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 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.)

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. Nancy McKeough
SJFMC - Mr. Gerry Bryan
SWMHC -Ms. Joyce Walter
VFMC - Ms. Joanne Willing
Kitchener - Ms. Sylvia Decker
Tavistock - Ms. Betty Blasdell
Strathroy - Dr. Philip Vandewalle
Windsor - Dr. Dale Ziter

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. 

SMS Orders Policy SJHC

SMS Orders Policy LHSC 

Guidelines for Appropriate Use of the Internet

On Call Policy

Security Privacy

Learner Experience Office - Code of Conduct

Background

This policy is to clarify the roles of the training program, 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. Some residents in the past have sought out members of our faculty to be their family physicians. While this practice is able to ensure some level of healthcare services for our residents, it creates a conflict of interest for the faculty members as they typically would be involved in the assessment and evaluation of the same residents.
2. Our training program has the responsibility to assist our residents in securing healthcare during the course of their training.

Policies

1. Any faculty member of the Department of Family Medicine who provides core family medicine training (i.e. those who provide 16-week block family medicine training) must not take on the role of a family physician for any resident who is currently in the training program.
2. 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.
3. 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. Student Health Services at Western
2. Ms. Sheena Blasing can assist you in finding a family physician in the London Area.
   Sheena Blasing
   Administrative Assistant
   St. Joseph’s Health Care London, Citywide Department of Family Medicine
   268 Grosvenor Street, Room A3-037
   London, Ontario N6A 4V2
   (519)646-6100, Ext. 64884
   (519)646-6270 (Fax)
   Email: sheena.blasing@sjhc.london.on.ca
3. Dr. Dale Ziter, Academic Director and Windsor Program Director, may be able to assist in helping Windsor residents find family doctors
4. PARO carries a list of family physicians who are willing to look after residents.
5. Other alternate sources of healthcare include:
   • Walk-in clinics
   • Urgent Care Centre, St. Joseph's Health Care
   • Walk-in clinics and urgent care centres in Windsor