Goals & Objectives of the CCFP/EM Program at UWO

• Further develop an expertise in the delivery of emergency medical care and the enhanced knowledge and skills necessary for such care in a life-long pursuit.
• Develop the academic knowledge necessary to successfully complete the qualifying examination of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and obtain the Certificate of Special Competence in Emergency Medicine.
• These are in conjunction with the goals of the College of Family Physicians of Canada for Emergency Medicine guided by the three principles of Family Medicine:
1. To improve the standards and availability of emergency care from practicing family physicians
2. To establish guidelines for the development and administration of training programs in emergency medicine.
3. To ensure the availability of teachers for training programs in emergency medicine.
   


• The resident must acquire the knowledge skills to:
  
  • Distinguish seriously ill patients from those with a minor illness or injury
  • Manage all life-threatening conditions competently and efficiently
  • Support and stabilize the acutely ill patient and arrange appropriate management and referral
  • Recognize, evaluate and initiate management of non-acute illness and injury.
  • Manage multiple patients concurrently, and establish appropriate treatment priorities.
  • Understand the natural history of illnesses and injuries that present as emergencies, their concurrent social and family implications, the concept of continuity of care, and the hospital and community resources available for following care.
  • Understand the principles of the development and implementation of support emergency medical services in the community for prehospital care, (i.e., para-medics, ambulance service, communication systems, first aid programs, poison control, public education, organization of emergency medical services and disaster planning).
  • Maintain a collegial relationship with consultants and family physicians.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of quality assurance, risk management, continuous quality improvement, and total quality management.
  • Understand the principles of ethical decision-making in the emergency department, and medicolegal concerns as they pertain to the practice of emergency medicine
  • Develop the administrative skills necessary to serve as a community and hospital-based resource for the practice of emergency medicine.
    


• The training program must provide:
  
  • Progressively increasing responsibility for the management of emergency patients, including adequate opportunities for residents to achieve or demonstrate competence in a variety of procedures related to the practice of emergency medicine. Residents should also be knowledgeable about the indications for, contraindications to and complications of each of these procedures.
  • Opportunities for the resident to interact with various organizations, agencies, and services that supply emergency medical care to the community. The resident must also be trained to assume a leadership role in improving services and monitoring the quality of care in community-based emergency medical services.
  • Opportunities for the resident to secure appropriate, relevant training experience in other disciplines related to emergency medicine, especially adult critical care medicine.
  • At completion of the third year of training, the resident will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to assume leadership in a community emergency department.
  • The equivalent of a least two months of training in emergency and/or critical care pediatrics, which may be part of the six months of "emergency" training.