Written by: Dr. Nathan Turner It seems an unwritten rule of life that often the things that bring us the most fulfillment and joy are also the things that can cause us the most stress and pain (looking at you, children). During my first years in practice, I have noted both the struggles of being…
Read MoreFFYFP Blog: Fill Your Cup in Your Community
Written by: Dr. Jovita Beyer Hello, my name is Jovita Beyer and I am a full service family physician who works out of Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and the Misericordia Hospital. Recently, like most of us in family medicine, I have been feeling the moral distress of our profession. Demand from patients, the government, and…
Read MoreFFYFP Blog: Big Bucks: Better Billing
Written by: Dr. Tyler Hunter You’re already taking time with every patient, phoning that family member on your lunch break and checking your labs on weekends. Money doesn’t solve everything, but you might as well get paid appropriately for your hard work. BILLING TIPS I want to start out with a few general billing tips that…
Read MoreFFYFP Blog: Medicine for the Gender Spectrum
Written by: Dr. Charissa Ho For most of us, there was very little (if any) exposure to transgender medicine or people who identify as gender diverse during our training. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to locum for Dr. James Makokis in Edmonton, who guided me through my introduction to caring for people who…
Read MoreFFYFP Blog: June Tip on Wellness
Written by: Sierra Tamminen BSc, MD, CCFP I’ve recently spent a lot more time at home and focusing on wellness because I had a complicated foot injury that had me sitting on the couch for a while! For June’s tip, I thought I would share what I’ve been doing to work on wellness, and I’m…
Read MoreF***; One of the Worst Words to Hear in Your Busy Workday
Written by: Dr. Nathan Turner Form… probably the worst four letter F-word. But it’s that time of year again! No, unfortunately not the (finally) beautiful spring weather we’ve been eagerly awaiting after months of bitter cold. I’m talking about tax season! Which means many of us have received a request (or two… or ten) to…
Read MoreWe are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Written by: Dr. Kristina Quan How to Terminate a Patient Relationship One of the best aspects of family medicine are the lasting relationships we get to create with our patients and families, but what happens when that relationship is broken beyond repair? When it is our nature to help, how do we make the decision…
Read MoreWork-Life Boundaries
By: Dr. Charissa Ho Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this topic. In fact, I am writing this blog post during vacation. And because I find myself constantly struggling to draw boundaries, I figured this is a good topic to explore. Work-life boundaries. We have all heard of them, but how well do we…
Read MoreRegistered Accounts and Beyond: Where to Put Your Hard-Earned Money to Work for You
By: Dr. Tyler Hunter Now that you have survived 10+ years of education and are finally making a reliable salary the next challenge is what to do with your money. With the lack of a pension and earnings starting later in life than most career paths, physicians need to save efficiently for retirement. The three…
Read MoreFinancial Literacy for the FFYFP
By Dr. Sierra Tamminen I think it is safe to say that my transition from residency to practice was a rocky one. With the onset of the COVID pandemic, delay of our licensing exams, and the resulting uncertainties about if/when we would be able to work, it was an eventful few months. However, as time…
Read MoreConstructive Disruption – Innovating Health Care: Considering the “What Ifs”
By Dr. Cathy Scrimshaw How do we, as community practitioners, care and support our complex patients in the best way possible, while ensuring that we can address both health and social care? How do we change the way we work to make it more sustainable, supportive, and effective? Why Even Ask These Questions? We are…
Read MoreSpeaking on Stigma in Our Systems – How Can we Make Change?
I have been thinking a lot about stigma and its implications for people with substance use disorders and/or chronic pain. Stigma is defined as “an attribute or quality which significantly discredits one in the eyes of others.”[i] The Fear of StigmatizationAt a recent session of the Community of Practice for Housing and Harm Reduction, the…
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