Skills in Family Medicine program. This is a competency-based program, designed for the learner to achieve all 17 Care of the Elderly core competencies, as defined by the CFPC. The curriculum is tailored to accommodate goal-directed learning. This program is an innovative residency offered throughout the north to prepare family physicians to work in a focused care of the elderly practice. As with other NOSM U residencies this program will also prepare residents to practice outside tertiary care centres where there is less specialist support.
Teaching Sites
Residents in the Care of the Elderly program will work in interdisciplinary settings throughout their training in the main teaching centres (Sudbury, Thunder Bay and North Bay) and rural communities (New Liskeard, Elliot Lake, Timmins, Huntsville), providing them with broad-based exposure to a variety of practices.
Clinical Curriculum
Teaching faculty include focused practice care of the elderly physicians, geriatric psychiatrists, geriatricians and allied health professionals.
Clinical Rotation Schedule
- 8 weeks – In-Patient Geriatric Assessment
- 8 weeks – Out-Patient Community Assessment
- 8 weeks – Geriatric Psychiatry
- 4 weeks – Geriatric Rehabilitation (Ottawa)
- 4 weeks – Behavioral Neurology (Toronto)
- 4 weeks – Movement Disorders (Toronto)
- 4 weeks – Palliative Care
- 4 weeks – Long-Term Care
- 4 weeks – Research
- 4 weeks – Elective
- Longitudinal component adapted based on learner career goals and community. Examples include; long term care or Behavioral Supports Ontario consultations.
Goals and Objectives
CFPC Care of the Elderly Priority Topics and Key Features
Care of the Elderly – Program Goals and Objectives
Care of the Elderly – Community Assessment (Out-Patient) Rotation
Care of the Elderly – Geriatric Assessment (In-Patient) Rotation
Care of the Elderly – Geriatric Rehabilitation Rotation
Scholarly Activities
Residents in the Care of the Elderly program may attend a variety of rounds and academic courses. Depending on learning needs, residents may attend additional related rounds available through NOSM U, University of Calgary, University of Alberta, University of Ottawa and University of Toronto. Residents are encouraged and supported to teach junior residents and undergraduate medical students on topics.
Completion of scholarly project is also a mandatory component of the Care of the Elderly residency program. Residents are provided with a number of supports to complete their scholarly project. In addition to the four weeks allotted as part of the clinical curriculum, they are provided with some financial support and connected with faculty members with similar interests. Depending on the type of project, residents may also complete the project longitudinally and replace the research rotation with an elective.
Residents in the Care of the Elderly program participate in program administration by sitting on the Enhanced Skills Residency Program Committee and the Care of the Elderly Residency Program Committee. Interviews between the Program Director and residents, once they have completed training, are important for guiding overall program planning.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for NOSM U’s Enhanced Skills Programs candidates must be either:
- Currently enrolled as a PGY2 in a Canadian Family Medicine Residency Program at the time of application. Residents must start their PGY3 within 12 months of completing their PGY2 year.
- *A physician currently practising in Canada (for a minimum of 12 consecutive months) who meets program funding eligibility requirements according to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC).
*Note: Practising physicians interested in taking the program must apply separately through the MOHLTC Re-Entry Program. Additional information about the Re-Entry Program and application requirements are available on the MOHLTC Central Forms Repository.
Enhanced Skills Exam Policy for Entry
Postgraduate training appointment/entry into the NOSM U PGY3 Family Medicine Enhanced Skills program is conditional upon the candidate’s successful completion of the Family Medicine Certification Exam (CFPC exam). As such, NOSM U holds the right to terminate a candidate’s postgraduate training appointment and release them from any existing contracts/obligations to the program, should this requirement not be met by the anticipated training start date.
How to Apply
Application to the Care of the Elderly Program can be found by visiting the CaRMS website at http://www.carms.ca
Residents will be notified by email of the success of their application.
Program Contacts
Dr. Kaitlin Sheridan
Care of the Elderly Enhanced Skills Program Director
Melanie Pilon
Program Coordinator
PGY3 Enhanced Skills Programs
NOSM University – Sudbury
Sudbury ON P3E 2C6
Tel: 705-662-7247
Email: mpilon@nosm.ca
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