Kingston and 1000 Islands | Family Medicine | School of Medicine

The Kingston-Thousand Islands (KTI) site of Queen’s Family Medicine offers an exceptional residency training experience. We are the largest single-site program in the country, with incredibly engaged residents and a small-program feel.

Kingston is ideally located in beautiful southeastern Ontario, and is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in Canada. My family and I have lived here for more than 10 years now, and we continue to be amazed by this city and love exploring the surrounding region.

KTI offers an excellent combination of urban and rural learning environments with award-winning preceptors. Our supportive education team aims to provide you with the best training opportunities possible and an individualized approach to your residency. Our military and public health streams have been specifically designed around your unique training needs, and our enhanced skills program offers a diverse range of options for residents interested in additional training after completion of their core two-year residency program.

The KTI site is rotation-based with many built-in horizontal aspects. To help ease your transition into residency, we begin with one block of boot camp — an experience designed to introduce you to your home clinic at the Queen’s Family Health Team (QFHT) in historic downtown Kingston with participation in innovative simulation courses to help build your skills and confidence at the outset.

Residents spend six blocks of their first year at QFHT in three two-block rotations, returning to the same clinic, patients, and preceptors. This maximizes continuity of care and allows residents to gradually increase their patient care and practice-management responsibilities over time — a definite strength of our program. Residents return to QFHT in PGY2 for one block as a senior FM resident, providing many opportunities for leadership, mentorship and teaching of junior learners. In PGY2 residents also spend five blocks in community and/or rural family medicine. Other blocks throughout our program include core off-service rotations and three electives.

At KTI, you will be surrounded by a supportive team and have all the training opportunities you need to become a competent family physician — just ask our amazing residents.

Dr. Kelly Howse

Kingston-Thousand Islands Site Director

KTI Site Video

Take a 360° Tour of our KTI Site!

Top 10 Reasons Residents Love our KTI Site

Queen's FM Brochure

360-Degree Video Tour of Providence Care Hospital

360-Degree Video Tour of Kingston Health Sciences Centre

Overview

Our Kingston-1000 Islands (KTI) program is based in the city of Kingston, Ontario. Home to Queen's University, this is the largest of our four-site programs.

The KTI site offers a traditional rotation-based residency training program with many horizontal training components. The KTI site program is based around core family medicine rotations, complemented by rotations in internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, emergency medicine, and palliative care. In your first year, your core family medicine will take place at the Queen’s Family Health Team (QFHT), located in historic downtown Kingston. The QFHT serves an extremely diverse patient population and serves as a leading example of team-based primary care. In your second year, you will complete most of your family medicine rotations at community teaching practices throughout the region as you develop your independence as a physician.

The remainder of your residency will comprise rotations in other specialties and experiences related to family medicine. These rotations may be based at any of Kingston's three hospitals or in other communities in the region. These hospital departments offer a modified program for our residents, and the preceptors are enthusiastic about family medicine learners. You will also have the opportunity to work with students from Queen’s School of Medicine and other schools within Queen’s Health Sciences during your placements.

Your first year will kick off with four weeks of boot camp – an experience designed to introduce you to your home clinic and to give you the opportunity to participate in innovative simulation courses (e.g., NRP, ALARM, Nightmares FM, procedures) to build your skills and confidence for your subsequent rotations. You will then complete your core family medicine blocks in your home team clinic within the Queen's Family Health Team in downtown Kingston. Residents spend six blocks of their first year at QFHT in three two-block rotations, returning to the same clinic, patients, and preceptors. This maximizes continuity of care and allows residents to gradually increase their patient care and practice-management responsibilities over time – a definite strength of our program. Residents return to their home team at QFHT in PGY2 for one block as a senior FM resident, providing many opportunities for leadership, mentorship, and teaching of junior learners.

