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La revue Web des GIMF, soutenue par la FMOQ
Volume 2, numéro 1, février 2012

An Interview with Dr. Douglass Dalton, Family Medicine Residency Program Director of McGill University

As the graduating medical students are busy preparing for the CaRMS interviews, so is Dr. Douglass Dalton, current director of the postgraduate family medicine program at McGill University. Open, animated and always with a fresh sense of humor, Dr. Dalton opened up about his own path onto family medicine, the McGill family medicine program, and what to expect on the CaRMS interview day!

LM: To start off, what brought you into family medicine?
DD: This was 100 years ago (laughs). In medical school, I realized that despite my interests in several areas, there was not one that I wished to do all the time. What I found with family medicine is that I enjoyed the variety, and it was also my image of what a doctor was. Growing up in a rural area, “the doctor” for me was the family physician, the person down the street who took care of everybody’s health. It was the idea of becoming such a doctor that brought me into medical school, and I did not see anything during my studies that made me change my mind.

LM: What does your job entail now on a daily basis?
DD: I have two jobs. I have a general practice at an inner city CLSC and also work as the postgraduate program director at McGill. The latter is essentially an administrative role which includes overseeing the CaRMS match as well as ensuring adequate assignment of residency sites and smooth running of the residency program.

LM: In your own words, what do you think are the main strengths of the McGill Family Medicine program?
DD: To begin, the College of Family Physicians ensures that residents receive a good quality education anywhere in the country. However, students might be looking for different experiences based on the location of the sites and the school. Our strength at McGill is that we have a huge diversity.  Residents can choose from a variety of sites. The Montreal sites include: 3 in the downtown Cote-des-Neiges district and 1 (Chateauguay) in a suburban area. We also have Gatineau which is a large regional centre and Val d’Or further away in the Abitibi region.

All the sites are associated with community hospitals where there is a large presence of family physicians and where family doctors are accepted and respected. With 3 French and 3 English sites, we are one of the two bilingual schools in Canada. We have residents from diverse backgrounds across the country, some who wish to live in Montreal and experience the life and culture of Quebec.

LM: Let’s talk about CaRMS. What are the most important elements in an application?
DD: The basic first pass is an adequate academic record. We look for well-rounded students who meet expectations in all of their disciplines with qualities of a good family physician noted in their clinical evaluations. For example, do these students have good interpersonal skills and communication skills? Are they team players?
In the personal letter, we look at why the student wishes to become a family doctor. Incidentally, we’ve had personal letters which ended with “that is why I aspire to a career in psychiatry.” (laughs)

As for the interviews, students from our university would usually be granted an invitation. We may be more selective with outside schools. The flavour of the interview is then transmitted by the interviewer to the selection committee.

There is an overall evaluation sheet where we look at academic performance, qualities that make a good family physician, and the interview which includes the personal letter. This helps us determine whether the student would be a good match for family medicine.

LM: What advice would you give to students who are preparing for their interviews?
DD: For McGill, plan on spending the day with us. We try to keep the morning for the interviews. These are relatively short, around 15-20 minutes each, in order to get to know what the students are like, whether they are articulate and interested in family medicine. In the afternoon, we offer tours of the 3 Montreal sites. Throughout the day, there are residents around to talk to students about the different sites and residency programs.
Overall, relax, enjoy the day, and be prepared for someone to ask you “why do you wish to go into family medicine?”

LM: How many applicants are there usually?
DD: We get around 300 applicants for our 80 spots. Of course, most of these are applying to a variety of programs and universities in addition to Family Medicine at McGill. We have to do some convincing and some “wooing” during our interview days.

LM: Finally, as postgraduate program director, do you see a change in the quantity or quality of the applicants over the years?
DD: Yes. What we are seeing as the trend in the last few years is that more and more people are applying to family medicine as their first choice, many of which are the crème de la crème of their class. This is partly because of a greater emphasis in the medical school on generalized care. Many medical schools have been compelled to evaluate how well we are serving our population, and we are theoretically moving towards a 50/50 balance between generalists and consultants, which, I think, is a healthy change for the future

Lei Ma