Postgraduate Program
At the residency level, Family Medicine and Internal Medicine programs currently have mandatory rural rotations. Rural or community rotations are also recommended in all other specialties. Thus there is a wide variety of specialty electives, but few are firmly organized.
However, as of the 2008-2009 academic year, the local Rural Network ERMEP can provide funding for one-month specialty rotations that includes travel and housing expenses as well as preceptor stipends. Hopefully, this will promote an increase in the number of specialty electives in the DME community; the latter will be handled in a similar way as fourth year student electives (i.e., establish objectives, offer mid rotation feedback).
Please note that for programs developing an actual community rotation, the Postgraduate Program Director in that field will accredit the site and create clear objectives.
Family Medicine
Family Medicine has been offering two-month rural rotations for a number of years and has an established a network of sites in Southeastern Ontario. These sites are administered and funded directly by the Family Medicine Department. All enquiries about this program should be directed to the Family Medicine Director of Community Teaching Practices.
The Family Medicine Department is currently developing horizontally organized rural streams where residents spend most of their training in community Family Medicine practices, doing hospital based rotations locally when possible. For further details, please consult the Family Medicine Department Website.