During your core family medicine rotations at QFHT, you will work for one morning a week at a local long-term-care facility, Providence Manor, caring for a group of patients during the first year. You will also complete half-day or weekly "horizontal" placements in behavioural medicine, mental health, and other special-focus clinics (e.g., minor procedures, street health, chronic pain, sleep disorders, etc.). You will have one professional half-day (PHD) per week that is resident-directed. You may use your PHDs to see patients as needed; catch up on charting/inbox; work on your resident portfolio, educational modules, practice improvement project, research project, or leadership or teaching skills; attend to personal appointments; or participate in wellness activities. Your family medicine experience will also include a core teaching seminar series, journal club, monthly grand rounds and resident rounds, and bi-weekly resident-led peer-support rounds. You will also complete various blocks of specialty rotations (e.g., internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, etc.) and a four-week elective when you are off-service from your core family medicine blocks during first year.

During your second year as a KTI resident, you will complete three blocks of community family medicine in one of our many southeastern Ontario communities or with one of our Kingston community practices. You will also complete a two-block "rural" family medicine rotation in a smaller or isolated community such as Picton, Brockville, Bowmanville, Napanee, Moose Factory (an isolated community in Northern Ontario), other small communities in Eastern Ontario, or the Falkland Islands (by special arrangement). These placements may be combined. You will also complete the remainder of your specialty rotations (subspecialty internal medicine or surgery and others) and eight weeks of electives during your second year.

Your rotation locations will be based on personal preference and availability. However, please note that your obstetrics and gynecology rotation and rural/remote family medicine rotation will be outside of Kingston. There are also opportunities to spend extended periods of time in the same smaller community if you desire. Accommodation and travel stipends are provided for rotations outside of Kingston.

Trainees must be able to provide their own transportation to and from their training sites as well as to and from work. Possession of a vehicle, while not required, allows you to make full use of community-based learning opportunities. Our program will provide funding for exceptional travel expenses as required.

Our DND Military stream is similar to our regular family medicine residency stream, with extra relevant exposure to rotations in trauma and military psychiatry.

Our PHPM stream is similar to our regular family medicine residency stream, with extra exposure to public health and infectious diseases, as well as weekly public health academic half-days.

Family Medicine Resident Rotation Outline

KTI Sample Rotation Schedule

Regular Stream
PGY-1
1 block (4 weeks) – Bootcamp at QFHT
6 blocks (24 weeks) - Core family medicine at QFHT
2 blocks – Internal medicine (residents can rank their preferences of: 2 x General IM blocks in Brockville or Belleville or Kingston, OR 1 Block of General IM at KGH and 1 block of Hospitalist Medicine at Providence Care OR 1 block of General IM at KGH and 1 block of Geriatrics Inpatient Medicine at Providence Care)
1 block - Elective (latter half of PGY-1, may be informed by academic advisor)
This leaves 3 blocks of the following core rotations:
1 block – Pediatrics
1 block – Psychiatry
1 block – Palliative Care
2 blocks – Obstetrics and Gynecology
2 blocks – Emergency Medicine
1 block – IM subspecialty rotation or surgery (general, orthopedics, plastics) *If IM subspec chosen, it will be scheduled in PGY2

PGY-2
3 blocks - Community Family Medicine
1 block – QFHT Senior
2 blocks - Rural Family Medicine
1 block - Emergency Medicine
4 blocks - from the core rotation list above that were not scheduled in PGY1
2 blocks - Electives

DND Stream
PGY1
1 block – Bootcamp at QFHT
6 blocks - Core Family Medicine at QFHT
2 blocks – Internal Medicine (residents can rank their preferences of: 2 x General IM blocks in Brockville or Belleville or Kingston, OR 1 Block of General IM at KGH and 1 block of Hospitalist Medicine at Providence Care OR 1 block of General IM at KGH and 1 block of Geriatrics Inpatient Medicine at Providence Care)
1 block - Elective (latter half of PGY-1, may be informed by academic advisor)
1 block – Emergency Medicine
This leaves 2 blocks of the following core rotations:
1 block – Pediatrics
1 block – Palliative Care
1 block – Obstetrics and Gynecology
1 block – IM subspecialty rotation or surgery (general, orthopedics, plastics) *If IM subspec chosen, it will be scheduled in PGY2

