EM training

Letters

CJEM 2008;10(3):196-197

To the editor: The useful survey presented by Bhimani and colleagues1 may (or may not) have been confounded by question 6 regarding CCFP(EM) training. It may not distinguish those who have completed a third year of emergency medicine education from physicians who have achieved the CCFP(EM) designation by the practice-eligible route. This, of course, depends on the instructions given to the survey participants.

Seamus Donaghy
Grimsby, Ont.

Reference

1. Bhimani M, Dickie G, McLeod S, et al. Emergency medicine training demographics of physicians working in rural and regional southwestern Ontario emergency departments. CJEM 2007; 9: 449-52.

[The authors respond]

To the editor: As noted, our survey did not distinguish between CCFP(EM) certified physicians who had residency training and those who had practice eligible training. As the College of Family Physicians of Canada treats holders of this designation equally, we would assume that they clinically represent similar practice skills. The CCFP(EM) designation entails passing a rigorous examination, and practice eligible candidates also need to demonstrate many hours of defined emergency medicine work. For the purpose of our survey, any holder of the CCFP(EM) designation would be assumed to have an additional emergency medicine skill set.

Munsif Bhimani, MSc, MD
London Health Sciences Centre
and Division of Emergency Medicine
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry
University of Western Ontario
London, Ont.

Gordon Dickie, MB, ChB
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry
University of Western Ontario
London, Ont.

Shelley McLeod, MSc, BSc
London Health Sciences Centre
London, Ont.

Daniel Kim MD, BSc
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ont.