Preamble to the Curriculum Document for Residents
The delivery of the Dalhousie Family Medicine residency program is based on the provision of both strong clinical experiences and a focused academic curriculum. It remains structured around the CANMeds FM roles as developed by the CFPC national working group on the postgraduate curriculum. Please refer to http://www.cfpc.ca to view the CanMEDS-Family Medicine: A Framework of Competencies in Family Medicine. In this framework, the family medicine expert integrates the competencies included in the roles of communicator, collaborator, manager, health advocate, scholar and professional.
The CFPC Evaluation Objectives is the other document that has a major influence on the curriculum. It incorporates the Phases of the Clinical Encounter, the Skill Dimensions, the Priority Topics with their Key Features, and the Themes of Communication and Professionalism with their Observable Behaviours.
It is important to differentiate curriculum objectives and assessment objectives. It is the curriculum objectives that define the broad knowledge base that is required for residents to gain over the 24 months of the training program. It is the assessment objectives that form the basis of assessment of competency in a sampling of these areas. Thus it is appropriate that the Priority Topics drive our curriculum to a certain extent, but residents would be expected to know more than what is included in the Key Features under each Priority Topic. Key Features are considered when planning the objectives of every seminar.
Residents are assessed on their participation and presentation in seminars and workshops, as well as in many other facets of the program. Please see the Bi-Annual.
Review document for a full list. Much of the assessment is accomplished in a real clinical situation based on the clinical objectives in each clinical learning experience. We focus on assessment for learning as well as assessment of learning. This means that we use all assessment tools to stimulate your learning and to see how you are doing at the same time. Documentation of the in training assessment occurs with the use of Field Notes - which provide a narrative of what went well, with suggestions for improvement, with common reflection on multiple encounters from multiple observers. This information is summarized later to help populate the In Training Assessment Reports (ITARs) for each clinical learning experience. Your preceptor will help you create a personalized learning plan with the completion of each Narrative ITAR. This and other information, with some of your reflections, will be used twice per year by your Site Director or their designate to complete the Bi-Annual Resident Performance Review. A learning plan will also be developed to stimulate your learning and to help you achieve competence as quickly and efficiently as possible.