TIP-FM Format and Course Requirements

During the course, participants will visit a number of sites with the objective of "seeing" the Canadian organization & delivery of Family Medicine and Primary Care. These visits will include:

• Family Medicince Library Tour
• Canadian College of Family Physicians
• Hospitals
• Family Health Teams
• Community Health Centres 

Canadian Health Care System

Goal: Explore the background and central features of Canadian Health Care system

Objectives:

1. Describe universal healthcare in Canada (how funded, administered and delivered)
2. Describe the different components of the Canadian Health Care System and how they interact
3. Recognize how patients access health services in Canada for various clinical presentations

Family Medicine & Primary Care in Canada: Strengths and Challenges

Goal: Consider the strengths and challenges of Family Medicine & Primary Care in Canada

Objectives:

1. Describe evidence regarding the importance of Family Medicine to improving health outcomes for the population
2. Outline specific strengths of the Canadian Family Medicine & Primary Care model
3. Analyze key challenges of the Canadian Family Medicine & Primary Care model

Family Medicine & Primary Care around the World

Goal: Compare the state of family medicine in various LMICs

Objectives:

1. Identify commonalities and differences in family medicine and primary care in participating countries
2. Recognize opportunities for gains in population health from the development of primary care in these settings

Quality Improvement

Goal: Review the history and role of Quality Improvement in Family Medicine

Objectives:

1. Define Quality Improvement
2. Describe background of quality improvement in Family Medicine
3. Evaluate the role of Quality Improvement in Family Medicine

Standards & Accreditation: CanMEDS-FM

Goal: Explore the evolution of a competency framework in FM and key elements of the CanMEDs-FM roles

Objectives:

1. Identify and define CanMEDS-FM roles
2. Assess importance and expected outcomes of a competency curriculum
3. Reflect on the family medicine roles and competencies in one’s local context

Primary Care/Public Health Interface

Goal: Analyze and breakdown the complex dynamic between primary care and public health

Objectives:

1. Compare and contrast the disciplines of public health and primary care
2. Identify opportunities for collaboration among the two disciplines
3. Outline potential challenges arising from collaboration between the two disciplines and possible solutions

Family Medicine in the Undergraduate Curriculum

Goal: Familiarize participants with current state of family medicine in undergraduate medical education

Objectives:

1. Identify opportunities to incorporate family medicine teaching in the undergraduate curriculum
2. Outline a strategy to overcome common barriers to inclusion of family medicine in the undergraduate curriculum
3. Advocate for family medicine as an essential component of undergraduate education

Post-Graduate Education in Family Medicine

Goal: Review the key features of the post-graduate family medicine curriculum in Canada

Objectives:

1. Describe resident training in family medicine in Canada
2. Discuss the relative merits of clinical rotations and longitudinal family practice training
3. Characterize the role of the accreditation process in educational quality and uniformity and portability of post-graduate family medicine training

Continued Professional Development (Mentorship and Leadership)

Goal: Establish the importance of continued professional development in family medicine

Objectives:

1. Describe the MAINPRO system for Canadian Family Physicians
2. Define the role of mentorship and leadership in family medicine
3. Reflect on the role of continued professional development in primary care in one’s own country

Research in Family Medicine: Overview

Goal: Provide tools necessary to better engage primary care practitioners in evidence based culture.

Objectives:

1. Describe the historical challenges and shortcomings of the knowledge base for primary care.
2. Recognize the role of practice-based research networks in primary care evidence based medicine.
3. Identify community-based health care questions as the basis for knowledge generation.
4. Give an example of a research method developed specifically for primary care
5. Describe a challenge unique to translational medicine in primary care.

The purpose of the small group discussions is to allow for a more in-depth discussion of a given topic. The small group topics proposed in the TIP 2015 curriculum were selected based on the requests, questions and discussions encountered by the course organizers in their interaction with colleagues working to develop and strengthen Family Medicine worldwide.

In order to respond to the participants’ identified learning needs, other small group topics may be added at the onset of the course while other small groups might be cancelled if they are not deemed to be relevant to this year’s cohort of participants.

With that flexibility in mind, the small group topics identified for TIPS 2015 fall under the 3 broad (and often overlapping) themes of:

• Achieving competency
• Developing the knowledge foundation
• Strengthening the discipline

The specific topics include:

• Family medicine in the undergraduate curriculum: strategies and content
• Postgraduate education in Family Medicine: curriculum development
• Faculty Development in Family Medicine: tools and strategies
• Continued Professional Development: enhancing competency in the undifferentiating generalist physicians
• Growing Family Medicine Research: first steps and strategies
• Publishing in Family Medicine
• Centre for E-Health Innovation
• Quality Improvement: first steps and strategies
• Leadership in Family Medicine: issues strategies
• Mentorship in Family Medicine: tools and strategies
• Courses and programs available at UofT for emerging leaders in Family Medicine
• The Besrour Centre: Collaborating for stronger family medicine worldwide.

All of the program components will be delivered in English. Translation will not be provided. Participants should be fluent in English.