As Canadians we have so much to be thankful for.

This November, as we celebrate Family Doctor Week across the country, we have a wonderful opportunity to thank and acknowledge the important role of our family physicians and the special relationships they share with their patients.

This week also provides an opportunity for governments, health care organizations and other professionals to acknowledge the outstanding contributions made by family doctors to improve the health and well-being of their patients through their work in clinics, hospitals, universities, and many other health care facilities in Canadian communities.

Thinking about Family Doctor Week, I’m reminded of the accomplishments of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Manitoba. The department’s residency program is now delivered in multiple communities across Manitoba with an intake of approximately 60 residents per year. Residents can study in one of four learning streams tailored to their practical interests: Northern Remote, Urban, Rural, and Winnipeg.

Each stream provides broad and balanced experience that will prepare students to be well-rounded physicians who practice in a variety of different settings, with patients from all backgrounds and a multitude of different health concerns. Residents have the opportunity to can gain research experience through the Department’s active research program. As well, they have the option to further their skills through one of six enhanced skills programs through the Department of Family Medicine.

Our distributed medical education sites include rural residencies in Dauphin, Brandon, Portage, Winkler/Morden, and Steinbach; urban training at Family Medical Centre, Kildonan Medical Centre, and Access River East; bilingual training at Centre de Santé (soon to be Access St-Boniface), Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes and Ste-Anne; and northern remote training at Northern Connections Medical Centre, multiple communities with the Northern Medical Unit and Northern Regional Health Authority, Nunavut and North West Territories.

In undergraduate medical education, the department provides clerkship placements (five weeks per clerk/110 students per year) across all five health regions in the province. We have increased our collaboration with WRHA Access Centres and Community Health agencies to ensure medical students have early and continued exposure to family medicine in pre-clerkship.

The Department of Family Medicine also continues its work at consolidating its central administrative staff on Bannatyne Campus which will improve efficiency; enhance coordination of activities; improve communication with the College of Medicine Dean’s staff; and increase the profile of Family Medicine on this campus.

Thank you to department head Dr. Jose Francois, department leadership, faculty members, preceptors and administrative staff whose contributions ensure the College of Medicine’s Dept. of Family Medicine fulfills its mission of providing diverse education environments to develop excellent family physicians and is a leader and innovator in education and research.

We are thankful for our family doctors and as a university we are so proud to be recognized as health education trailblazers that nurture and develop excellent family physicians.

What are you thankful to your family doctor for?

Read about our Family Medicine academic exchange program and new partnership with Shantou University Medical College in Shantou, China.