RESIDENT PHYSICIAN RESOURCES
CHECKLIST LEADING UP TO INDEPENDENT PRACTICE
This checklist gives you an overview of some of the main steps you will want to consider as you move through the last two years of residency and will help to take some of the stress of trying to do everything at the end.
12 - 24 months before Completion of Residency
Begin looking into opportunities, researching areas of interest
Discuss opportunities, arrange interviews and site visits with places of interest.
Take the time to look into communities of interest matching them to your requirements.
Start preparing your CV early to take some of the stress off of preparing it at the end.
6 months - 12 months before Completion of Residency
Begin narrowing down your search and areas of interest
Start looking into financial planning services and get advice
Review the provincial medical association for the province you intend to practice
0 - 9 months leading up to Completion of Residency
Begin learning and understanding billing procedures
Contact Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA)
Apply for licensure in the province you intend to practice in
Obtain billing number once you are licenced
ESTABLISHING WHAT YOU WANT AFTER RESIDENCY
Locum, Locum Locum – it’s what you’ve already heard, and there’s a reason for it. By testing out different practice types and potentially locations, you will start to get a better sense of what you want. The CMA has a great checklist of questions that can help you ensure a good fit.
Journal your Experiences – This doesn’t have to be too time-consuming. Just keep some notes that will help you identify what you like and don’t like about the opportunities you’ve taken. These apps may help make it easier.
Talk to Others – remember that colleagues, recruiters, peers and those a few years ahead in practice are valuable resources for you.
TRANSITIONING TO INDEPENDENT PRACTICE GUIDES
Entering professional practice is both a challenging and exciting time for physicians. The following resources have been developed by leading health care organizations to help you during this transition.
Canadian Medical Residency Guide
Taking control of your future medical career and financial life. This is an excellent and thorough guide to successfully direct medical students to the residency program of their choice. This book, produced and distributed by RBC Royal Bank® and Medical Career Services provides the most objective and current information available that addresses students’ uncertainty about which specialty to pursue, obtaining a position in a competitive specialty, and matching to a preferred location.
First Five Years in Family Practice
This resource was developed by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and its First Five Years in Family Practice (FFYFP) Committee to support early-career members who are starting their practices in family medicine.
The Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) Medical-legal Handbook
This handbook provides insight into basic legal concepts and underlying principles that govern physicians in their practices. It also offers physicians a greater understanding of the standards and requirements imposed on them by law, better equipping physicians to recognize and avoid medical-legal difficulties.
CAREER BALANCE AND PHYSICIAN HEALTH
Physician support networks are important and these resources provide practical and useful strategies for the unique stresses of the profession for physicians at any stage in their careers.
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s national faculty development program have created a practical resource that helps busy physicians manage their time more effectively.
Canadian Physician Health Program
The CMA website provides links to all provincial and territorial physician health programs. These services are often offered twenty-four hours a day, and provide confidential support to physicians and their families who may be coping with the career and life transitions, demands of practice, relationships, financial issues and any other challenges or concerns.
CanMEDS Physician Health Guide
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada’s national faculty development program has developed this resource which has been created by practicing physicians from across Canada and international locations who are subject matter experts in the areas each has written on. This handbook not only creates awareness to the wide-ranging factors involved in maintaining a sustainable practice but presents easy-to-follow solutions to many of the issues surrounding physician health.
