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Program Overview & Highlights

Length of training: five (5) years

The NOSM/UofT Obstetrics and Gynecology residency program provides comprehensive training leading to RCPSC certification. The program adheres to the RCPSC Competency By Design program requirements, effective July 1, 2019 and the following represent the highlights of our program:

  • Competency by Design structure
  • Core rotations in obstetrics and gynecology, and subspecialty rotations that incorporate a diversity of experience in subspecialty areas integral to community-based practice.
  • Half of the five-year training in Thunder Bay with preceptor support from physicians committed to practicing in Northern Ontario.
  • Half of the five-year training in Toronto, a large tertiary care centre with a diverse patient population and extensive range of clinical situations and practice settings.
  • Exposure to the culture and social fabric of Francophone and Indigenous communities
  • Opportunity to participate in research under expert guidance in both Thunder Bay and Toronto
  • Funding available for research, professional development and conferences
  • Financial support for resident travel to and from core clinical placements away from Thunder Bay, and accommodation.
  • Academic half-day sessions weekly throughout the year during protected time from clinical duties (via videoconference when not in Toronto).
  • Opportunity to participate in local community educational rounds, presentations, journal clubs and rounds through the Ontario Telemedicine Network when stationed in Thunder Bay.
  • Integration with the RCPSC Surgical Foundations Program.

RCPSC: Applying Competency-Based Practices to Residency Education

To contribute to the success of Canadian physicians and the delivery of high-quality patient care, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada has embarked upon an initiative to introduce competency-based medical education (CBME) in Canadian postgraduate specialty training and in professional practice in Canada. This initiative, called Competence by Design (CBD), aims to enhance patient care by aligning medical education and lifelong learning with evolving patient needs and empowering learners to more fully engage in their education process.

CBD will use time as a framework rather than the basis for progression. It is not anticipated that the duration of training will change for the majority of trainees. Residency programs will be broken down into stages, and each stage will have a series of Entrusted Professional Activities (EPA’s) based on required competencies. EPA’s are broken down into milestones which will create more targeted learning outcomes and involve more frequent, formative assessments within the clinical workplace to ensure residents are developing and receiving feedback on the skills they need.

The Royal College anticipates that Obstetrics & Gynecology will adopt CBD in July 2019. Thus, residents entering Obstetrics and Gynecology from this year forward will experience CBD-based learning and assessment. As the adoption of this model is refined it will be enhanced to better reflect stakeholder needs. The program has been piloting CBD for over a year now, to make sure we are ready for this transition.

All programs implementing CBD will continue to undergo the same rigorous accreditation processes as traditional programs. All CBD programs (and traditional programs) will continue to lead to Royal College approved certification. Certification for trainees in both CBD and traditional programs will include the completion of a Royal College examination; however, residents in CBD programs will also be assessed against program milestones throughout their training. Within a CBD program, all EPAs and milestones (documented within an electronic portfolio) and the Royal College examination must be successfully completed to achieve certification.

For more information, contact cbd@royalcollege.ca.

NOSM/UofT OBGYN Residency Program Objectives

1. Educate residents, within Northern Ontario and the Toronto area, to become culturally sensitive and competent practitioners with a commitment to social accountability.  The stream will graduate physicians who are equally comfortable and confident living and practicing in rural and urban centres in Northern Ontario.

2. Deliver broad-based clinical and academic training in Obstetrics and Gynecology with the goal of creating the foundation for independent practice in Core Obstetrics and Gynecology or as the foundation for subspecialty Fellowship training.

3. Fulfill all the objectives required for specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynecology as set out by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

4. Focus on:

  • Clinical experiences of a secondary and tertiary nature in Core Obstetrics and Gynecology and subspecialty areas of Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Core skills in Obstetrics and Gynecology in community settings.

5. Create opportunities for:

  • Development of leadership in rural, remote, and Northern health
  • Personal development of leadership skills.

6. Ensure graded responsibility in the acquisition of leadership skills required of a hospital specialist, and to emphasize the development of teaching skills.

7. Offer a milieu that emphasizes:

  • a culture of life-long learning, and an ability to appreciate the importance of critical appraisal of the evolving medical literature.
  • the importance of teamwork and support of all members of the healthcare team, and nurtures wellness and resilience so as to cope with the demands of our specialty in the 21st century.

8. Provide the environment, mentorship, and experience that will allow each resident to achieve the goals outlined above.

 

Obstetrics and Gynecology