Disease Prevention

There are two important aspects to this: immunization and needlesticks. All residents and fellows must maintain their immunization status appropriate to their clinical discipline. Health care workers should be immunized for Hepatitis B, DTP, influenza and MMR as appropriate. To assist in this initiative, the Postgraduate Medical Education office will survey all residents and fellows, and make available opportunities for immunization through the Faculty of Medicine, the University’s Health Services and Employee Health Services at the appropriate hospitals. Residents and fellows can also access their personal physicians with this regard. It is the expectation of the Faculty that all residents and fellows will be appropriately immunized. Regular TB surveillance is also mandatory. Yearly TB skin testing will be provided through the Faculty of Medicine in the spring of each year, and trainees will be notified of this. Once again, the Faculty recommends this on a regular basis, but believes that it is the responsibility of the trainee to maintain their health. The immunization forms and services can be found in your admission kit and can also be accessed via the Postgraduate Medical Education website.  

Needlestick protocol

From time to time, trainees may come into contact with potentially infected substances via needlestick injuries, etc. There is increasing evidence that immediate action is necessary to reduce the risk of infection and needlestick protocols have been developed (Appendix I). Residents and fellows must familiarize themselves with these policies at the onset of their training. Any resident or fellow who has been potentially exposed must follow these recommendations in an effort to protect their health and well-being. Included in this appendix are the names of contact individuals who can be approached anonymously to ensure optimal therapy and the appropriate counselling. 

Family Physician Specialty Referral Networks

To assist residents and fellows who have come from out of town and who do not have the usual access to primary health care, a confidential network of family and specialty physicians has been developed to deal with physical difficulties if and when they arise. Many of these issues can be dealt with through a family physician and Monique Beaulne will assist trainees in making appropriate connections. 

The Faculty feels that this is an essential part of a Postgraduate Medical Education program. It is the responsibility of every resident and fellow to maintain an appropriate balance in their work and social lives. It is also the responsibility of residents and fellows to look out for their colleagues and to provide assistance whenever this balance is lost and leads to emotional difficulties. Throughout the period of training, there will be regular workshops and large group sessions addressing this topic, as stress in the work place is an increasing cause of disability. If concerns are identified by residents or fellows that will influence training, these should be brought to the attention of the program director and/or the Assistant Vice-Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education. 

The consequences of poor emotional well-being are acute or chronic emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression and suicide. In addition, alcohol and chemical dependency, as well as eating disorders, can be a manifestation of this problem. Stress also has its effect on marital and personal relationships and may be directly or indirectly related to issues of abuse and harassment. If difficulties arise and acute or chronic emotional disorders present themselves, trainees can pursue health counselling through any of the identified routes in a confidential manner. The identified contact individuals, the hospital education offices, the Postgraduate Medical Education office, Health Services or personal physicians, can all provide the necessary counselling. 

Alcohol and chemical dependencies are conditions that are under-identified amongst our colleagues in medicine. There is always a fear that the notification of this problem will adversely affect one’s training and career opportunities. The Faculty of Medicine has taken a formative and corrective approach rather than a punitive one. There are several hotlines that deal with just this specific issue, and these numbers are provided in Appendix III. 

Should difficulties arise pertaining to marital and personal relationships, the contact individuals identified can be of assistance. In addition, personal mentors, colleagues and Faculty members are always available if called upon. In the event of financial difficulty, Trainee Assistance Awards are available with demonstration of need. Contact individuals are listed in Appendix III. 

The University has a zero tolerance policy for issues of abuse and harassment. The principles and policies can be found under Appendix IV.

The academic development of a resident or fellow is the responsibility of the individual and his/her program. However, the Faculty coordinates many centrally administered programs. These often deal with the general skills and competencies required of all physicians and will be given predominantly in the first year of training, but also in the individual core programs.

In addition to this, the Faculty recognizes the need for career counselling in terms of future training and practice opportunities. The Faculty will also be as flexible as possible to permit residents to transfer from one program to another, recognizing the difficulties caused by early career selection. While many inquiries pertaining to training and practice opportunities should be directed to the program director, the Faculty maintains an open-door policy should questions remain. If there is a disruption in training for academic or health-related reasons, there are definite policies that guide the Faculty in assisting our residents and these are included on our website.