Program Highlights

• Diverse Rotations
  • Residents participate in a wide range of specialty rotations, including ICU, Palliative Care, Anaesthesia, and OR assisting, ensuring a well-rounded clinical experience.
• Teaching Opportunities
  • Residents have the chance to teach local Physician Assistant (PA) and nursing students, as well as contribute to the undergraduate MD program in Hamilton, enhancing their teaching and mentorship skills.
• Community Engagement
  • The program emphasizes the importance of community involvement, allowing residents to develop strong relationships with their patients and understand the unique healthcare needs of rural populations.
• International Agricultural Worker Program
  • Simcoe’s program has received national media coverage for its effective pandemic response, providing critical healthcare services to international agricultural workers highlighting the importance of culturally safe and competent care in our region.
• Family Health Team Resources and Allied Health 
  • The FHT offers clinic sites in Simcoe, Delhi, and Port Rowan, providing team-based care with diverse clinical opportunities. Key services include the Chronic Pain Clinic, International Agricultural Worker Clinic, Midwifery Clinic, Clinical Dietitian, Social Work services including the “Talk-In Clinic” Mental Health Walk-In Clinic, and Family Medicine Dermatology. The FHT’s comprehensive approach to rural healthcare  ensures that residents gain a broad and in-depth experience. For more information, visit Norfolk Family Health Team.

Resident Perspective

“The Rural Simcoe program is a comprehensive program designed for the independent resident who desires competence in rural generalism in a small but comprehensive hospital. This is not a remote program by any means: Hamilton, Brantford and London are all accessible, as is the health infrastructure of Southern Ontario. However, primary care and emergencies are managed largely by family doctors who are dedicated to Simcoe and Norfolk County. The program is connected to the residency program at Brantford-Indigenous Health Hub (BIHH) in that all academic sessions are completed in Brantford with the community-based residents. This also means that the Simcoe resident gets offered access to the Emergency Department Echo (EDE 1) Bootcamp alongside the BIHH residents at a very good rate. Additionally, the Brantford General Hospital has a top notch group of ER doctors who have built a simulated education program for the BIHH and Simcoe residents.”

“Specialist rotations largely take place in Brantford, with the exceptions of ER, OB/GYN and many interesting horizontals. Importantly, the OB/GYN in Simcoe who takes residents has a specialty in pelvic pain which is very useful in primary care.”

“Teaching opportunities are available. The 2015/2016 first year resident got to teach local PA and nursing students and also was able to teach clinical skills to McMaster’s MD program students almost all year as Hamilton is close enough. Research opportunities are not particularly abundant but most of the specialists in Simcoe are connected to cardiovascular and respiratory clinical trials in Hamilton Health Sciences. Opportunities can be crafted.”

“As for weaknesses, there is a lot of driving but anyone interested in rural medicine is probably tolerant of long drives. With independence can come loneliness, so if you are keen to have the hustle and bustle of a teaching hospital, Simcoe is not for you but neither is rural medicine. ER preceptors are still getting used to their role as teachers, and some of them do not take easily to this role so scheduling ER shifts with specific doctors becomes crucial. In general, Simcoe residents are very independent, mature and curious learners who want to have comprehensive primary care practices.”