Faculty

In particular, explain that family physicians are skilled clinicians with generalist expertise. Family medicine is a career that is intellectually stimulating, challenging, and very rewarding. Talk about what a privilege it is to serve our patients and their families. These meaningful longitudinal relationships enhance our own resiliency and well-being as physicians. It might be helpful to highlight the 4 principles of family medicine (www.cfpc.ca/Principles) as take-home points:

•    The family physician is a skilled clinician.
•    Family medicine is a community-based discipline.
•    The family physician is a resource to a defined practice population.
•    The patient-physician relationship is central to the role of the family physician.
 

Explore embracing the mystery of the patient presentation and reject the perception of “knowing a little about a lot,” which devalues the intellectual rigour required for family medicine.

Medical students have a strong interest in social accountability. Build on this predisposition by exploring how family physicians working in comprehensive practices, practices with special interests, and focused practices all collectively meet the needs of our communities.

Section Description    We collaborate in teams with other family physicians and other health care providers, supporting each other in caring for patients.

Each day brings new experiences! Our work includes the comprehensive, continuous medical care of all people, ages, life stages, and presentations. It includes leadership, advocacy, scholarship, research, and quality improvement. As an example, if you are giving a lecture, teaching a small group session for medical students, or participating in a medical school committee (admissions, curriculum, etc) alongside medical students, please be explicit that you are a family physician who has incorporated these roles as part of your work

Emphasize versatility rather than the notion of flexibility, as the latter is interpreted by some as being centred on personal interests rather than community needs.

Section Description    We can tailor it to our stage of life and stage of practice, finding the best fit for us as individuals and the communities we serve.

Avoid terms such as work-life balance, as medical students mistakenly perceive family medicine to be the “lifestyle” choice of specialties.

Explore why students are asking about this. Some students have been misinformed and believe they require enhanced training to be able to provide palliative care, maternity care, urgent care, etc, to their patients as a family physician, even before they have been exposed to family medicine training. Other students find the thought of comprehensive practice overwhelming and want to be more focused; in this case, explore whether family medicine is the right fit or route for them. We want to encourage students to select enhanced skills programs to meet community needs and to fulfil an interest to result in the best fit, not solely to fulfil personal interests. If they are selecting a specific area of medicine, is there a better route to that goal through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada?

For some students it might be appropriate to select family medicine as one of their choices in the Canadian Resident Matching Service match, but family medicine should not be considered a backup for everyone. Encourage students to choose disciplines that they truly think would be a good fit for them and to rank them accordingly.

Talk openly about perceptions. The political climate and support for family medicine shift from time to time. If things look uncertain today, they will likely be better in the future. Acknowledge that there is uncertainty in all medical professions. However, there remains much more certainty regarding job opportunities in family medicine than in many other specialties.

Against the backdrop of systemic pressures on family physicians and the impression that our profession is not valued, we might forget how much our patients value our work and the importance patients place on the trusting relationship they have with us. Tell students how patients have demonstrated this to you.