Drs. Harpur and Thomson

Drs. Harpur and Thomson

Peninsula Family Health Team

24 Moore St., Lions Head, ON N0H 1W0

Phone: 519-793-3445 Fax: 519-793-4604

Characteristics of Practice

The student coming to Lion’s Head and Tobermory practice will have an opportunity to work within the Peninsula Family Health Team. It will allow experience in primary health care delivery with allied health professionals including nurse practitioners, primary care nurses and a social worker. EMR and IT are utilized. The medical practice consists of 2 sites; Lion’s Head and Tobermory.

There are 4 physicians who staff both the Lion’s Head and Tobermory Sites. All 4 provide primary care in the settings of office, hospital, ER, nursing home and house calls.  

Tobermory and Lion’s Head are excellent communities for students who are keen to see a wide variety of problems. The work will involve inpatient care, including management of acute coronary syndromes, diving and hyperbaric medicine, emergency room medicine and clinic practice. There will likely be opportunities for fracture reduction and casting in addition to injections, minor surgical procedures and other procedures encountered in Family Medicine. There is always a staff physician for immediate consultation and support both day and night. Feedback has been extremely positive as to the unique educational and recreational experiences available on the North Bruce Peninsula.

Description of Location

The Lion’s Head clinic is located immediately adjacent to the hospital. The clinic has 6 examination rooms and is well equipped to provide primary care. 

The Tobermory clinic has 3 examination rooms, complete with defibrillator and IV. It also houses the hyperbaric chamber.  Plans for redeveloping the site are currently on the drawing board with an expected date of completion in early Spring 2012. 

Affiliated Hospital

The hospital which is located in Lion’s Head has 4 inpatient beds and a 3 bed Emergency Department. It is staffed 24 hours daily. The FP’s provide all the inpatient and emergency care. There are no consultants on site. The nearest consultants are in Owen Sound which is approximately 1 hour from Lion’s Head and 1 ½ hours from Tobermory. The hospital has a new digital X-ray system which can be viewed from either site and is also immediately accessible to the specialists in Owen Sound. Patients treated for conditions such as acute coronary syndromes, including thrombolysis are usually admitted and cared for in Lion’s Head as well as those with the wide variety of the usual medical conditions presenting to primary care.

The Golden Dawn Nursing Homes is a 45 bed long term care facility located in Lion’s Head.

Type of Community

The Municipality of the North Bruce Peninsula has approximately 3,900. It is a vacation destination for outdoor enthusiasts so the population swells dramatically during the summer months.

Tobermory is a small village located at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula. It is where the Chi-Cheemaun Ferry departs for Manitoulin Island, connecting Southern Ontario the the Trans Canada Highway. It is also a centre for scuba diving, fishing and tourism. Fathom Five National Park is located here.

Lion’s Head is on the southern end of the township. It has a well protected harbour and is also a centre for farming, retirement and tourism. An ice arena is also located in the town.

Patient Profile	YES	%	Comments	Number
Adult Medicine	X
Geriatrics	X
Gynaecology
Obstetrics
Prenatal/Antenatal Care	X
Deliveries			No. of deliveries/mth
Palliative Care	X
Paediatrics	X
Mental Health Care/Counselling	X
Well Baby Care	X
Other	YES	%	Comments	Number
ER	X		No. of shifts/month =	8-10
House Calls	X		No. of house calls/month =	1
Hospital Care

Scheduling Information:
Can take one student at a time in July & August, otherwise two at a time. Can take 5-6/year.

Accommodations:
Clinic apartment.