NEWS
ONTARIO MEDICAL STUDENT'S WEEKEND
The Ontario Medical Students’ Weekend (OMSW) is an annual two-day event where first year medical students from across Canada come together to take part in the largest annual academic conference for medical students in the country.
The theme for the 2015 weekend hosted by Queen’s University (Kingston, ON) was “Resiliency in Medicine”, which emphasized the importance of teaching future physicians how to lead healthy and active lifestyles so they can provide optimal care for their patients. The Exercise is Medicine Queen’s University Chapter was invited to deliver a practical, physician-centred seminar on the benefits, challenges and importance of maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle throughout a medical career. With an emphasis on current physical activity research and recommendations, this seminar provided useful information tailored to promote the effective implementation and maintenance of active living for physicians and medical students alike. As a three part seminar, students were exposed to: 1) an introduction to exercise prescription; 2) unique multi-disciplinary perspectives on integrating daily exercise as an M.D. and student; and 3) a physical activity component that guided students through a practical Theraband work-out designed with busy schedules in mind. For pictures of the day, click here.
DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY MEDICINE
GRAND ROUNDS
This past November, EIMC at Queen's was invited to present at Queen's University's Department of Family Medicine's Grand Rounds in Kingston, ON. Through highlighting the clear and consistent relationship between personal physical activity habits of physicians and their exercise counselling practices (Frank et al., 2010), the presentation titled: "Staying Active to Actively Help Others" focused on extending physical activity awareness and recommendations to practicing physicians for both themselves and their patients. This presentation also discussed how to incorporate physical activity assessment into clinical practice using the "Exercise Vital Sign" approach. Physicians were also guided through exercise prescription and referral options using the EIMC exercise prescription and referral tool.
EIMC AT QUEEN'S
FREE BI-WEEKLY YOGA
To practice what we preach, EIMC at Queen's continues to offer free, bi-weekly hour long yoga sessions on campus to anyone interested in a mid-afternoon restorative class! With seven successful sessions under our belt, we continue to look forward to this energizing break in our busy schedules! To find out about our upcoming classes, click here.
EXERCISE EXPO
WORKSHOP
In December, EIMC at Queen's held its second annual Exercise Expo. The Exercise Expo is a half-day workshop designed by Exercise is Medicine Canada at Queen’s University graduate student group. It is a mandatory, testable session for second-year medical students at Queen’s University and is incorporated into the Endocrinology topic block. As a part of this workshop, students cycled through seven physician-centered stations that addressed physical activity and exercise prescription to reinforce the importance for future physicians to incorporate physical activity assessment and intervention into their routine medical practice. The 7 topics the students were exposed to included: 1) an introduction to current Canadian physical activity guidelines and definitions; 2) strategies for exercise promotion; 3) simple strategies for resistance & aerobic training; 4) goal setting; 5) exercise considerations for rural and remote settings; 6) physical activity assessment; and 7) physical activity prescription and referral. For pictures of the event, click here.