Women's College Hospital

Postgraduate Residency Program Details

WCH Family Practice Health Centre

Quick Facts

Number of residents: 28
Curriculum: block rotations
PGY1 elective blocks: 2
PGY2 elective blocks:  4
OB rotation block (s): 1
VIDEO: 2023 Open House—Site Overview

Program + Site Highlights

  • The feel of a community hospital in the middle of the city.
  • Accommodating, relaxed, welcoming family practice unit.
  • Great women’s health/family practice obstetrics exposure.
  • Excellent staff role models who combine comprehensive family medicine and an area of specialized interest.
  • Offers multiple selectives (e.g., osteoporosis clinic, Bay Centre for Birth Control, sexual medicine counselling, adolescent health, addictions medicine, Refugee Health Clinic, and environmental health clinic).

Hospital, Community, Teaching Unit and Program

The Family Medicine Residency Program began at Women’s College Hospital in 1971 and continues to be held in high regard within the university, the community, and by the residents who train here.

As of July 2017, Women’s College Hospital obstetrical deliveries will be at the Mount Sinai Hospital as part of a dual hospital collaboration in Women’s Health and gynecological care. Residents will benefit from the resources of both hospitals allowing for expanded clinical experiences and joint academic curriculum.

Women’s College Hospital has been designated as an academic family health team. This allows exciting opportunities for interprofessional collaboration and the addition of allied health colleagues to the group.

The physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and receptionists work together in teams, along with dietitians, occupational therapists, pharmacists and social workers.
Residents become an integral part of the family practice health care team.
Each resident has a defined patient practice and is paired with a family physician supervisor who provides supervision on the academic half-day back throughout the two-year program.
Our program is strongly committed to the learning needs of residents, and the development of skilled, caring family physicians.

Curriculum

Special experiences include:

  • Bay Centre for Birth Control
  • Special Treatment Clinic
  • Crossroads Refugee Health Clinic
  • Multiple sports medicine experiences
  • Family Practice Antenatal Clinic
  • Dietitian counselling
  • Procedures clinics
  • Mindfulness-based therapy
  • Breast Screening Clinic
  • Francophone Community Health Centre
  • Palliative care
  • Sexual medicine counselling
  • Diabetes counselling
  • Environmental Health Clinic
  • Shared care experiences (i.e., psychiatry, endocrinology, geriatrics)

We are committed to providing a flexible, resident-centered learning environment. Residents are welcome and encouraged to arrange their own selectives and electives to meet their learning needs.

Sample Two-Year Rotation Schedule

1st Year:

Rotation

Number of Blocks

Family Medicine (WCH)

4

Medicine

1

Palliative Care

1

Obstetrics/Gynecology

1

Psychiatry

1

Geriatrics

1

Elective

2

Paediatrics ER

1

Emergency

1

Total:

13

2nd Year:

Rotation

Number of Blocks

Family Medicine (WCH)

2

Teaching Practice

2

Internal Medicine

1

Paediatrics

1

Women's Health

1

Elective

4

Emergency

1

Surgery

1

A 4–6 month second half-day

back is incorporated into the second year

 

Total:

13

Unique rotations or opportunities students should be aware of:

  • Family practice based obstetrics experience — 900 deliveries per year at Mount Sinai Hospital.

  • A large family practice unit offering a wide variety of experience.

  • Strong links with our community physicians, as well as full-time teachers providing exposure to palliative care, sexual counselling, addictions medicine, home visits, refugee health clinic (Crossroads), adolescent health and paediatrics.

  • PGY-2's may arrange longitudinal program for some rotations.

  • Weekly academic 1/2 day including common FP problems, evidence-based medicine, quality improvement, ethics, counselling skills and resident led sessions.

  • Common family practice problem series incorporating problem based small group learning module.

  • Musculoskeletal rotation is outpatient based.

  • Renewed emphasis on research both within family medicine and through the Women’s College Research Institute.

  • Possibility of two-week selective/elective in remote communities family practice antenatal clinics.

Family Medicine Block Time
(X indicates location of family medicine block rotations)

Hospital Based FPU

X

Non-hospital Based FPU

 

Community Physician’s Offices

X

Contacts

Name and Title

E-mail Address

Phone Number

Dr. Melinda Wu
Dr. Bradley Lichtblau

Co-Site Directors

melinda.wu@wchospital.ca
bradley.lichtblau@wchospital.ca

416-323-6247

Yzanne Cloonan
Site Administrator

Yzanne.Cloonan@wchospital.ca

416-323-6247

Sandra Da Silva 
Education Coordinator

ssandra.dasilva@wchospital.ca

416-323-3056

Dr. Lauren Beck
Dr. Alexz Hughes-Visentin

Resident Leads

wchfamilymedicine@gmail.com