Rotation Policies

• Your schedule will be arranged by the Family Medicine Office. Confirmed rotations will appear on your schedule in One45 at minimum one block prior to the start of your rotation. Rotations are arranged according to curricular stream requirements, your preferences, as well as service capacities. Although rotation preferences are requested we are unable to guarantee that all preferences will be accommodated.
• Please contact your preceptor approximately one month in advance of your rotation. Contact information can be found in one45, in the Handouts and Links section of your eDossier.
• The Family Medicine Office will send letters of good standing automatically if they are required; however, it is important to check the requirements for your rotation with the service to ensure the necessary paperwork has been completed. Many hospitals require a form to be completed and you will not be able to begin your rotation until it is completed. Some hospitals have credentialing committees that review the forms and these committees do not meet regularly. It is your responsibility to ensure you have completed the necessary paperwork for the rotation at least two months prior to the rotation. Failure to submit completed paperwork may result in your being turned away by your rotation. Note regarding forms: 1. Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance (Clinton, Seaforth, Stratford, St. Marys) hospital forms.  The Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance form asks for the Program Director or Postgraduate Coordinator to sign the form – this is not necessary as we send a good standing letter. 2. Chatham requires the resident completes a resident application form and applicable consent form. 
• Rotations are scheduled within Southwestern Ontario. Not all rotations are listed or have descriptions within the Core and Elective Descriptions  webpage.
• All rotations must be one block in duration and shorter time frames are not acceptable. Please review the PGME rotation change over schedule.
• Selective/electives must be chosen in consultation with your Family Medicine faculty advisor.

Last Revised November 13, 2024.

• Residents are eligible to complete up to 12 weeks (3 blocks) of electives outside of Southwestern Ontario. Four of these weeks can be taken outside of Ontario over the course of the two-year training program:
  • Rotations outside of Southwestern Ontario, but within Ontario: These rotations must be supervised by a faculty member with an active faculty appointment at an accredited Canadian medical school. Please indicate in your preference survey that you would like a resident choice elective.
  • Rotations outside of Ontario: These rotations must be supervised by a faculty member with an active faculty appointment at an accredited medical school. Please indicate in your preference survey that you would like a resident choice elective.
• To arrange a rotation outside of Southwestern Ontario: After you have confirmation of the block timing from the Family Medicine Office, you can begin making arrangements. You are fully responsible for arranging these electives -- our Program Coordinators cannot assist you. Be sure to submit an application to the correct school or organization, and make sure that you have confirmation of your rotation and the necessary hospital credentials (if required) prior to the start of your rotation. Once you have approval, complete the Elective Rotation Request Form to provide details: rotation name, block(s) of rotation, supervisor name, address, telephone #, email address, hospital affiliation, and the objectives for the rotation (either the objectives provided by the experience or a list of personal objectives from you that correspond to the program competencies and EPAs). You are responsible for your own travel and accommodation costs. You will need to arrange your own licensure and malpractice insurance. Preceptor payments are not available to non-Schulich faculty and preceptors outside of Southwestern Ontario.

Last Revised November 13, 2024.

• Family Medicine Selectives include the choice of the following rotations: office-based comprehensive family medicine, FM-OB, hospitalist, palliative care, sports medicine, emergency medicine, and wound clinic rotations.
• Core Selectives/electives must be chosen among disciplines related to Family Medicine.
• The following policy takes into consideration the differences in curriculum for Urban, Windsor and Rural/Regional residents during their core FM rotation.
• Regional/Rural Residents: there is a cap of 3 elective/core selective rotations that will be arranged in any type of specialty, excluding Family Medicine. 
• London Urban and Windsor residents: there is a cap of 3 elective/core selective rotations that will be arranged in any type of specialty, excluding Family Medicine. In addition, the FM selective in PGY1 could be in any of the FM Selective disciplines. For example, a resident could complete a FM selective in palliative care and also complete 3 core selectives/electives in palliative care.

Last Revised November 13, 2024.

