Please take note this is a FRANCOPHONE teaching site : French is mandatory
Description
LOCATION
The Family Medicine Unit (FMU) is situated in Val-d’Or, a small city of approximately 35,000 in western Quebec in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
for more information
A young region whose history is intimately linked to the exploitation of its natural resources. The mineral potential is at the heart of economic activity in the Vallée-de-L'Or. The boreal forest and water are ubiquitous, on which are based a large number of people's leisure activities. Water sports, fishing, hunting, hiking, and of course cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter are honored.
The region is young, dynamic, and offers an exceptional quality of life! The FMU is associated with the CSSSVO (Centre de santé et de services sociaux de la Vallée-de-l’Or, of which the Centre hospitalier de Val-d’Or is associated). It is also part of a multisite GMF.
The FMU's activities occur within a localized medical centre within one kilometer of the Hôpital de Val-d'Or . The recommended approach was to place the FMU in the heart of the community. By this choice, we aim for the immersion of residents in a realistic learning environment with respect to current medical practice.
WEBSITE:
LANGUAGE
• Spoken: French. English is useful (approximately 10% of patients are Anglophone)
• Medical files: French
Val-d’Or is a mainly Francophone city and similar to the hospital, everything at the FMU takes place in French. A very good knowledge of French is essential. A portion (about 10%) of patients treated are Anglophone, so English is very useful.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Vallée-de-l'Or FMU is a teaching unit for family medicine residents, affiliated with McGill University. It opened its doors in 2009, after many years of work by several physicians who saw an exciting challenge. It was receiving trainees from McGill University for many years and so affiliation came naturally. Ten family physicians have been involved from the beginning, representing one third of the of the Val-d'Or site's active members, and almost all are still there. The passion and love of teaching make up a team dedicated to residents and visitors. The milieu's small size allows for a privileged relationship with teachers and promotes learning. We teach the principles and practice of family medicine to students and residents. We train residents to become family physicians in accordance with the principles of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. We promote the professional development of family medicine teachers and continuing medical education of practicing family physicians. We provide comprehensive care and patient follow-up in respect of their family and community. We serve the community through the activities of our faculty in the clinical setting, our residents and students in many areas.
The Vallée-de-l'Or's FMU's family medicine residency program is based on versatility, autonomy, innovation, and a friendly atmosphere. It offers unique global integration skills over 2 years (horizontalisation internships) to stick as closely as possible to the reality of the work of a family doctor in the region.
Residents follow their patients during their two-year residency. They are supervised by the teaching doctors. A clinical psychologist and a nurse are also part of the team. Each resident is assigned a faculty advisor and they are all responsible to monitor and adjust the residency path.
POPULATION
The MRC de la Vallée-de-l'Or (24 000 km2) serves a population of about 43,000, spread across six municipalities (Val-d'Or, Senneterre-ville, Senneterre-paroisse, Malartic, Rivière-Héva , Belcourt), an Aboriginal reserve (Lac Simon) and an Aboriginal settlement (Grand Lac Victoria (Kitcisakik)). The Aboriginal population is a little over 4% of the total population. The people of Lac Simon speak mostly French, while English has a strong presence in Kitcisakik.
The MRC de la Vallée-de-l'Or's economy is mainly based on the exploitation and processing of natural resources (wood and metal). Thus, 14.7% of jobs are concentrated in the primary sector, while for all of Quebec, the rate is only 4%. The population is therefore poorly educated, but household income compares to the provincial average due to well-paying jobs in the mining industry. A gateway to the region, the city of Val-d'Or forms the main town of the MRC and its regional centre.
Many Amerindians (Algonquin and Cree) pass through Val-d'Or and are not identified as living in the city, but are still very present.
OTHER INTERESTING INFORMATION
• 3600 visits from 2012-2013
• Residents follow 10 pregnancies and deliver their own patients
The GMF-U de la Vallée de l’Or is a Francophone institution that serves the population east of Abitibi, including some Algonquin communities and the Cree population of James Bay. General practitioners cover emergency, hospitalization and obstetrics, supported by a great team of specialists. Residents find their place quickly among different medical teams in the hospital. Also, the regional CSSSVO gives meaning to family medicine by often exposing residents to the same patients reviewed in emergency, on the floors, or at the office.
• 3,600 acute care admissions per year
• 36,500 external consultations per year
• 90 acute care beds
• approximately 700 births per year
• 38,300 visits to the emergency room per year
Undergraduate Teaching
Student interns have varied exposure:
- During their month, they must do emergency room and delivery room shifts
- They have one week of inpatient care while working very closely with a general practitiner supervisor, during which they acquire a lot of autonomy.
- They do patient follow-up with teaching physicians both at the private office and at the FMU.
- Some have the opportunity to provide care in an Aboriginal clinic.
- They participate in teaching periods at the FMU, as well as at the Journal Club.
- They are expected to present an interesting case at the end of their placement during the FMU's academic half-days.
Postgraduate Teaching
CAPACITY
• 10 residents (5 R1s and 5 R2s)
Plus one to two externals per period and other residents doing optional internships or their obligatory "rural" internship.
For the last few years, we have had an agreement with the UMF de la Sarre en Abitibi (Université de Montréal) which brings some of their residents doing their emergency, obstetric, and pediatrics to us.
PROGRAM
• Horizontal
One of the most horizontalized programs in Canada, if not the most horizontal. The majority of the residency (17 periods/ 26) is performed via the Super bloc UMF interships.
This includes a very varied longitudinal exposure comprising: in-office patient follow-up, emergency, hospitalization, obstetrics, home care, palliative care, mental health clinic, perinatal clinic, CHSLD, active geriatrics, contraception/STI clinic, minor surgery.
Des neuf stages “verticaux” qui restent, 6 sont optionnels (dont 2 options dirigées). S’ajoutent ensuite des périodes en urgence, en obstétrique et en pédiatrie. Of the nine "vertical" internships remaining, six are optional (of which two are managed options). In addition are periods in emergency, obstetrics, and pediatrics.
To learn more about the residency program, click here
PARTICULARITIES OF THIS TEACHING SITE
- Unique global integration skills over 2 years
- Central role of the general practitioner
- A lot of autonomy given to resident
- Exposure to Aboriginal culture (Algonquins and Cris)
- Smaller FMU allowing for a privileged relationship with teachers and fostering learning
- More optional internships
- Financial assistance program
Contact us
Address
The Vallée de l'Or (Val d'Or) Family Medicine Unit
| Street Address | Mailing Address |
|
525, 6e Rue Val-d'Or (Québec) J9P 0L6 |
CISSS de l'Abitibi-Téminscamingue - Hôpital de Val-d'Or 525, 6e Rue Val-d'Or (Québec) J9P 0L6 |
Websites: Unité de Médecine de Famille de Val D'Or, CSSS Val d'Or
| CONTACTS: | |
|---|---|
| FMU Medical Director | Dr. Julie Massé |
| Undergraduate teaching Director | Dr. Julie Massé |
| Postgraduate teaching Director | anne-michele.bilodeau-dube [at] mcgill.ca (Dr. Anne-Michèle Bilodeau-Dubé) |
| Administrative Coordinators for the Residency and Education Program |
Mme Louise Paradis and Mme Marilyne Élément-Baribeau umfvd-enseignement [at] ssss.gouve.qc.ca |
| Telephone: 819-825-5858, ext. 3551 |
| Fax: 819-825-1192 |
For questions regarding the curriculum, please contact:
| Undergraduate Program Administrative Coordinator | TBC |
| Postgraduate Program Administrator | julie.lane [at] mcgill.ca (Julie Lane) |