New-in-practice physician voices

As new-in-practice physicians, there is one thing we can be confident in—we are good learners. We have spent years in medical school and residency gaining knowledge and developing competence in practising medicine; however, when transitioning to practice we might feel like we still have a lot to learn. While this might be true, it is also the time when we must transform into the teachers and family doctors who helped us become the physicians we are today. While most of us in our first 5 years are not quite the mentors we have idolized—yet—we have to start somewhere. We need to be confident that we have our own strengths and unique expertise and be willing to share them not only with those who are more junior but also with those who have years of experience on us.

Each physician has different skills and knowledge that he or she brings to practice. With each new challenging clinical encounter or experience, we grow and form our professional identity—and with the beginning of any career, there will be no shortage of challenges. When overcoming these by honing our skills or developing new ones, we should be mindful not to solely focus on our personal development, but also to consider ways that we can transfer this knowledge to the broader medical community. Many family physicians in their first 5 years have already made valuable contributions in various areas, including teaching, research, professional development, and global health. The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) recognizes how valuable these contributions are and is now going even further to support new-in-practice physicians.

Welcome to Canadian Family Physician’s latest quarterly section: First Five Years. Here you will find a collection of articles submitted by your peers who have contributions to make to the medical community. These articles will of course be relevant to new-in-practice physicians, but they will also address topics that will be of interest to family doctors in various stages of practice.

We are pleased to announce this addition to Canadian Family Physician, as it is the most recent initiative of the CFPC to support new-in-practice physicians. We encourage you to use this platform and shape it as your own. The CFPC’s First Five Years in Family Practice Committee has seen how active its social media outlets are and knows this quarterly section will be able to draw on the topics and informal discussions happening in those spaces and present them to a wider audience. We recognize the tremendous effort our contributors to this section are making and will make, and we thank you for your submissions.

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