The First Five Years in Family Practice (FFYFP) Committee is an operational committee of the ACFP.

PURPOSE

The Committee supports family physicians in their first five years of practice and family medicine residents’ transition into practice. The Committee acts as a resource to the ACFP for those in the early stages of their career.

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

• To raise awareness of the ACFP’s programs, products, and services amongst family physicians in their first five years of practice
• To assist the ACFP in the recruitment and retention of members, specifically those family physicians in their first five years of practice
• To regularly communicate with family physicians in their first five years of practice via the website, email, Facebook page, Twitter, and other media as required
• To periodically survey family physicians in the first five years of practice to determine issues important to them
• Through the ACFP representative, bring issues affecting family physicians in their first five years of practice to the attention of the national Membership Advisory Committee (MAC) and the CFPC
• To develop programs and/or resources targeting the needs of graduating family medicine residents and family physicians in their first five years of practice
• To provide a leadership opportunity for family physicians in their first five years of practice
• To serve as a resource for the ACFP Board Representative to CFPC’s MAC, and other areas within the CFPC, whenever the opinions of family physicians in their early years in practice are sought
• Read, understand, and adhere to the ACFP Volunteer Code of Conduct and the Roles and Expectations of Committee Members found in the Volunteer Information Manual

MEMBERSHIP

Membership will have provincial representation and one representative from the Section of Residents to ensure that the early career needs of the ACFP’s membership across the province are met. Committee Members must be ACFP Members in good standing and are required to be within their first five years of family practice when they join the Committee. The FFYFP committee will consist of a minimum of eight (8) and a maximum of ten (10) members who will serve a 3-year term with an opportunity for renewal for a second 3-year term. The renewal for the second term is not subject to the ACFP’s Nominations process. Whether the renewable term will be offered to a Committee member is determined by the Chair, Executive Director, and Staff Liaison assigned to the Committee. The resident representative will have a two-year term. There shall be a three-year term of office for the Chair, including one year to aid with the transition. The Chair’s term can be renewed once but the Chair must be in their first five years of practice when the second term begins.

Membership will include:

• Chair
• 6 Members at Large
• 1 Resident Representative

Committee Chairs are selected by the existing Committee Members. If a Chair cannot be chosen or elected by the Committee, nominations will be sought through the regular nomination process. Operational Committee Chairs and Members are presented to the ACFP Membership for their information at the AMM and posted on the ACFP website.  

To give all Operational Committee Members an opportunity to lead, Committee Chair terms will be for a maximum of three consecutive years based on the July 1 to June 30 term cycle. A Committee Member’s term supersedes their term as a Committee Chair. For example, if a Member is serving in their second 3-year term and they have only one year left, then their term as Chair ends when their Committee Member term ends in one year. If a Committee Member is starting a new 3-year term, for example, and they become Chair, they can choose to serve a maximum of three years, renewing annually their commitment as Chair through the Committee Staff Liaison. If a Chair decides to step down at any time, they simply advise the Committee Staff Liaison of their intent, and together they work with the current Committee Members to recruit for their replacement.

In addition to the membership, it should be noted that the Executive Director of the ACFP is a member of all ACFP Committees without voting privileges.

MEMBER EXPECTATIONS

The actions of each member shall serve the best interests of the Committee, the ACFP Board, and the wider membership. It is expected that each member:

• Know and support the organization’s vision, mission, and belief statement
• Know the Committee’s scope of work and Terms of Reference and assist is developing future goals and strategic direction for the Committee as required
• Positively promote the work of the Committee and the ACFP through interactions with the ACFP membership and external colleagues and stakeholders
• Adhere to the ACFP Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy and declare to the Committee if at any time you think you might have a potential conflict
• At the point of onboarding, ask as many questions as necessary of the Staff Liaison and Chair to bring yourself up-to-date with the work of the Committee and the ACFP as quickly as possible
• Help to make members, especially new people feel welcome
• Assist in recruiting new members
• Complete your three-year term of office

Meetings and Communications

Guidelines to facilitate decision-making and communication:

• Attend at least one (1) face-to-face and at least three (3) virtual meetings as scheduled. If unable to attend, advise the Staff Liaison as soon as possible in advance of the meeting. If unable to attend, provide your feedback to the Staff Liaison or Chair on any matters to be discussed at the meeting
• Prepare for meetings by reviewing the meeting agenda and applicable documents, including draft meeting minutes
• Contribute to the meeting discussions and participate in decisions made; encourage others to do the same
• Be kind and considerate of other members’ ideas even if you do not share the same opinion
• Engage in and be responsive to email communication, dialogue, and committee actions required between formal meetings; respond to requests within 48 hours or as otherwise directed by the sender
• Perform agreed upon tasks as decided in committee meetings in a timely fashion
• Report progress of tasks as requested
• Complete meeting or program evaluations and/or ACFP surveys as required

REPORTING RELATIONSHIP

As an Operational Committee, the FFYFP Committee is accountable to the Executive Director. The Committee will make recommendations to the ACFP Staff for the implementation of existing programs and initiatives, as well as to the ACFP Board through the Executive Director for extension or development of new programs or initiatives with budget or resource implications.

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

Administrative and operational support for meetings and ongoing communications will be provided by the ACFP. A senior staff liaison will be assigned to the committee who will be responsible for formulating agendas; collecting and presenting information regarding the areas of discussion; passing on discussion, recommendations, and input from the committee to appropriate parties; and will facilitate the work of the Committee between meetings.

MEETINGS

Meetings will be called by the Chair and facilitated by the Staff Liaison. It is anticipated there will be 4-6 meetings per year with at least one being held face-to-face; as well as ongoing communication via email between meetings.