RWC 2024 - Meet your facilitators
Here are overviews of the sessions at this years conference, including facilitator bios.
A Conversation - Physician wellness and mental illness in physicians
A conversation about the challenges that physicians face in maintaining their well-being, the occupational hazards and expectations of invincibility, and the stigma associated with reaching out for help.
Speakers:
- Dr. Gail Darling MD FRCSC FACS, Collaborator, Well Doc Alberta
- Dr. Rachel Grimminck MD FRCPC DABPN CGP, Physician Associate, Well Doc Alberta
- Dr. Jane Lemaire MD FRCPC, Co-Director, Well Doc Alberta
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| Dr. Gail Darling | Dr. Rachel Grimminck | Dr. Jane Lemaire |
WTFF?? Wrestling The Frustration/Fear
Speaker: Fleur Yumol MSc RSW
When life is not cooperating…
Do you ever get that feeling that you should have just stayed in bed? Ever wonder how much more you can actually handle? Frustrated that sometimes things just don't seem to go your way? Do you sometimes wonder where this detour will take you and if it will be worth the journey? No matter how much you plan, prepare and execute, there are just those times when life throws you a curveball that seems to take your feet out from under you. You may feel lost and a sense of fragmentation with your identity that causes significant anxiety, anger and depletion.
This workshop will normalize, validate and provide some suggestions for how to face all of these concerns and more, when the rest of your life is just not cooperating.
Fleur has 25 years of clinical and organizational experience and is the managing director for Unify Consulting Group which is the third party service provider for the PFSP.
She is passionate about people, organizations and wellness and brings a philosophy of integration as a foundation for reaching one's potential. She received her Master of Social Work from the University of Calgary and her Masters of Science in Business Administration and Economics from Lund University in Sweden. Fleur has worked as a clinician with the PFSP providing counselling support to physicians, residents, medical students and their families, and took over the administration of the 24-hour line in 2019. She has completed several ultra marathons, marathons and triathlons as well as being an avid rock climber.
Family Planning and Parenting Panel
Robin Raworth, PARAs Member Services Coordinator, will provide an overview of maternity and parental leave as well as benefits that are available to resident physicians.
After the overview there is an opportunity for residents in the audience to ask questions and for the resident panelists to share personal stories and helpful information about taking leave.
Here's an article of interest by Dr. Richelle Schindler: When you’re never off call: returning to residency as a new parent
The Occupational Hazards of Medical Culture and Systems
Speaker: Melanie Lewis, MD FRCPC Pediatrics
Through rich and varied experience gained in so many capacities (see below) Mel has perspectives and messages about wellbeing in medicine to share with residents.
- Chief Wellness Officer, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta
- Outgoing Associate Dean for the Office of Advocacy & Wellbeing at the University of Alberta (supporting) UGME, PGME, Graduate Students and Faculty); spent over 10 years supporting learners
- Professor of Pediatrics, University of Alberta
- Provincial collaboration on the AMA PFSP Advisory Committee
- National participation- Chair of the AFMC Wellbeing Committee, Executive Member of the AFMC Okanagan Charter Executive, Chair of the Steering Committee for the RCPSC National Wellbeing Collaborative
Changing Your Self-criticism to Self-compassion
Speaker: Ieleen Taylor, MD CCFP
You may think self-compassion seems like it will foster laziness, self-indulgence, self-pity and selfishness. It seems like being weak, too easy on yourself, letting yourself off the hook and not holding yourself accountable. However, research shows people with high levels of self-compassion have standards just as high as anyone else, the difference is that they have more of the positive states such as happiness, optimism and life satisfaction and they have improved connections and relationships. They have increased motivation and emotional stability, and they can pick themselves up and try again.
Dr. Taylor will lead this interactive, experiential, session and you will learn and practice techniques to motivate yourself with encouragement rather than self-criticism.
Dr. Ieleen Taylor is a clinical lecturer for the University of Alberta and a family physician who has been serving the community of Sylvan Lake for over 20 years. She was the first female physician in Sylvan Lake where she spearheaded bringing learners to that community with that clinic becoming a rural site for a 1-month family medicine block.
Dr. Taylor has been pursuing her passion for wellness and personal development most notably through:
- Palouse Mindfulness;
- The Way of the Council from Circles of Resilience;
- the Remen Institute for the Study of Health & Illness (RISHI);
- Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion work;
- Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and
- dedication to practicing and sharing what she learns.
Notably, the Rural Alberta South Residency program (RAS) has adopted a Reflections in Medicine program that Dr. Taylor led them in developing and launching. For the Rural Alberta North (RAN) family medicine residents, she initiated, developed and implemented a customized structure for wellbeing groups.
Although born in the tropics, she has learned to embrace the Canadian winters with skiing, movies, and beach holidays. She lives in the summer village of Jarvis Bay with her 4 almost grown-up girls and their furry friends.
Nutrition Survival Skills for Shi*t Work
Speaker: Lalitha Taylor, BSc, RD Sport Performance Dietitian
Learn key strategies on fueling your body and mind through the rigors of residency. Learn quick, easy, balanced meals/snack ideas that optimize energy and alertness.
Lalitha Taylor, CEO/Founder of Taylor Nutrition, is a University of Alberta alumna and an award-winning dietitian. Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Lalitha has been practicing as a registered dietitian for 20 years. She has a diverse dietetic background with dynamic communications skills which has allowed her to engage in various media outlets including her former roles as a National Spokesperson for Dietitians of Canada and nutrition columnist for CBC Edmonton Radio. Her vision is to strengthen her community's health by making nutrition understandable, easy and sustainable. Lalitha currently runs her own private practice, Taylor Nutrition, and enjoys seeing a variety of clients across their lifespan.
Website: www.taylornutrition.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taylorsportsnutrition/
LIVE CONNECTION! For U of C residents
Location: Hippocrates Mall
Sign in, fill out a ballot for prizes being sponsored by PARA, have some food, pick up a PFSP gift bag, connect with your colleagues, participate in the activities.
Overcoming Overload: Mastering Prioritization in Residency
Speaker: Erin Weir, BFA, B.Ed, M.Ed (she/her)
Learning and Education Resource Specialist – PGME, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
Erin Weir, BFA BEd MEd, is a Calgary-based adult educator, currently the Learning and Education Resource Specialist at University of Calgary post-graduate medical education. She has a special interest in individualized learning strategies and how they intersect with resident learning and wellness.
Join Erin for an overview of all things cognitive overload – what it is, what causes it, and how you get back your own efficiency when you’re in the midst of it.
Labyrinth
Facilitator: Jonathan Moll, Team Lead for FMC Spiritual Care Services and Professional Practice Lead for the Calgary Zone Spiritual Health Practitioners
Labyrinths are used by many cultures, faiths, and traditions as a space for walking meditation, a path of prayer, and a spiritual tool to help you find your way. Walking a labyrinth quiets the mind, opens the heart, and grounds the body.
It is an ancient symbol that acts as a metaphor for centering yourself and returning to the world. At this Live Connection Session, you have the option of walking a labyrinth with the help of an instructor, alone, or not at all.
