CLINICAL ROTATIONS

During your training with us you will have a chance to meet and work with a variety of EM faculty.  We organize our residents into clinical teaching teams such that you are paired with 3 primary preceptors who you will work with on multiple occasions throughout the year (typically 4-6 shifts per EM rotation).  This allows you to get some continuity of assessment by receiving feedback about your progression throughout the year.

During clinical shifts, residents are supervised by staff emergency physicians. This allows for one on one time with staff MD’s who are national and world leaders in research, ultrasound, simulation and medical education. During clinical shifts, CCFP-EM residents are scheduled as Senior Residents. Therefore, you will be first in line to do any procedures and lead resuscitations that come in.

The year is split into 13 x four-week blocks. Blocks include:

Adult Emergency Medicine:

5 blocks are spent in the emergency departments at The Ottawa Hospital (Montfort for the bilingual resident), as well as doing longitudinal pediatric shifts at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (see below).

1 block is a combined Ultrasound/EM block that gives you all the skills to be competent in basic POCUS indications. A further elective block is available for advanced ultrasound skills.

Longitudinal Pediatric Emergency Medicine:

During 4 of your 5 adult emergency medicine rotations at The Ottawa Hospital (Montfort for the bilingual resident), you will be assigned shifts in the emergency department at The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) to give you comprehensive exposure to pediatric emergencies.

Community Emergency Medicine:

1 block in a community emergency medicine setting where you will be expected to work in an emergency medicine and office family practice setting.

Critical Care (ICU):

You will spend 1 block in a surgical ICU (both bilingual and English streams) AND 1 block in a medical ICU at The Ottawa Hospital (Montfort for the bilingual resident).

Cardiac Care (CCU):

1 block will be done in a CCU (University of Ottawa Heart Institute or General Hospital).

Anaesthesia:

1 block (2 weeks adult at The Ottawa Hospital/ Montfort (for the bilingual resident), AND 2 weeks of pediatrics at CHEO).

Orthopaedics:

1 block of orthopaedic surgery (recommended to do in Collingwood).

Electives:

2 blocks of elective time are available based on your individual needs. Popular electives include Trauma, Toxicology, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics, Advanced Ultrasound.

Our academic curriculum comprises of a weekly academic full-day session, arranged in a series of medical specialty blocks within emergency medicine. The first 10 weeks are dedicated to resuscitation and trauma skills. Academic sessions are run by staff emergency medicine physicians and specialists. These small group seminars are mostly held separate from the Royal College EM Program allowing for a more focused curriculum to meet CCFP-EM objectives and are mapped to the Priority Topics set out by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

Emergency Medicine Grand Rounds precedes academic day weekly. Grand Rounds are of a national conference level and given by faculty and senior residents. Every year the Department of Emergency Medicine invite a number of internationally renowned guest speakers to present Grand Rounds and give academic day. Past guests included Dr. Amal Mattu, Dr. Sara Grey, Dr. Dr. Scott Weingart and Dr. Jeff Klein. There are weekly resident case rounds throughout the year, combined with the FRCP residents.

The Department of Emergency Medicine holds its journal club every month over a catered meal and is moderated by world-class researchers. 

All residents have the opportunity to undertake a small Quality Assurance project which they present at the Department of Emergency Medicine Research Day, as well as the Department of Family Medicine Research Day. This is a very structured project with deadlines throughout the year to help guide residents. Each resident will have a faculty methodologist and a faculty supervisor to help. Past residents have found this an extremely rewarding experience.

Residents in our program must complete a Quality Assurance Project and/or present Grand Rounds during their training year.

From January through June, residents will have practice orals in preparation for the CCFP-EM core competency exam. Written practice exams are held throughout the year to help residents prepare for their CCFP-EM written core competency exam.

All residents are trained in Ultrasound and receive certification by the end of the academic year. In our Level I ultrasound curriculum, during one of your early Adult EM Blocks, 2 weeks of protected time with supervised scanning shifts are given to residents to develop their US skills with an US trained supervisor. This allows you protected time to gain competence in all primary indications of POCUS. New as of 2016, we have a Level II US Elective Block which gives residents a chance to learn advanced ultrasound skills in an EM Block later in the year.

The University of Ottawa is home to a state-of-the-art Simulation Center. At the start of every year, a 2-day SIM Boot camp is organized for residents where they learn key procedural skills.  SIM sessions take place throughout the year to focus on more practical / hands on parts of the curriculum. Sessions include workshops on pigtail catheter insertion, nasopharyngeal scope use, trauma scenarios, and chest tube insertion. SIM sessions give an opportunity to receive direct observation and feedback on leadership and code running skills. Residents will also have the opportunity to have SIM sessions at CHEO (The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario). A hand lab led by a plastic surgeon and a thoracotomy lab led by a trauma surgeon are held annually.

