Integrated Family Medicine Emergency Medicine

The Sault Ste Marie three-year integrated Family Medicine/Emergency Medicine program (iFMEM) builds on the strengths of Sault Ste Marie as a Family Medicine (FM) stream. This community already delivers a robust curriculum that provides residents with the competencies required to complete the two-year FM program. By using an integrated approach, residents who match to this rigorous three-year integrated stream will also receive training to help them achieve the competencies required for CCFM (EM) certification. The clinical curriculum for both certifications will be delivered longitudinally allowing earlier intensive emergency medicine exposure and ongoing family medicine training throughout the three years of the program.

This exciting PGY1 entry, three-year program is designed to train family physicians to deliver comprehensive patient care while developing the confidence and skills necessary to manage and work in a high acuity emergency room setting. Recognizing that the current physician shortage in smaller communities has led to emergency room closures, residents who match to this stream will spend time in rural communities with family physicians who work both in community clinics and emergency departments. In doing so, we expect that this will help shape the resident’s professional identity. During all three years of the program, residents will train in the emergency department regularly, and experience comprehensive family medicine.  Highlights of this program include training in core and resuscitative POCUS, HALO procedural training and longitudinal simulation experiences.

Sault Ste. Marie is a smaller urban community in Northern Ontario with a population of approximately 78,000 people. It is located on the St. Mary’s River, approximately 300 kms west of Sudbury, and just north of the United States border. It is in the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg, specifically Garden River First Nation and Batchewana First Nation, as well as the Métis people. A well established teaching site for NOSM University, Sault Ste. Marie offers Family Medicine residents an opportunity to train in Ontario’s largest multi-specialty/multi-disciplinary health care organization, Group Health Centre, as well as various Family Health Teams. There is excellent learner support locally through its site administrative coordinator and dedicated, enthusiastic preceptors. Sault Ste. Marie hosts NOSM University clinical clerks for 8 months of the year and many elective learners, providing opportunities for layered learning with Family Medicine residents actively participating in the teaching of medical students.

The Sault Area Hospital (SAH) is a one-site hospital, which opened its doors in 2012. With approximately 300 beds, it provides primary, secondary, and select tertiary services to residents in Sault Ste. Marie and the district of Algoma. SAH provides core services in Emergency and Critical Care; Cardiac; Medicine; Surgery; Obstetrics, Maternity and Pediatrics; Mental Health and Addictions; Complex Continuing Care; and Rehabilitation. With this complement of services, all FM core rotations are available locally in addition to numerous elective opportunities. There are few specialty residents in the Sault and therefore FM residents have ample opportunity to be first call during off service rotations and get great exposure and learning in clinics, procedures and surgeries. To promote continuity of care in FM, in addition to the 32 weeks (8 blocks) of FM exposure, residents return to their assigned FM clinic for 2 half days back per 4-week off service block (while in their home base), for the duration of their training.

The SAH has a busy, community Emergency Department and currently functions as a community training site for the NOSM University FM/EM program.  The hospital has a 43 bed emergency department that sees 120-140 visits per day and a wide variety of cases from CTAS1 to CTAS5.  The ED experiences a high acuity of patients with excellent specialist support and a low number of specialty residents ensuring excellent hands-on exposure to procedures and CTAS1 patients while maintaining a low learner to preceptor ratio. To achieve continuous exposure to EM over the duration of the 3 year program, residents can expect to have regularly scheduled EM shifts over the course of their 8 FM blocks, averaging 1-2 per week, in addition to their 28 weeks (7 blocks) in Emergency Medicine.

Additional highlights include: 

• Early integration as a key member of an interdisciplinary healthcare team dedicated to professionalism, high-quality patient care and excellent medical education
• Financial support for resident travel to and from core clinical placements away from the home-base and all mandatory educational activities at non home-base locations
• Opportunities to participate in scholarly activity under expert guidance
• Housing support for core rotations away from home base/primary residence for up to 6 months per academic year
• Funding available for scholarly activity, professional development and conference participation
• Initial block of training focused on transition to residency to ensure successful progression through the three years of training
• An academic curriculum with protected time for academic sessions mapped to the CFPC Priority Topics
• Access to POCUS bootcamp training and procedural skills labs
• Access to formative, interactive Simulation Series throughout the program, in addition to three separate two-day simulation events during year 3
• The NOSM U FM/EM program are national leaders in Point of Care Ultrasound training.  Emergency Ultrasound training includes the EDE course as well as CPOCUS Core IP and Resuscitation track training.
• Funding to access ACLS and NRP, and one other CME accredited advanced resuscitation course such as ATLS or PALS
• Access to advanced technology and informatics that allows 24/7 access to electronic search engines, and electronic indexes, as well as an extensive collection of electronic medical/health journals and textbooks
• Exceptional lifestyle balance with a wide variety of outstanding Northern Ontario recreational opportunities