Windsor Family Health Centre

Windsor is a dynamic city on the border between Ontario and Michigan and across the river from Detroit. It has a population of over 200,000 and is known for its friendly, welcoming people and rich multi-ethnicity. Windsor has great restaurants and entertainment and has easy access to all of the cultural and sporting activities of Detroit. Metro Detroit airport is just thirty minutes away and offers many international and national flights to your destination of choice. There are several family medicine teaching sites across the city. The resident can request a specific site if desired and available. The major teaching site has been the Family Health Centre at the Windsor Professional Centre building on Howard Avenue. Here, there are eight family medicine preceptors with faculty appointments at the Schulich School of Medicine. All preceptors practice comprehensive and evidence-based medicine with large practices. Although we are entering our first year medical school class in our new Windsor Medical School in September of 2008, we have been teaching full-time family medicine residents since 2003.

Additional information on Windsor faculty and teaching sites: http://www.uwindsor.ca/medicine/family-medicine-windsor. 

Windsor Website: http://www.citywindsor.ca/
Windsor Regional Hospital (http://www.wrh.on.ca/)
Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital (http://www.hdgh.org/)

PATIENT PROFILE

Windsor is very underserviced for family medicine. Most teaching centres offer large practices with a diverse age range and multicultural patients. There is a fun and welcoming learning environment. Patients are happy to see residents. Expect to be busy.

INTERESTS OF FACULTY

• During your time in family medicine, you can become involved with horizontal electives, most of which are supervised by family doctors. For example:
• Palliative care is offered at Windsor's exceptional and unique Hospice Village.
• Occupational medicine involving automotive, Casino Windsor, or hospital care.
• In-patient care: you will make hospital rounds with your preceptor or with hospitalists who are family doctors.
• After-hours walk-in clinics.
• Acupuncture
• Teen Health Centre
• Women's health
• Geriatrics
• HIV Clinic and Methadone Clinics

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

• Faculty to resident ratio: 1:1
• Procedures: Most preceptors perform office procedures including joint injections and aspirations, punch biopsies, excisional biopsies, suturing, and breast cyst aspirations.
• Monthly family practice grand rounds
• Windsor SWOMEN website (www.swomen.ca) which instructs family medicine residents regarding any educational activity happening in the city on any given night such as surgical rounds, internal medicine rounds, or special speakers
• Teaching experience: often clinical clerks are present to allow residents to practice and enhance their teaching skills

RESOURCES ON-SITE

• Internet access
• Many of the training sites' practice structures are family health groups, family health organizations, or family health teams, as such there are often nurse practitioners, diabetic educators, pharmacists, physiotherapists on site.

TYPICAL WEEK FOR RESIDENT

A typical week will vary depending on the teaching sites Windsor offers flexibility in setting up a typical week. Most of the work is office-based with time for hospital rounds, academic half-days, and horizontal electives if needed. As well, evening walk-in clinic coverage can be arranged.

OTHER INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS

On-Call

• Variable but according to PAIRO rules
• Opportunities for nightly call, backing up Telephone Health Advisory Services are available
• Night or weekend hospital call where the resident will be first call for ER admissions for their practice