During your two years at QBOL, you will have 8 weeks available to complete elective placements. These can be scheduled late in your first year through to second year.

You will work with your academic advisor to choose electives that meet learning needs, are relevant to your future career goals (e.g. PGY3 options) or meet your interests. 

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

Flexible Program

At the QBOL site, 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. We do recommend that you have access to a vehicle during your residency in order to facilitate placements at various locations in the city.

For any joint Academic Days in Kingston, you will either be provided with a travel stipend or carpool with a group of residents in a rental vehicle.  If the session is more than one day, accommodation will be provided.

We work hard to accommodate parental leave requests and are happy to ensure that you receive your entitled vacation each year.

Resident Support

We also offer you Conference/Educational leave days.  There is also an educational Resident Allowance that can be used for conference registrations, textbooks, software or other educational resources.

You will have full access to the Queen’s library system and resources, as well as access to UpToDate. You also have access to the LHEARN centre including the resident lounge.

During your residency, you will be paired with a faculty member who will be your Academic Advisor to help you through your development as a Family Physician. We also have a Faculty Advisor who is available to meet with any resident experiencing difficulty.

The Lakeridge Health Education and Research Network (LHEARN) Centre at Lakeridge Health Oshawa offers excellent resources and support for learners in the region.  The Centre features state of the art simulation labs, a Queen's Family Medicine Resident lounge, a library, study rooms, and various classrooms and meeting rooms.  You will also have electronic access to all of Queen's library resources.

The Regional Municipality of Durham is located just east of Toronto and is comprised of the municipalities of Ajax, Brock, Clarington, Oshawa, Pickering, Scugog, Uxbridge, and Whitby.  Over 600,000 people live in the region and it is home to a wide variety of services, educational institutions, sports & recreational activities, arts, and culture.

Learn more about the communities in the Durham region by following the links below:

• Town of Ajax
• Township of Brock
• Municipality of Clarington
• City of Oshawa
• City of Pickering
• Township of Scugog
• Township of Uxbridge
• Town of Whitby

Obstetrics

• Minimum six 24-hour shifts within blocks 3-6
• You will be assigned to 2 preceptors as much as possible for continuity of supervision
• Patients from your practice will hopefully begin requesting you to attend their delivery
• Opportunity to add additional OB shifts later in residency if you want to gain more experience
• Opportunity to pair you with an FM preceptor who does OB as well
• Additional prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, and newborn exam experiences available through Family Medicine preceptors who are part of the Great Expectations group.

• 2 weeks of inpatient and pediatric acute referral clinic in PGY1, and 1 week of pediatric acute referral clinic in PGY2
• Work with community-based pediatricians as well as in-hospital clinics
• Consultant pediatrics service seeing referrals from Family Medicine
• You will be able to see patients that you referred from your home FM practice

• With Lakeridge Health Oshawa hospitalist
• 1 block each year
• Multiple areas of involvement (inpatient medicine, rehab, palliative, post op care, ER admissions)
• Electives in Critical Care and Oncology are possible
• Hospitalist weeks at Lakeridge Health Bowmanville are possible as well

• Start in block 7 onwards
• Approximately 3 shifts/month
• You will be assigned to 2 preceptors as much as possible for continuity of supervision
• Graduated responsibility and complexity of care when placements start at Lakeridge Health Bowmanville and will then progress to the Oshawa site

• 2 half days per month caring for patients at Long Term Care Facilities in Oshawa or Bowmanville, working along side FM preceptors, Nurse Practitioners and other Allied Health Professionals
• You will care for a wide range of ages in your FM practices

• 2 weeks of Psychiatry at Lakeridge Health Oshawa in PGY1
• You will see these patients with the psychiatrist, then follow up in your home practice and also follow up again in the psychiatry clinic if needed
• Residents will be part of group briefings and debriefings around cases

• Many opportunities to gain experience with procedural skills (ER, OBs, Dermatology, Hospitalist rotations, surgical outpatient clinics)
• Family Medicine outpatient procedures, “lumps and bumps” clinics can also be scheduled

• Some of our FM preceptors provide Palliative Care in the community
• Other practices will refer patient and resident to those FM preceptors to try to provide resident continuity
• Extended FM placements maximize the chance to follow palliative cases longitudinally

Global Health

• During your first month, you will identify and explore local resources programs and needs of members of vulnerable and underserviced communities in the area
• Resident project could be an advocacy project
• Placements at the Sexual Health Clinic and Community Health Centre
• Online learning modules for topics that can’t be accessed locally
• Possibility of international electives

Practising in the Durham Region (which includes Bowmanville and Oshawa) gives you the opportunity to learn and work in both large and small communities.  You will serve a broad and diverse patient population of all ages, social, and economic backgrounds.

Lakeridge Health Corporation is a large multi-site multi-specialty hospital with sites in Ajax, Bowmanville, Oshawa, Pickering, Port Perry, and Whitby.  

Lakeridge Health Oshawa (LHO) features one of the busiest emergency departments in Ontario and is also home to the Durham Regional Cancer Centre.  

Lakeridge Health Bowmanville is a community-based hospital largely run by Family Physicians.  Your Family Medicine rotations will be at area clinics which have been carefully selected for their size and quality; all also utilize EMR.

The Oshawa Clinic has been providing primary care to families in Durham Region since 1948 and currently has over 130 affiliated physicians at three sites.

The Bowmanville Clinic has over 40 physicians and has been heavily involved with medical learners for many years even before the establishment of the QBOL Site.

We would love to have you come and visit the QBOL site, show you our program and talk about why QBOL could be the residency program for you! Contact Julie Hodges (julie.hodges@queensu.ca or 905-576-8711 x 32326) to arrange a visit.