FRCPC Program
Program Goals
The goal of our program is to provide high-quality supportive clinical and non-clinical training experiences which allow trainees to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to be successful practitioners of emergency medicine and ideally to reach levels of personal excellence while maintaining personal health, happiness and wellbeing.
The Royal College Emergency Medicine Residency Program at the University of Calgary is proud of its collegial philosophy and cooperative atmosphere. It boasts a mutually supportive attitude amongst the residents, close working relationships between faculty and residents, and an “open door” policy with administrative staff and Program Directors.
One of Calgary’s strengths is the large faculty of Royal College certified, residency-trained Emergency Physicians who are dedicated to teaching and committed to contributing to the value of academic Emergency Medicine. As a result, the Department of Emergency Medicine is well respected throughout each of the teaching hospitals in the city.
Educational resources for residents, including an extensive and varied patient population with ample trauma exposure, are excellent. Particular expertise exists in Pediatrics, Air Transport, Toxicology, and Pre-Hospital care, as the medical directors of STARS, PADIS, and EMS are all Emergency Medicine faculty. The program is closely aligned with the pediatric emergency medicine program at the Alberta Children’s Hospital with many shared academic sessions and Grand Rounds. Furthermore, the cross-appointment of approximately 15 teaching faculty who practice at both adult and pediatric emergency departments is unique in Canada. Residents are provided with a Research Methodology block to provide a high-yield introduction to research and promote cooperation between residents, faculty preceptors, faculty researchers, and university statisticians. Emergency ultrasound is introduced in the first year of the program with opportunities to certify as an independent practitioner by mid-residency. Advanced Skills in ultrasound is taught throughout the PGY 3-5 years.
The academic program is rigorous, well organized, and well supported. In addition to a protected full academic day on a weekly basis, the program provides reimbursement for conference activities, an annual textbook fund, and subscribes to several Emergency Medicine publications which are made readily available to residents. Residents have access to a fully furnished Resident’s Lounge with internet access and a library of study materials and textbooks.
The Emergency Medicine Residency Program is five years in duration and is an integrated university-based program that involves multiple training sites. Residents are assessed on an ongoing basis by means of direct observation, daily shift evaluations, the annual national in-training exam and locally developed quarterly written and oral exams. Each resident meets with the program director to review their progress on a quarterly basis. The University of Calgary program has an extremely high success rate on the Royal College examinations.
The Emergency Medicine Residency Program is five years in duration and is an integrated university-based program that involves the Foothills Hospital as a primary site, with four other Calgary hospital sites including the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Residents are evaluated on an ongoing basis by means of direct observation, as well as quarterly written and oral exams. The program director reviews resident progress on a quarterly basis. As a small program, residents work with a core group of experienced and enthusiastic attendings, and each year are paired with a longitudinal preceptor who develops their skills.
During the first year of training, Calgary residents complete their CBD Transition to Discipline and Foundations phases in an Emergency Medicine focused year. The year begins with an Adult EM rotation in July to meet the staff, feel at home, and complete an ultrasound training course. The objectives of the first year of the program are to build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills in Emergency Medicine. There are 7 adult EM blocks, 2 Pediatric EM blocks and 4 off service rotations (General Surgery, Anesthesia, Trauma Surgery and Internal Medicine). The PGY-1 year also has an additional introductory SIM curriculum that runs in addition to the bi-monthy Junior SIM. This EM focussed year allows our junior residents to feel comfortable managing patients in the ED and have solid relationships with staff and allied health. Our residents gain an appreciation of the breadth of EM in order to tailor their focus while off service.
The 2 years of “core” are the work-horse years of the program that involve broad-based training in a variety of disciplines, consistent with the broad-based knowledge base required in the specialty of Emergency Medicine. Core training includes Critical Care (Cardiac, Intensive, and Pediatric Intensive Care), Orthopedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Neurology/Stroke, Rural EM and EMS. One month of elective time is available in both the PGY-2 and PGY-3 years. The Royal College exam is now written in the PGY-4 year as well, which is a change from the previous curriculum that wrote in PGY-5.
