Dr. Jill Bailey is a family physician specializing in mental health and addictions. She divides her time between the Addiction Medicine Program at Homewood Health Centre, mindfulness group facilitation, and teaching. Passionate about physician wellbeing and the mental health impacts of cancer, she also runs FMPE’s Physician Wellbeing module. Outside of work and parenting her four boys, she enjoys Peloton rides, weightlifting, and trail walks with her dogs.
Q: What are you currently focusing on professionally?
I completed residency in 2008 and initially practiced full-scope rural family medicine. For the past three years, I’ve been at Homewood Health Centre in Guelph, working in a job-share role on the inpatient addiction medicine program. It’s a 42-day treatment program, and I cover one of the teams on Mondays and Tuesdays. I didn’t have a lot of experience in addiction medicine before, so it’s been a tremendous learning opportunity. It’s very different from family practice—I can actually spend time with patients without packed appointments every 10 minutes. I still use my family medicine skills, sometimes in unexpected ways, like treating an ankle sprain from pickleball or addressing sleep concerns.
Until recently, I also did virtual psychotherapy, but I’ve now stepped away from that to focus on teaching at the new Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Medical School in Brampton. I’m helping teach mental health and psychotherapy skills to family medicine residents and working with undergraduates. The role is still evolving, but I’m excited about the opportunity.
Q: How did you first get involved in practice-based learning program (PBLP) groups?
I’ve been part of the same small PBLP group since my second year of residency. It’s been an incredibly positive part of my career—a once-a-month meeting with a supportive group where we not only tackled the modules but also discussed real-life cases, shared mentorship, and enjoyed a sense of collegiality. New residents would join over the years, and it became both a social and educational lifeline.
Q: When did you move into a more professional role with FMPE?
It happened after COVID began. I wrote a letter to the editor of an organization in response to an article that oversimplified physician altruism during the pandemic. I stressed that we also need to take care of ourselves to sustain our work. Dr. Liz Shaw of FMPE happened to read it, and we subsequently met through a round table discussion. She liked my writing and suggested I become a module author.
I wrote my first module in 2021 and have since written one each year. It’s been fascinating to see the highly organized writing process and rewarding to contribute something outside of direct patient care.
Q: Explain the mindfulness program you’ve developed for FMPE.
Through a mutual connection, Dr. Melissa Vyvey at FMPE approached me about adapting my “Mindfulness Skills for Busy Physicians” program into a continuing education offering. We piloted it this spring with two groups, both well attended, and we’re running two more in the fall that are already nearly full. The participants range from early-career to senior physicians across Canada.
The program blends meditation practice, guided discussion, and weekly topic exploration. It’s designed to be accessible — one hour per week for 12 weeks, with optional short home practice. Traditional mindfulness programs are often 2.5 hours weekly with extensive homework, which isn’t realistic for busy physicians.
Mindfulness helps physicians pause, notice what’s happening internally, and respond effectively — whether that’s setting boundaries or appreciating meaningful moments with patients. I’ve found it helps me stay connected to why I entered medicine in the first place.
Q: Is mindfulness more present in residency training now than when you were a resident?
Yes and no. There’s more emphasis now, but it’s still somewhat lacking. When I was a resident between 2005–2008, there was virtually no discussion of self-care or mindfulness. The culture then was to push through—sleep, meals, and personal wellbeing were secondary to work. Some preceptors even joked that if you were only on call every other night, you missed half the good cases.
Today, wellbeing is talked about more, partly due to the pandemic. However, it can sometimes be “weaponized” — as in, “you went to the resilience seminar, so why are you asking for time off?” At TMU, my colleague reminds residents that wellbeing is part of professionalism — it’s essential to be well yourself to effectively care for patients.
Q: What are your hopes for the future landscape of family medicine in Canada?
We have to acknowledge that physician wellbeing initiatives can only go so far without systemic change. In my years in family medicine I have seen an explosion of paperwork, and an over-emphasis on the physician’s responsibility to track each test result they have ordered.
In Ontario, for example, family physicians lose income if their patient sees another family doctor, even if it was an appropriate referral to a specialized service like chronic pain management. We need a healthcare system that supports doctors in focusing on the work they enjoy and are skilled at, without penalizing them for not doing everything or feeling obligated to be available all the time.
Wellbeing programs help, but the system must also adapt to retain and inspire family physicians. The goal should be to create an environment where new doctors don’t burn out early or lose joy in their work.
I really am thankful to FMPE for rolling out the pilot, allowing physician members an opportunity to take the course. FMPE’s credibility has helped my mindfulness program fill up quickly, and I’m grateful they’ve been open to expanding their offerings to include wellness initiatives.