Doc Blog

FFYFP Blog – CME for You and Me

By Dr. Tyler Hunter Now that you have left academic half days behind in residency, obtaining continuing medical education (CME) can be another burden on your already busy schedule. The minimum CME requirements set by the CFPC are: Instead of slogging through entering 250 UpToDate credits, below are a few ideas of how to reach…

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FFYFP Blog – “Spooky Situations in the Office”

By Dr. Charissa Ho It is spooky season! With that, let’s talk about the scary situations we can encounter in our family medicine offices and how we can deal with them. Spooky Situation 1: Upset patient in the clinic. You’re going about your day when one of the MOAs knocks on your door. Knock, knock….

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A Week in the Life – First Five Years in Family Practice

Introduction by Dr. Charissa Ho, Chair, ACFP FFYFP Committee So, the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) applications have already started. Those who are considering their specialty of choice may be thinking “Why should I apply to family medicine programs?” Well, the First Five Years in Family Practice (FFYFP) Committee has come together to provide you…

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The Time Has Come to Make Birth Control Free in Canada

Why you should get behind the campaign for one of the most progressive policies for reproductive rights and gender equity in Canadian history By Dr. Rupinder Toor, BSc MD CCFP FCFP Medical Director & Founder, The IUD & NE Women’s Clinic Founder & Chief Medical Officer, Project EmpowHer “Girls like us, we don’t dare to…

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A Final Message from CMN Medical Director Dr. Cathy Scrimshaw

Dear Colleagues, On behalf of the Alberta College of Family Physicians (ACFP) and our Executive Director Terri Potter, I would like to thank you for your participation, wisdom, and contributions to the Collaborative Mentorship Network for Chronic Pain and Addiction (CMN). Achievements With the CMN’s Health Canada funding coming to an end next month, we…

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FFYFP Blog: Fill Your Cup in Your Community 

Written by: Dr. Jovita Beyer Hello, my name is Jovita Beyer and I am a full service family physician who works out of Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and the Misericordia Hospital.  Recently, like most of us in family medicine, I have been feeling the moral distress of our profession. Demand from patients, the government, and…

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FFYFP Blog: Big Bucks: Better Billing

Written by: Dr. Tyler Hunter You’re already taking time with every patient, phoning that family member on your lunch break and checking your labs on weekends. Money doesn’t solve everything, but you might as well get paid appropriately for your hard work.   BILLING TIPS I want to start out with a few general billing tips that…

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FFYFP Blog: Medicine for the Gender Spectrum

Written by: Dr. Charissa Ho For most of us, there was very little (if any) exposure to transgender medicine or people who identify as gender diverse during our training. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to locum for Dr. James Makokis in Edmonton, who guided me through my introduction to caring for people who…

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FFYFP Blog: June Tip on Wellness

Written by: Sierra Tamminen BSc, MD, CCFP I’ve recently spent a lot more time at home and focusing on wellness because I had a complicated foot injury that had me sitting on the couch for a while! For June’s tip, I thought I would share what I’ve been doing to work on wellness, and I’m…

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Early Careers, Family Medicine: How to Manage Charting & Labs

Your early years in practice can feel overwhelming for different reasons: diving into your practice, keeping a schedule, and practising without supervision to name a few. This article aims to tackle some of those overwhelming aspects you might experience, and suggest strategies for mitigating them. One potentially blindsiding aspect can be Charting & Lab Follow-up. Maybe…

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