Primary Care Psychologist

This graduate programme aims to instil students with the theory and practice needed to enter the profession of General Practitioner (GP), primary-care pediatrician, or other medical specialities, in a constructive and proactive manner, thereby providing effective services to children, adults, and families in a primary care and general practice setting. To this end, the coursework for this graduate programme is divided into two major categories: medicine, wherein, through lectures and discussions of case studies, students will develop an understanding of preclinical and clinical cases of the types of illnesses and disorders most frequently seen by a GP or primary-care pediatrician; aspects of pharmacology, healthcare management, and regional healthcare, will round out the medical segment. The psychology component will include an in-depth look at the psychiatric disorders most common in the region, as well as substance-use disorders, work-related stress, follow-through on treatment, and managing chronic illnesses. The set of this knowledge and expertise will support a psychologist?s entry into the kinds of multi-professional teams presently working, or presently contemplated, for area healthcare services, especially the community health centres.