PGY2
3 blocks – Combined DND Trauma/Psychiatry blocks
3 blocks - Community Family Medicine
1 block – QFHT senior
2 blocks - Rural Family Medicine
1 block – Emergency Medicine
1 block - Elective
2 blocks - from the core rotation list above that was not scheduled in PGY1

PHPM Stream

PGY1
1 block - Bootcamp at QFHT
6 blocks - Core Family Medicine at QFHT
2 blocks – Internal Medicine (residents can rank their preferences of: 2 x General IM blocks in Brockville or Belleville or Kingston, OR 1 Block of General IM at KGH and 1 block of Hospitalist Medicine at Providence Care OR 1 block of General IM at KGH and 1 block of Geriatrics Inpatient Medicine at Providence Care)
1 block – Emergency Medicine
1 block - Pediatrics
1 block - Infectious Diseases
1 block – Public Health
- based out of KFL&A Public Health
- 4 weeks in KFL&A Sexual Health Clinic (1 evening per week)
- 4 weeks in KFL&A Immunization Clinic (1 afternoon/evening per week)
- Involvement with the assessment and management of cases arising in Communicable Disease, Sexual Health, Immunization and Environmental Health Programs at KFL&A Public -Health – would be situated with the KFL&A Communicable Disease Team
- Introduction & orientation to Ontario Public Health & KGH Laboratories (estimated to involved 3 to 5 days during the block)

PGY2
3 blocks - Community Family Medicine
1 block – QFHT Senior
2 blocks - Rural Family Medicine
1 block – Emergency medicine
1 block – Psychiatry
1 block – Obstetrics and Gynecology
1 block – Palliative Care
3 blocks - Electives

PGY1 Core Family Medicine Rotations

Your PGY1 Core Family Medicine Rotations will consist of the following:

Clinical duties at Queen’s Family Health Team (QFHT) in downtown Kingston
Long Term Care duties (1/2 day/week)
Horizontal Clinic Placements (1/2-1 day/week)
Teaching sessions (1/2 day/week)
Resident-Directed Half Days (1/2 day/week)
Call Duties (approx. 1/10 days, 2-3 weekends/year)

Clinical Duties:

The QFHT is a leading model in interdisciplinary and collaborative primary care, with a strong emphasis on quality improvement and patient safety. You will be part of an award-winning team of family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and administrators who all work together to deliver outstanding health care to patients. The QFHT serves a population of more than 14,000 patients who have a wide variety of social and economic backgrounds. QFHT physicians also follow low-risk obstetrical patients, participate in the obstetrics call group, work with local community services (e.g. Ongwanada) and perform minor procedures. The QFHT also offers smoking cessation programs, anticoagulation management, asthma care, diabetes care, chronic disease self-management, foot care and other comprehensive services to patients.

Click here for more information about Family Health Teams in Ontario.

Quality Improvement Project

The Queen's Department of Family Medicine (DFM) has a long-standing interest in quality improvement (QI) and patient safety. For example, the Queen's Family Health Team (QFHT) was one of the first FHTs in the province to develop a QI plan, and the team has won several awards recognizing its leadership in improving quality and safety in primary care. Quality improvement and patient safety are rapidly growing fields in Ontario and across the country, and family physicians have a key role to play in improving the quality and safety of patient care and the health-care system as a whole. To help residents feel more prepared to take on these challenges, they are introduced to key QI principles from the beginning of their PGY1 year in the form of didactic lectures and a year-long experiential group project, and through small-group mentoring. Residents are also encouraged to participate in existing QI and safety initiatives within their site, including QI and safety committees and special projects.

Long Term Care:

Under your preceptor, you will be responsible for a small cohort of patients at the Providence Manor Long Term Care Facility. You will round on these patients weekly and manage their care throughout your core FM placements.