The final year of training is to develop consultant level skills and graded responsibility toward independent practice as well as pursuing our areas of interest. All PGY-5’s rotate through toxicology and Air Transport Medicine with the Alberta Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS). However, the remainder of the year allows considerable flexibility and extensive elective time to allow residents the opportunity to pursue areas of special interest within the discipline, which may include a concentrated period of training in a selected domain of Emergency Medicine. Calgary residents have pursued diverse areas of interest locally and abroad such as toxicology, medical education, stroke medicine, simulation, EMS, ultrasound, disaster medicine and sports medicine. In addition to assuming increasing responsibility for the management of patients in the ED, the chief residents have organizational, academic, and administrative responsibilities, which include the scheduling and teaching of more junior house staff and medical students. Our seniors enjoy true multidisciplinary senior SIM, performed in a trauma bay at the Foothills Hospital.
Formal training in critical appraisal, biostatistics, and evidence-based medicine is provided for all residents. A scholarly project will be developed with the assistance of a faculty preceptor in an area of mutual interest. Residents are given one to one statistical support as well as time and resources throughout residency to facilitate completion of their project
Residents present their research twice throughout residency at the Emergency Medicine Research Day (a high-profile event in our program), as well as at national and international meetings. Conference leave is allowed in each year, and a book/conference travel fund is available annually to residents.
The formal academic program is intensive and recently reorganized. Approximately 8 hours per week are spent in various types of rounds and seminars (often interactive or case-based) for the purpose of teaching the curriculum of emergency medicine. This is concentrated in an academic full-day every Thursday afternoon, and residents are guaranteed to be excused from their clinical responsibilities in order to attend. Journal Club is held monthly, and includes a review with the staff of the latest literature, as well as a focus on interpreting the statistics. Locally developed written and oral exams occur quarterly. Use of the Human Patient Simulator for complex cognitive learning is incorporated through-out the program in Junior SIM, Senior SIM, Pediatric Sim and STARS simulation programs. Residents attend simulation training at least once each month. Senior residents learn simulation debriefing by attending a 2-day intro to simulation workshop and then are expected to debrief 2-3 junior simulation sessions annually with a staff co-debriefer.
- Selection Criteria
All selection to the residency program is through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). The following criteria will be considered in the selection process:
- Academic performance
- Interest in emergency medicine (e.g. elective rotations or research project).
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Letters of Reference. Note: At least one letter of reference from a specialist emergency physician working in an academic centre is strongly encouraged. More than one reference from such a physician strengthens the application.
- The candidate must have demonstrated proficiency in those areas important for the specialty of Emergency Medicine (e.g. clinical judgment and decision-making ability).
- The candidate must be considered likely to make a significant contribution to the specialty of Emergency Medicine (commitment, leadership).
- Interviews
Our program relies heavily on the use of a single structured interview day. We have an agreement with other programs in emergency medicine across Canada to interview applicants on our assigned date. Interviews are held in late January or early February of each year. Applications are reviewed by members of the Selection Committee, and we will contact applicants selected for interviews.
Approximately 28-32 applicants will be invited to interview on the basis of their academic record, curriculum vitae, personal letter and letters of reference. On-site interviews are mandatory, and the interview process occupies the entire day. Each applicant will have three interviews of 15 minutes each and will have 15 minutes to meet individually with the Program Director. Candidates are given the opportunity to meet our current residents, to tour the various Emergency Departments used as teaching sites in the residency program, and are given a tour of the city of Calgary. An informal lunch is offered at which our current residents and teaching faculty make themselves available to answer any questions.
- Personal Letter
A personal letter is required by mid-November. Candidates should explain their motivation for pursuing Royal College specialty training in Emergency Medicine, their career goals, and their reasons for choosing Calgary as a training site. They should outline their interests and accomplishments, discuss their own strengths and weaknesses, consider the pros and cons of a career in Emergency Medicine, and describe what personal qualities make them suitable for a career in Emergency Medicine.
- Reference Letters
A minimum of three letters of reference from staff physicians