• For most blocks, one45 assessments will be sent out automatically to your preceptor; however, some rotations generate a one45 to-do item for you to forward the form to the appropriate faculty member. For services with multiple attendings, please send the assessment to one attending only, the one whom you worked most closely. Please ask your preceptor to complete your one45 assessment before you leave the rotation. As a resident, it is your responsibility to find out which faculty member will be completing your assessment and keep up with your one45 to-do items. If you navigate to your one45 evaluation tab, you can see completed and outstanding evaluations. You also have the option to click the "p" beside the attending physician's name to email the form to your preceptor. Completed forms can be emailed to fmpgc@schulich.uwo.ca 
• You will have the opportunity to review/confirm evaluations that have been completed by your attending. Once the attending's evaluation has been completed on-line, it will appear on your "to-do" list. Please note that you will have to complete the "Resident Evaluation of Rotation" or other outstanding forms before you can review an attending's evaluation of you. As well, you cannot view the form until after the end of the rotation. 

Last Revised November 13, 2024.

• Core and Selective rotations cannot be modified once scheduled. Off-service rotations go through a lot of work to ensure that there are the right number and mix of residents from different training programs that will support the requirements of patient care. A switch impacts this arrangement greatly and it is extremely difficulty to secure additional core training rotations.
• Elective rotations can be modified only 8 weeks before the start date of the rotation by following the instruction below:
  • To change your elective rotation in all locations except Windsor: It is the resident's responsibility to be released from the scheduled elective rotation supervisor and to receive acceptance from the desired elective rotation preceptor. Notify our Postgraduate Program Coordinator of the change by supplying the email messages confirming the elective rotation release and acceptance.
  • To change your elective rotation in Windsor-Essex County: Contact Windsor Family Medicine Education Assistant with details of the change request.

Last Revised November 13, 2024.

• Horizontal electives can only take place during core Family Medicine rotations;
• PGY2 residents can do up to 6 half days during regular working hours;
• PGY1 residents are not eligible for horizontal electives during regular working hours due to the importance of focussing on their core Family Medicine competencies in the first year of residency;
• Horizontal electives outside of regular working hours can only be done during core Family Medicine rotations. Residents should discuss their desire to do horizontal electives with their faculty advisor during their periodic reviews and the Faculty Advisor must approve these horizontal electives. It is the resident's responsibility to advise the Family Medicine Postgraduate Office once they are confirmed.
• Residents must identify 3 learning objectives for the horizontal elective and the faculty advisor will review the learning objectives;
• The resident must provide the contact information of the supervisor that they will be working with for the horizontal elective. The faculty advisor will contact the supervisor to review the learning objectives and ensure that the clinical experience they are offering will meet these objectives.
• The resident will ensure that they have the necessary hospital credentials and privileges;
• The resident will ensure that the horizontal elective supervisor has a faculty appointment with a university. Note that preceptors stipends are not available.

Last Revised November 13, 2024.

• There will be opportunity for select residents to take a 1-block research elective to assist in the development and completion of a residency research project. QI projects are note eligible for a research elective. The following guidelines must be adhered to for the elective to be approved:
  • A research elective supervisor must be secured for supervision for the duration of the elective. This supervisor should be the supervisor for the residency research project.
  • The resident research project must be substantial enough (in terms of workload and time requirement) as judged by the supervisor for the residency research project as well as the Family Medicine Office to warrant elective time to aid in its completion and development.
  • Weekly progress meetings must occur with the resident undertaking the elective and the research elective supervisor.
  • The following must be submitted electronically via e-mail to the Postgraduate Office at least 2 blocks in advance of the intended commencement of the elective for approval:
    • A written curriculum detailing the scheduled activities and time required for the activities and signed by the research elective supervisor for the research elective.
    • A copy of the residency research proposal outlining the background, objective and methodology of the project approved and signed by the research elective supervisor.
  • The following must be submitted electronically to the Postgraduate Office upon completion of the elective:
    
    • A report on the achievements related to the research project during the month of the elective and be signed by the research elective supervisor.
    • An evaluation for resident performance by the research elective supervisor and an evaluation of the research elective by the resident will be completed at the end of the elective rotation. Like other clinical rotations, if resident performance on this elective was not satisfactory, remediation may be required.

Last Revised November 13, 2024.

• Residents have the option of taking all of their 4 weeks of available vacation in a given year all at once in a vacation elective. The timing of this elective may be restricted due to availability of other clinical rotations at certain times of the year.
• Please note that a vacation elective does not change the end date of a residency, i.e., If your residency end-date is June 30, 2025, you won't make that end-date May 31, 2025 by taking a vacation elective in the month of June.
• If a resident chooses this option, he/she will not be able to take vacation during any other time in the academic year. However, he/she will still be able to take educational days throughout the rest of the year.

Last Revised November 13, 2024.