Horizontal Clinic Placements:

These are unique primary care settings that will augment your regular clinic duties. These placements help you access patients with unique or complex care needs, often in unique settings. These clinics are held either at the QFHT, in the local hospitals or other settings in the city.

You will also complete placements in the QFHT procedure clinic, performing minor surgical procedures such as removal of skin lesions, punch biopsies, ingrown toenails, etc.

Examples of Horizontal Clinics:

Teaching Sessions:

Each week, faculty members will lead teaching sessions on topics to help you improve your practice as a physician and also to help prepare for the CFPC exams. Occasionally, guest speakers from other departments or the community may present. There will also be weekly resident rounds and bi-weekly research and pharmacy rounds.

Over your two years, there will be several special Academic Days featuring additional teaching sessions and skill training.

Resident Directed Half-Days:

Most weeks, you will receive a half-day with no formal learning activities scheduled. This time is for you to complete self-directed activities that will benefit your learning and well-being. Many residents use these days to make home visits to patients who cannot come to the regular clinic, work on their resident project, clinical audits or Global Health modules, or complete important personal tasks such as medical or bank appointments.

Call Duties:

QFHT offers a physician on-call for patients 24/7. You can expect to be on-call approximately one day in ten during your core FM rotations. You can also expect 2-3 call weekends. On-Call duties include working in the After Hours Clinic on evenings and weekends, and then taking pages from patients, the Long Term Care facility and Telehealth Ontario. Two residents are on call at any given time, with one taking responsibility for QFHT patients, the other for Long Term Care and then supporting the first call resident. You will always be on call with a staff physician. All our call policies conform to PARO guidelines and call stipends are paid accordingly.

PGY2 Community Family Medicine Rotations

Your second year Family Medicine Rotation will be comprised of 24 weeks of Family Medicine with at least eight in a rural community, at least eight with a Family Physician who does their own intrapartum care and deliveries if you are going to incorporate obstetrics into your future practice and at least eight with a Family Physician who cares for their own patients in hospital. At Queen’s, we have built relationships with many different community physicians (both within Kingston and in nearby communities) in order to offer many different options to help you fulfill these requirements. You will also complete 4 weeks as a QFHT Senior.

There are also options to combine your Community Family Medicine rotation with emergency medicine, psychiatry, or palliative care. We will work with you to arrange a schedule that satisfies your educational requirements and is also compatible with your personal needs.

Specialty Rotations

During your two years of residency, your core Family Medicine rotations will be supplemented by rotations in other specialties that will help you develop into a comprehensive Family Physician. These rotations can take place in Kingston or in other communities. We will work with you to develop a schedule that meets your educational needs and complements your personal life.

Electives

During your two years at Kingston & 1000 Islands, you will have 8-12 weeks of elective placements.

You will work with your academic advisor to choose electives that fill in gaps in your learning, are relevant to your future career goals and meet your interests. There are many opportunities to pair an elective with one of your core requirements.

The vast majority of electives are completed within Ontario (as your salary is paid by the Ontario government), however some residents complete electives across Canada or internationally in conjunction with the Global Health module.

Teaching Opportunities

As a KTI resident, you will work clinically with junior residents, medical students, and other interdisciplinary learners. There are additional opportunities to teach pre-clerkship students at their formal clinical skills sessions and at family medicine resident teaching nights, and to join a mentorship program for first-year medical students. You may also present rounds, lead journal clubs, and assist in training new residents and international medical graduates as they transition into the residency program.

Resident Support

Flexible Program

We strive to help you make the most of your residency. We will work with you to build a schedule that meets your interests and needs. If it’s important for you to stay in Kingston as much as possible, or if you want to have a wide range of experiences across the region, we will do our best to make it happen.

Resident Well-being

Resident well-being is a priority at Queen’s. We have a resident wellness subcommittee with a faculty lead, resident wellness representatives for each cohort, bi-weekly peer-support rounds while at QFHT, a dedicated wellness counsellor for all residents, and many other resources.

Life in Kingston

A Bird's Eye View

Learn more about life in Kingston »