VOL 49: AUGUST • AOÛT 2003 Canadian Family Physician • Le Médecin de famille canadien 1003
resources
ressources
Residents are encouraged to e-mail ques- tions, comments, personal articles, and helpful information to[email protected].
Residents’ page
W
elcome to the latest installment of the Residents’Page. I would like to fi rst introduce myself to readers. I am a second-year family practice resident at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Ours is a rural program that has been twice awarded the cov- eted Keith Award by the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada.
Through my work with the Section of Residents, one of the sections within the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), I have been given the honour of joining the Editorial Advisory Board (EAB) of Canadian Family Physician. It is an exciting time to be involved with the journal, as our publication is in the process of redefining itself. My principal duties for the EAB are to coordinate articles for this Residents’ Page, a challenge to which I look forward wholeheartedly.
Traditionally the Residents’ Page has served as a national forum, allowing the newest members of our profession to speak their minds on any topic. Some previous submissions discussed the attractions of family medicine, the benefi ts of rural programs, the strength of teamwork, and how to search for and fi ll locum tenens positions. Some of you may have noticed, however, that not every issue contains a Residents’ Page. This has been a direct result of the economic realities of publishing a medical journal in Canada. The number of pharmaceuticals going generic, the decline of new drug launches, and a shift in the way drug companies allocate their adver- tising budgets has meant a decrease in revenue for Canadian Family Physician. Consequently, issues have become smaller and the Residents’ Page has on occasion been omitted. Through several initiatives to refi ne our publication, we hope
soon to make this omission a thing of the past and to offer in each issue a Residents’ Page that remains true to its roots.
In keeping with the concerted efforts of the EAB to make our journal into a tighter, more clini- cally relevant, high-yield publication, I propose that the Residents’ Page explore some new ground.
Specifically, I would like it to expand to contain articles on several common themes. These themes include, but are not limited to, preparation strategies for the Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC II) and the CFPC examinations, business and tax tips for the shift from residency to practice, negotiation of contracts with Health Boards, and techniques for combining work and personal life in harmony while studying family medicine success- fully. In short, while still providing all of the benefi ts of the past, the EAB would like the Residents’ Page to become a resource for the future.
To achieve such lofty goals, it will be necessary to maximize the input of residents and capitalize on their considerable knowledge and strength. This is where you come in: we invite you, our valued readers, to become contributors. We are looking for articles 600 to 1050 words in length if in English and 800 to 1400 words if in French on topics of your choice. Your work will be translated and published in both languages to provide the widest possible readership. Articles can be submitted either to [email protected] or directly to me at [email protected].
Please let me know if there is anything else that you would like the page to do: after all, it belongs to you. All of us at Canadian Family Physician wish you the best in the upcoming month and look forward to your submissions.
Dr Campbell is a resident in family medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St John’s, is Chair of the Section of Residents, and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Canadian Family Physician.
Fresh start
John A. Campbell, MD
