General information
What is a FMG?
A family medicine group (FMG) is a group of family physicians who works in close collaboration with other health professionals. This organization of work allows users to have easier access to medical care.
Each physician takes care of his own users, who are registered with him. On the other hand, all physicians who are members of the FMG have access to all medical files. Thus, a person who presents with a minor emergency can be seen by a physicians other than their own. If necessary, an user can also meet a nurse or another health professional from the FMG for various follow-ups. This group work allows:
- to ensure better monitoring of the state of health and medical records of users;
- improve the quality of medical care;
- improve access to medical care.
Your FMG-U
Committed to its community, the mission of the Charles-Le Moyne University Family Medicine Group (FMG-U) is to provide and teach, in interprofessional collaboration, integrated, user-centred care in a primary care medical setting to a varied user population, while striving for excellence through research and continuous improvement.
Your FMG-U Charles-Le Moyne is also a Family Medicine Unit, affiliated with the Université de Sherbrooke, and its main objective is to train family physicians, enabling them to acquire the necessary skills (knowledge, abilities, attitudes) for a primary care practice. Resident physicians have completed their doctorate in medicine and, over a 2-year period, specialize in family medicine through internships in which they provide care to users under the supervision of an experienced "boss supervising" physician.
Many other students do internships at FMG-U, including students in medicine, nursing, social work and physiotherapy.
Our team
The team is made up of a multitude of qualified professionals: from the dedication of our administrative staff, through the support offered by our team of professionals (nurses, social workers, pharmacist, etc.) to the expertise of our family physician.
- 36 resident physicians and externs
The family medicine resident is a student who has graduated from the doctorate in medicine program and is pursuing a two-year program in family medicine. They practice medicine under the supervision of a family physician.
An extern is a 3rd- or 4th-year doctorate in medicine student in clinical training, under the supervision of a family physician.
- 30 teaching physicians (regular and ad hoc)
FMG-U physicians have a dual role: as teachers of students and as clinicians for their own patients.
Role of the teaching physician: he or she is responsible for ensuring that all users followed by a student receive quality medical care. The students you see are therefore supervised at all times by a teaching physician, in all their clinical activities. At the end of your medical appointment, the student discusses your state of health with the teaching physician, who validates the diagnosis and management plan (investigation and treatment). The student then returns to you to share the decisions made and conclude the meeting. To assist him in his work, the teaching physician can view your appointment live via a video camera. The video of your appointment cannot be recorded without your permission.
Role of the referring physician: the physician follows up his or her own patients at the FMG-U.
- 1 pharmacist
She works closely with the physician to analyze the user's pharmacological file, or to provide support during the introduction or weaning of certain medications.
- 1 psychologist
The psychologist offers brief psychotherapy and psychological assessment to adult users. She helps people resolve personal difficulties and adapt to various changes that can affect their mental health. The psychologist is also involved in teaching resident physicians.
- 1 physiotherapist
The physiotherapist in GMF-U assesses the patient's physical abilities, makes a physiotherapy diagnosis and develops a treatment plan adapted to their needs, all in collaboration with the family physician and other professionals. She can intervene with patients with various musculoskeletal, neurological or cardio-respiratory problems as well as prescribe X-rays in the case of recent trauma. Physiotherapy support is intended to be active and oriented towards the patient's autonomy in order to resume daily life and leisure activities.
- 2 social workers/human relations agent
They assess social functioning with a view to supporting and restoring the person in reciprocity with his or her environment. The expertise of the social worker and that of the family physician are complementary in the overall assessment of the user's state of health and well-being.
- 3 specialized practitioner nurses in primary care (SPN-PC)
Like the physicians at FMG-U, the specialized practitioner nurse (SPN) has a dual role: as teacher to students and as clinician to her own patients.
Role of the teaching SPN: Supervises SPN trainees in the same way that physicians supervise medical students.
Role of the practitioner: provides care for her own patients in collaboration with a partner physician. The SPN in primary care provides health care to an ambulatory patients throughout the continuum of life. Her medical activities are mainly linked to the management of common health problems and the follow-up of users suffering from chronic illnesses.
The SPN holds a university degree (Master's). This gives her the skills needed to assess health status, prescribe and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medical treatments and medications, and apply certain techniques.
- 5 clinician nurses
She contributes to the monitoring of certain chronic diseases in collaboration with physicians/residents/practitioner nurses, participates in user education and is qualified to apply protocols and collective prescriptions issued by physicians.
Unlike the SPN-PC, she cannot make medical diagnoses or initiate pharmacological treatment (with some exceptions).
- 6 auxiliary nurses
She contributes to the quality of care and services, while providing support to family physicians, healthcare professionals and users. Here are some examples of tasks performed by auxiliary nurses:
- She conducts the first interview with new users before the physician officially takes charge;
- She collects certain medical information, takes vital signs and performs certain tests;
- She prepares the electronic medical file a few days before the medical appointment;
- She can perform techniques at the physician's request on the same day as the appointment, thus avoiding the need for you to come back again.
The presence of the auxiliary nurse optimizes medical consultation time with the user. You will be expected to collaborate with this new member of our team to enhance the quality of your care.
- 2 nurses and 1 social worker/human relations agent (for Virage)
The multidisciplinary team of specialized addiction services offers, in conjunction with physicians and other network partners, some specialized assessment or individual, group, couple and family intervention services for anyone concerned about their substance use, gambling or Internet habits, or about the habits of a relative.
- 9 administrative staff members
Responsible for the organization and smooth running of the clinic as well as the academic journey of students, this diverse team ensures unparalleled quality of service.
- 1 continuous quality improvement agent
The continuous quality improvement agent ensures the ongoing implementation of promotion, prevention, analysis and solution-finding activities to ensure the safety of users and the continuous improvement of the quality of care and services offered at FMG-U Charles Le Moyne.
- Trainees (all types of professionals)
Trainees (all types of professionals)
For more information about resident physicians and trainees, consult this document: https://www.santemonteregie.qc.ca/sites/default/files/2023/DescriptionApprenants.pdf
- And partner users
The partner user is a person who has first experienced the illness or psychosocial difficulties for which he or she has received care and services. They have been identified by clinic staff for their distinctive qualities. He or she is invited to work with the teams on committees to organize or improve the clinic's care and services.
Opening hours, only by appointment
- Monday to Thursday: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
- Friday: 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
- Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 9:00 am to 1:30 pm