In addition to being paired up with 3 attending physicians as part of your clinical teaching team, you will have the opportunity to choose a mentor for your year to help with both your personal and professional development.  Your selection of mentor can be based on academics, life interests, personal needs, etc.

The University of Ottawa CCFP-EM Program provides advanced training for family physicians, either immediately following the first two years of family medicine residency, or to those who have already been in practice. Accredited by the CFPC, successful completion of the program confers eligibility for the CCFP (EM) exam, and CCFP (EM) / CCFP (CAC-EM) certification. It received full approval at its last accreditation survey in 2016.

There are five PGY-3 positions in Ottawa for the Family Medicine/ Emergency Medicine Program. Any resident in Family Medicine is invited to apply via CaRMS, with the application process starting in the summer of their senior year. Further details are posted at the CaRMS website. Other candidates with outside funding are also welcome to apply. We have a long history with the Department of National Defense and take DND applicants on a regular basis as a commitment to our National Forces.  

The University of Ottawa program in Family Medicine/ Emergency Medicine is based primarily at the Ottawa Hospital, which is a multi-campus hospital providing primary, secondary and tertiary care to the people of Ottawa and the surrounding region.

Ottawa is a fantastic place to live! It is a beautiful urban, multicultural city with great nightlife, fantastic restaurants and active music, arts and cultural scenes. There are more festivals in Ottawa than any city in Canada celebrating everything from poutine and beer to all musical genres. Ottawa is a city for the active as well with its extensive cycling/walking/cross-country skiing pathways, Rideau Canal, beaches, Gatineau park and nearby skiing.

“This year is about more than gathering EM-related knowledge. You will learn about job seeking, financial literacy, and other topics related to building a sustainable and fulfilling career.” – Dr. David Gruber, class of 2016

“No matter what your interest is - whether research, teaching, ultrasound, etc. – the Ottawa Program has plenty of opportunities to hone your skills while building a strong foundation in clinical emergency medicine. You can’t go wrong picking the Ottawa Program!” – Dr. Hasan Sheikh, class of 2015

“It is the people that have brightened my time training in Ottawa. The program’s team and faculty are kind, supportive, and attentive to your learning needs” – Dr. Sarah-Taïssir Bencharif, class of 2019

“What drew me to the Ottawa program is the commitment to academic and clinical excellence. You will always be pushed to become the best. You will be given the resources, the connections, the support and the mentorship to pursue this. And then, you will leave knowing that you have achieved YOUR best and this is the best part of it all.” – Dr. Tiff Lam, class of 2020

• Our Staff! Over 90 exemplary attending emergency physicians – national and international leaders in research, quality improvement and patient safety, medical education, simulation, and ultrasound – all dedicated to your training

• Our terrific relationship with the 5-year Royal College Program – sharing resources, educational activities, and social events

• Outstanding Academic Days – A weekly line-up of Resident-led Case Rounds, Grand Rounds, M&M Rounds and dedicated CCFP-EM teaching seminars by passionate staff Emergency Physicians

• CCFP-EM Board Exam Readiness - scheduled practice exams and practice orals, boasting a 100% pass rate in the past 6 years

• Our Simulation Curriculum – regular high-fidelity simulation sessions led by experts in simulation-based education (fellowship opportunities available)

• Longitudinal Pediatric Curriculum at CHEO – you will be the most senior resident scheduled in the acute care area

• Our Ultrasound Curriculum – taught by nationally recognized Ultrasound Experts, 2 weeks of supervised ultrasound training and Emergency Medicine Ultrasound Certification (fellowship opportunities available) AND an innovative NEW advanced ultrasound elective training block

• Scholarly Activity Support - a locally developed Research Guide, Research Supervisor and Methodologist to complete a QA project of your choosing

• An innovative ‘Area of Concentration’ with two months of elective time for you to use to focus on what you want to, as well as the ability to concentrate your training on whatever an academic focus you choose (e.g. ultrasound, medical education, quality and safety)

• Financial Support - $1000 Education Fund towards your academic requirements including books, courses, conference presentations, etc.

• Courses offered: ACLS, ATLS, ACLS instructor course for a discounted price

• Teaching Opportunities – Our residents take the ED STAR course as part of their curriculum.You will have the ability to participate in teaching medical students and junior residents on and off shift, including a family medicine academic day session

• An innovative new transition to practice curriculum to ready you for staff life including clinical coaching teams, billing and financial seminars, a mentoring night, independent shifts and wellness events

“Every potential applicant should know that the Ottawa Program is the best program in the country - I loved my time there.” – Dr. Hasan Sheikh, class of 2015

Competitive candidates will be strong overall family medicine residents who have excelled in all of their residency rotations and have demonstrated an interest in emergency medicine by way of research, elective experiences, and/or extra courses.  Resident level leadership experience is looked upon favourably.  Furthermore, we are looking for people who possess the energy, enthusiasm, coachability, and character to achieve great things during their residency training and beyond.