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Family Medicine-Enhanced Skills: Care of the Elderly

A male doctor examines the eyes of an elderly female patient

The Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine's Family Medicine-Enhanced Skills: Care of the Elderly Residency Program received accreditation from the College of Family Physicians of Canada in October of 2024.

TMU’s one-year Family Medicine-Enhanced Skills (FM-ES): Care of the Elderly residency enables family physicians to manage the complexities of providing comprehensive primary care to seniors living in various community and institutional settings. Residents will learn to provide culturally competent, patient-centred care for common presentations in elderly patients, and work effectively in interdisciplinary teams, while also contributing to improving seniors care in their communities.

This program is accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

 

 

Program Info:

Faculty:
School of Medicine

Program Format:
Full Time: 1 year

Program Director:
Dr. Katarina Lakovic

Board Eligibility:
Certificate of Added Competence in Care of the Elderly

Accreditation:
CFPC (October 2024)

Application Deadline:
September 10, 2024 at 12 p.m. ET

  • Comprehensive experience in a variety of community and inpatient care settings
  • Dedicated time to explore community groups and connect with seniors in non-clinical settings to better understand their healthcare challenges, needs, and expectations
  • Carefully selected mentor for each resident based on self-identified needs and interests
  • Unique Leadership, Education, Advocacy, Research, and Non-Clinical (LEARN) Time program enables residents to tailor their learning experiences and launch their careers

Sample Clinical Rotations

  • 2 weeks: Wound Care 
  • 2 weeks: Rehab
  • 2 weeks: Geriatrics - Clinic
  • 2 weeks: Geriatrics - Inpatient Consults
  • 4 weeks: Inpatient Palliative Care
  • 2 weeks: Acute Care - Acute Care of the Elderly Unit/ Geriatrics Ward
  • 2 weeks: Acute Care - General Hospitalist
  • 2 weeks: Movement Disorders Clinic
  • 2 weeks: Rural Community
  • 4 weeks: Seniors Mental Health

Longitudinal Rotations

  • Home Visits 
  • Long-Term Care
  • Memory Clinic
  • Seniors Primary Care Clinic
  • Palliative Clinic
  • Palliative Home Care
  • Retirement Home
  • Urology and Pessary Clinics
  • Common Injections
  • Osteoporosis Clinic
  • Complex Medicine Clinic
  • Appropriate Prescribing
  • Community Organizations (e.g.,naturally occurring retirement communities)
  • Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy

Foundational Curriculum

Our comprehensive, competency-based Foundational Curriculum covers diverse areas including equity, diversity and inclusion in medical care, research strategies, communication skills and patient safety. Our unique LEARN Time program also offers individualized time, space and resources for residents to focus on areas of specialized interest.

Candidates must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada and meet both the basic criteria (external link)  and the Ontario-specific criteria (external link)  in order to apply to the FM-ES: Care of the Elderly program.

Residents who complete TMU’s FM-ES: Care of the Elderly program will be eligible to receive a Certificate of Added Competence in Care of the Elderly.

The TMU School of Medicine has clinical partnerships with the following clinical affiliates. Learn more about these affiliates and their training sites on the map below.

  • William Osler Health System (external link)  includes Brampton Civic Hospital and Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health & Wellness in Brampton and Etobicoke General Hospital in Etobicoke. Brampton Civic’s Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) Unit is the world’s first accredited inpatient emotions-based geriatric care unit.
  • Trillium Health Partners (external link)  includes Mississauga Hospital and Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga and Queensway Health Centre in Etobicoke. Trillium operates a robust Regional Geriatric Medical Outreach Program that engages an interdisciplinary team to improve patients' health and overall quality of life.
  • Region of Peel (external link)  operates five long-term care facilities in Peel Region, including Peel Manor Long-Term Care Home. Peel Manor operates a state-of-the-art Transitional Behavioural Support Unit, which incorporates non-pharmacologic and emotion-based management as well as in-depth pharmacologic management of Behaviors and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia.
  • Headwaters Health Care Centre (external link)  operates a hospital site in Orangeville. Headwaters offers a Complex Continuing Care program for patients whose needs cannot be met in the community or at a LTC facility.
  • Halton Healthcare (external link)  operates three hospitals in Halton region: Georgetown Hospital, Milton District Hospital and Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital. Halton operates a Geriatric Assessment Clinic which provides comprehensive assessment, a plan for management of geriatric issues and follow-up for geriatric outpatients.

Additional major training sites may be added for core program rotations.

How to Apply

Applications to the FM-ES: Care of the Elderly program at TMU are only accepted through CaRMS. Visit our program description page (external link)  for detailed application requirements and to apply. All applicants will be notified through CaRMS Online and TMU will send email invitations directly to applicants selected for an interview.

Note that three reference letters are required with your application. Letters from one physician/preceptor, one non-physician clinical referee and your family medicine program or site director are mandatory.