Miscellaneous Western University and London Hospital Policies

Each family medicine teaching unit may have its own Resident's Handbook that outlines policies and procedures on a number of other local matters. 

The Department of Family Medicine recognizes the need for residents to both feel safe and to be safe. The process for patient care as it relates to resident safety is an important one and is explicitly addressed as part of your orientation to the program and as part of your orientation to your family medical centre or community-based practice.

During block time in the family medical centres and community-based practices residents will be required to attend to patients both during office hours and during the on-call experience. Settings of patient care include:

1. Office
2. Emergency Room
3. Long-term care institutions
4. Patient home (house, apartment, group home, etc.)
5. Hospital Wards

Family medicine residents on family medicine block time will not be required to see patients alone in the clinic or on house calls or in any setting that is not properly supervised. Family medicine preceptors will accompany residents, where resident safety is a concern.  Family medical centers have identified a "safety liaison staff person” with whom you can discuss any issues or concerns related to your safety during patient care activities:

BFMC - Dr. Sonny Cejic
SJFMC - Dr. Saadia Jan
VFMC - Dr. Stacey Valiquet
SWMHC - Dr. Jennifer Parr
Strathroy - Dr. Philip Vandewalle
Ilderton - Dr. Daniel Leger
Windsor - Dr. Helena Hamdan
Chatham - Dr. Paul Ricketts
Hanover - Dr. Tim Heerema
Petrolia - Dr. Justin Mall
Listowel - Dr. Derek Gateman
Stratford - Dr. Matt MacDonald

Residents in the community-based practices not listed above should discuss issues or concerns with your staff physician or the community-based coordinator. Residents can also bring any safety concerns to the Postgraduate and/or Assistant Postgraduate Director.

For an urgent situation while on-call the staff physician on-call with you will assist you with any concerns.

Issues of safety not related to patient care activities should be directed to the Postgraduate Director for further consideration. 

Last Reviewed: January 8, 2025

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Last Reviewed: January 8, 2025

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Last Reviewed: January 8, 2025

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Last Reviewed: January 8, 2025

Background

This policy is to clarify the roles of the training program and its faculty in the healthcare needs of our residents.  It will also clarify resources available to residents who are in search of healthcare services.

Issues

1. Conflicts of interest: Residents in our program are encouraged to secure their own family physicians during the course of their training program. Residents are discouraged from seeking out faculty members within thier core training site to be their primary care provider as this creates a conflict of interest.  Should this relationship predate matching to the program, all efforts should be made not to place the resident at this site.

Policies

1. Those faculty members who currently have residents as their patients who are training in the program should, together with the resident, arrange for alternate healthcare services (e.g. finding a community-based family physician to provide interim healthcare) during the course of training). An exception to this is if the change in healthcare provision will cause significant adverse outcomes for the resident. In such a case, the faculty member should declare a conflict of interest and excuse himself or herself from any assessment or evaluation process that involves the resident who is his or her patient.
2. Any faculty member of the Department of Family Medicine may take on residents as patients who are not in our family medicine residency training program.

Resources for Residents

Residents can access the following resources to receive healthcare services during the course of their training:

1. Health and Wellness Services – Students
2. Other alternate sources of healthcare include:
   • Walk-in clinics
   • Urgent Care Centre, St. Joseph's Health Care
   • Windsor - Walk-in Clinics and Urgent Care Centres

Last Reviewed: January 8, 2025