Since 2018, the Royal College has implemented Competence by Design (CBD) in Emergency Medicine (EM) in Canada and the University of Ottawa EM Program has embraced this exciting curriculum. CBD is perfect for Ottawa EM because it ensures competence but teaches for excellence - that’s our style.

One of our huge strengths is the diversity of talent within our faculty that includes over 90 physicians. Our group includes national and international experts in simulation, EMS, ultrasound, medical education, forensics, toxicology, quality improvement, and journal editing Our teachers have been awarded for their excellence and have been rated among the best in the Faculty of Medicine. Further, many of our Faculty are highly recognized internationally for their impactful contributions to the specialty of emergency medicine.

Our core training sites include the Ottawa Hospital General Campus, The Ottawa Hospital Civic Campus and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).

Curriculum

The Emergency Medicine program follows the Royal College designed Competence by Design Curriculum (CBD).

Throughout the four stages of CBD (Transition to Discipline, Foundations, Core and Transition to Practice), residents complete:

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  • 32 blocks of Adult Emergency Medicine
  • 6 blocks of Paediatric Emergency Medicine
  • 1 block of Prehospital and Transport Medicine
  • 2 blocks of Internal Medicine
  • 1 block of General Surgery
  • 1 block of Orthopaedics
  • 2 blocks of Anesthesia
  • 1 block of Psychiatry
  • 1 block of Obstetrics/Gynaecology
  • 1 block of Neurology (Clinics/Consults)
  • 3 blocks of Adult ICU
  • 1 block of Critical Care Selective (Paediatrics ICU, Adult ICU, Paediatrics Emergency Medicine or Adult Emergency Medicine)
  • 2 blocks of Cardiology / CCU
  • 1 block of Trauma
  • 3 blocks of Electives

In our CBD curriculum, residents are also required to complete six months in an area of concentrated expertise (ACE), or previously known as an area of subspecialty. Our residents have the opportunity to pursue any area of interest to them that relates to emergency medicine. Historically our residents have completed fellowships in ultrasound, resuscitation, paediatric emergency medicine, simulation, medical education, geriatrics, public health, quality improvement, critical care, and many, many others. We are open to trainees studying any field that supports a career in Emergency Medicine.  

Our program has a protected Academic Day every Thursday from 08:00 to 1700.

Academic day

There is a weekly, protected academic full day for all Emergency Medicine residents. This consists of emergency medicine grand rounds, core rounds, case presentations, practice oral examinations and other activities. A core content seminar series (based on the Rosen's textbook and more) covers the required knowledge content over the course of the residency. These sessions are interactive and utilize many innovative educational tools to help residents prepare for real life clinical experiences as well as the Royal College exam. During the afternoon, simulation sessions occur in our state-of-the-art Simulation Centre.

Other rounds

Emergency Medicine Journal Club, Morbidity and Mortality Rounds, What Works Rounds and Trauma Rounds. For those interested, sub-specialty journal clubs are held in the following areas: Medical Education, Point-of-Care Ultrasound, Prehospital and Transport Medicine.

Clinical coaching teams

To foster longitudinal coaching relationships, residents participate in clinical coaching teams where they work paired shifts with a specific Faculty member.

Academic projects

The Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Ottawa has a world renowned program in emergency medicine research. All residents are expected to produce a scholarly project. Scholarly projects can focus on clinical or medical education topics.

Courses and funding

The program covers the cost of ACLS, ATLS and PALS. Residents are also given the opportunity to become ACLS and ATLS instructors. Additional funding is available to support resident education including the costs associated with presentations at national or international conferences.

The program presently has 9 positions available to Canadian medical school graduates (CMG’s) and 2 positions available for international medical graduates (IMG’s). Applications for both CMG and IMG residency positions must be submitted through CaRMS.

In the past two years we have accepted two externally funded foreign medical graduate (FMG) per year.

For further information please contact:

Lise Levesque
Postgraduate Administrator - RCPSC
Department of Emergency Medicine
University of Ottawa/Ottawa Hospital
1053 Carling Ave. Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 4E9
613-798-5555 ext 18649
[email protected]

It is our goal that our residents develop excellent teaching skills during their residency. Residents take the ED STAR course that focuses on teaching skills in the emergency department and are responsible for teaching medical student sessions as well as ultrasound. 

Competitive candidates will have demonstrated a strong interest in emergency medicine by way of elective training and rotations done in their own medical schools (this however does not necessarily mean that all your electives must be in emergency medicine). Furthermore, we are looking for people who possess the energy, enthusiasm and character to achieve great things during their residency training and beyond.

We have a cohesive and supportive group of residents here in the Ottawa EM programs with a variety of interests. Here are some of our resident’s thoughts on our program;

" My experience to date in this residency has been nothing but positive. Our program provides a rigorous yet supportive environment where expectations are high and residents are encouraged to achieve success in both clinical and academic pursuits. Ottawa is a great place to live and all those interested should join us for an elective to see what we’re all about."

" We are training world-class academic emergentologists here in Ottawa. The teaching, the clinical experience, and the support for your academic interests (research, medical education, SIM, EMS, ultrasound, etc.) truly set us apart. I have no regrets in pursuing my training here in Ottawa and I’m certain you won’t either. "

"The camaraderie within the residency group is remarkable given the size of our program. I truly feel that any resident would go out on a limb to help and support one of their colleagues. It’s a great feeling to know that you are part of this incredible team."

" I came to Ottawa to become the best, well-rounded, academic emergency physician that I could be. I want to be the staff physician others lean on when things get out of control. I want to be on the cutting edge of this relatively young specialty. As I near the end of my training, I can confidently say that this program has provided me with the tools and the opportunities to work towards this goal."

" Not only is the program awesome, Ottawa is a great place to live. There is a vibrant night life, loads of cultural activities and festivals, access to any outdoor activity you can think of and it’s still affordable enough to live here! If you have a growing family or are thinking about starting one in the years to come, Ottawa is a pretty ideal place to set up shop."

The program is of course located in Ottawa, our nation's capital, and as such enjoys many of its benefits. Ottawa is a safe, medium sized city of approximately 1,000,000 inhabitants. Besides the many museums and cultural attractions the city has to offer, Ottawa is an outdoor lover's paradise. The city has extensive bike paths, jogging trails, the longest skating rink in the world (the Rideau Canal), world class rapids for kayaking, nearby downhill skiing as well as hundreds of kilometers of cross-country trails.