By Cathy Lu, MD, CCFP After 3 years of working as a full-fledged family physician with special interest in the elderly, I decided to return back to residency for further training in Care of the Elderly. It took a great deal of deliberation to make that decision, including consideration of financial sustainability, how would resident…
Read MoreHelpful Tools for Family Docs
By: Islam Elawadly, MD, CCFP In this technology driven world, there are numerous resources available to assist in your practice, to help teach your patients about their health, and to further your own education. Below are some of my favorite resources: Clinical Tools Cardiovascular AspirinGuide – http://www.aspiringuide.com/ (Web/iOS/Android) – A tool to help decide on…
Read MoreReflections One Year Into Practice
By Kiran Dhillon, MD, CCFP It’s amazing how quickly the first year in practice can fly by! Adjusting from residency to independent practice comes with a few challenges at the start, but just as with any life or career transition, a bit of time and experience will help you find your feet. Here are a…
Read MoreBuilding a Patient Panel: Meet and Greets
By Jovita, Beyer MD CCFP So, you are finally done, ready to dive into family medicine and your clinic! You get to see all your own patients now and get to know them… but the task can seem very daunting to start from scratch. Or maybe, you are taking over from a retired physician with…
Read MoreLocums 101
Whether you are an early-career physician, or one nearing retirement, being a locum is a great way to transition into (or out of) clinical practice! Some people enjoy the flexibility of locuming so much so that they make an entire career out of it. In this blog post I will use my experiences and the…
Read MoreTaking on Learners in your Early Years of Practice
By: Kiran Dhillon For physicians in the early years of practice, it can seem a bit daunting to start taking on learners. As a new in practice physician myself, who has just started to have medical students in my clinic, I’ve had the chance to reflect on the reasons why I think taking on learners…
Read MoreFrom Resident to Family Doctor: Time Management Tips to Help Keep You Sane
Are you a new family physician who struggles to stay on time in clinic? Are you a resident who worries about managing a full patient panel alone? Do you ever ask yourself: “How will I possibly pay off my student debt if I am limited to only seeing 10 patients a day!?” It can be incredibly…
Read MoreNavigating the World of Insurance
Insurance—it’s a complicated subject that most medical students and residents leave on the back burner during training. However, there are many different types of insurance to consider as you make the transition to becoming a staff physician. Depending on your specific situation, here is a list of the most common types of insurance purchased by…
Read MoreFinancial Freedom for the (Young) Family Physician
Answering Your Tax Questions One of the focuses of the ACFP’s First Five Years in Practice (FFYP) Committee this year is to empower our membership with skills to achieve financial independence. As a member of the FFYP Committee, I have been asked to review the Federal Tax changes for the benefit of the ACFP membership….
Read MoreFirst Five Blog: Should You R3?
By Dr. Shan Lu If you are in your second year of residency, you may be considering whether or not to do an R3. I had the same question in my second year and, to some extent, still do. This blog shares my personal story and links to the CFPC website for additional information about…
Read MoreDealing With a College Complaint – Putting It Into Perspective
By Dr. Shan Lu and Dr. Kaili Hoffart Patient A was admitted due to weakness, falls, failure to thrive. He was still driving prior to admission. However, his cognitive screen revealed red flags about his ability to drive safely. After discussion with the patient, the attending physician filed a form to Alberta Driver Fitness Monitoring….
Read MoreThe First 5 Years
Medicine is many things. It is constantly challenging, humbling when you least expect it, stressful within an instant and rewarding in circumstances you would never anticipate. The ways in which medicine can surprise, and even fool you, is particularly evident in a physician’s first five years of practice. The early stages of medical practice are…
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