Thinking strategically

Cal Gutkin

College leaders, committee members, and staff are constantly challenged to ensure that our activities and programs are consistent with the mission, goals, and priorities of our strategic plan. Annual “report cards” provide an opportunity to monitor the progress of our initiatives and their alignment with the mission and goals. Parts of the strategic plan can be amended annually, and the overall plan is completely rewritten every fifth year.

Below is an abbreviated version of the 2007 to 2011 strategic plan. The plan for 2012 to 2016 will be developed at a leaders’ forum next spring. Feedback on the current plan and suggestions for the 2012 to 2016 iteration are welcomed. Please send your comments to sscott{at}cfpc.ca.

Strategic goals and priorities

Goal I

Champion high-quality health care for Canadians.

Priorities:

Emphasize that access to comprehensive continuing care in a family practice setting is the cornerstone of high-quality health care for the people of Canada.
Advocate for adequate health human resources, including enough family physicians to ensure every Canadian has the opportunity to have a personal family physician.
Encourage collaborative practice and the training, lifelong learning, research, and policies needed to support family physicians working with other professionals.
Advocate for recognition and support of the critical role family physicians play in public health.
Advocate for the remuneration and resources, including information technology, needed to ensure that family physicians can deliver the best possible care to patients.
Promote and support the integration of areas of special interest for family physicians into both the discipline of family medicine and the provision of comprehensive care in family practices across Canada.

Goal II

Support members through formative and lifelong education, research, and promotion of best practices.

Priorities:

Ensure that the CFPC’s accreditation standards for residency programs prepare residents to practise in rural or urban communities and to meet the constantly changing needs of individuals, populations, and communities.
Advocate for an active role for family medicine and family physician teachers and role models in medical schools.
Support departments of family medicine and family medicine teachers and researchers.
Support medical students and family medicine residents.
Ensure the best possible standards and programs for Certification and Fellowship in the CFPC.
Ensure that the CFPC’s continuing education accreditation standards and programs reflect and meet the needs of all family physicians and their patients.
Encourage and support primary care and family medicine research, including establishing collaborative research initiatives with other stakeholders.
Help family physicians develop and sustain leadership in clinical, teaching, research, and health system roles.

Goal III

Ensure that the role of the family physician is well understood and highly valued.

Priorities:

Promote the value of family physicians and family medicine to all publics in Canada.
Advocate regularly for the role of family physicians as an essential part of Canada’s health care system.
Ensure that the CFPC is a relevant and meaningful organization for all family physicians in Canada.
Enhance the value and meaning of Certification and Fellowship for family physicians and all Canadians, including acknowledging family medicine as a specialty.
Strengthen communication and collaboration between the College and its Chapters to ensure the consistency and effectiveness of our messages and programs.
Lead and participate in collaborative activities with other organizations in Canada and around the world.
Develop programs and messages promoting family medicine as a highly desirable career for medical students.
Support CFPC’s employees to ensure a skilled and professionally satisfied staff.

Notes

Mission

The College of Family Physicians of Canada is a national voluntary organization of family physicians that makes continuing medical education of its members mandatory. The College strives to improve the health of Canadians by promoting high standards of medical education and care in family practice, by contributing to public understanding of healthful living, by supporting ready access to family physician services, and by encouraging research and disseminating knowledge about family medicine.