Core Component | Family Medicine | School of Medicine

The goal of the core component of the Indigenous health program is to familiarize the resident with the historical and cultural context of Indigenous Canadian life experiences both in readings, and in different clinical and cultural settings. The resident's time will be dedicated to clinical work in an interprofessional primary care team, with dedicated time for readings, mental health work, and public health/health promotion. Each of these areas are deemed to be important, and hence the resident's time will be protected for them.

Opportunities for didactic studies in Indigenous issues include courses offered at the University of Toronto, the Native Studies program at Trent University, Peterborough, and the American Indian Health Course at John's Hopkins (offered distance ed via the internet as well as on site)
Rural and/or remote On-Reserve Experience: Queen's University Weeneebayko Program, Wikwimekong, Manitoulin Island and/or others Queen's University has a well-established program to deliver health care services to Indigenous Canadians living in Moose Factory and along the west coast of James Bay. This relationship is longstanding (almost 40 years in 2005) and has afforded many opportunities for Queen's students from health disciplines to develop a greater understanding of issues affecting Indigenous people in the north. The major objectives of this rotation are to introduce the resident to the broad determinants of health for people living on isolated reserves and how these impact on their health care, in addition to the practice of medicine in a cross-cultural context, as part of a multi-disciplinary team. The resident will be involved in health care delivery at the main hospital and in outlying communities, and be expected to assist in the public health work done in the Zone. In addition to their clinical work, residents are encouraged to partake in a community-based research project (i.e. of interest and use to the community) for this region, and may choose to begin their work during this visit. Indigenous leaders have suggested that the residents visit the Zone during hunting season (fall and spring) in order to experience this important tradition with the people. Moose Factory is the most obvious site for this northern experience because of the well-established link with Queen's University, however, other locations can be arranged if desired (e.g. Sioux Lookout Zone). Wikwemikong Reserve, Manitoulin Island: This rotation has been chosen as being appropriate for the residents because it provides the opportunity to live on a reserve in the "near north", and integrate as best they can into a community that is very likely different from their past experience. While in the community they will participate in the work of the mental health office and its community development projects. They will also assist in the medical clinics, and take call on a limited basis. They will have the opportunity to meet the medicine man and elders in the community and thus can learn from them some of the local traditions and customs.
Urban Indigenous Health: All residents, regardless of their eventual choice of practice, need to be aware of the issues faced by Indigenous people who leave their reserves to live in larger urban centres, or who have grown up in the city. Residents will rotate through an urban Indigenous interprofessional team in addition to the on-reserve clinic.
Optional: In Toronto there are a number of services for Indigenous in which the resident can participate. Anishnawbe Health offers clinics both in their centre, and at other more accessible locations for particular groups. The resident may be involved in these as well as Anishnawbe's work with street people. In addition, the resident may spend some time at the Community Crisis Centre (with Indigenous counsellors as well as the non-Indigenous psychologist), and the healing circles at the Native Women's Resource Centre. There are similar opportunities in Ottawa (Wabano Indigenous Health Centre), and Sudbury and Timmins offer options for mid-small size urban areas as alternatives.