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Curriculum

The program spans 5 years of training, and the rotations are guided by the RCPSC (Royal College Training Experiences). Using this framework for training experiences, we look to optimize the resident experience and learning specific to our resources in London.

We are constantly looking to improve and expand our curriculum and have a rotation of evaluating each aspect of the program, as well as regular input from the residents longitudinally to assure we are meeting the requirement of the Royal College/accreditation, as well as the needs of our learners and faculty. Quarterly we review 2-4 rotations formally at our Residency Program Committee (RPC) meetings and adjust these learning opportunities accordingly.

We are in the process of adapting our objectives and target EPAs for each of these rotations to ensure there is clear competencies, EPAs and objectives associated with each rotation.

Residents are evaluated on a quarterly by means of direct observation and in-training examinations, both written and oral in nature, EPAs, clinical mentors, presentation and teaching evaluations, Simulation, and research. The Program Director and Competence Committee review resident progress on a regular basis and feedback is regularly provided.

Our electives are flexible, and these rotations are a guideline and can be altered to suit the learning of each resident. In addition, there are opportunities to do additional Emergency medicine rotations in other locations that would count towards EM blocks or electives. We are flexible and do our best to assure everyone has their learning needs met over the course of five years.

Academic Teaching Day

Our academic teaching day transitioned to full days in the 2023-2024 year. These traditionally consisted of 1 hour of Lead resident run teaching, followed by Grand Rounds (1 hour), then Rosen's Core rounds (2 hours). The afternoons have monthly Simulation, and an afternoon monthly dedicated protected time to fulfill research commitments. The remainder of the afternoons include non-Rosen's and some non-clinical topics including communication, teaching as a resident, medico-legal aspects of residency, learner experience, Peds Dental trauma, Team and individual performance, ITS/clinical informatics, QA/QI teaching, assessing styles of learners, EDI topics, how to address patients leaving AMA, how to adapt to and combine virtual and in person teaching, newcomer health, clinical epidemiology, guest speakers from other specialties and community agencies (more still being planned).

Starting in the 2022-2023 year we started quarterly Human Rounds with the PD, which is a closed/confidential hour where residents can discuss difficult and challenging aspect of residency including cases, ethics, interpersonal interactions or other aspects of their path that they may need support for. This has expanded to incorporate an entire curriculum about the human side of medicine including professional identity, resilience, wellness, belonging, adaptive expertise, socialization in medicine and other related topics.
Each Rosen's teaching session is supposed to have an opportunity to practice or watch a practice oral exam, some written testing/quiz, as well as literature to support the core topic. The faculty are provided with guidelines to ensure these are current and interactive.

In the 2022-2023 year a Transition to Practice (T2P) curriculum was developed which included discussion about financial transitions to practice, more in depth medico-legal discussions, disclosing error, teaching as a faculty, dedicated simulation for this group, involvement in additional teaching and supervision for medical students and residents (clinical and non-clinical), further opportunities for moonlighting, learning plans to prepare for practice, and transition to practice blocks in the last half of the year. These T2P blocks focused on refining on shift teaching, handover, documentation, leadership, department management and flow.

Resident Research 

We have strong research support with a research coordinator for our program, and each resident is well mentored and supported to present at 3 of 5 of our own Resident Research days. With this, they are also encouraged to submit to conferences and for publication and are supported with both of these processes and have financial and logistical support for these opportunities.

In coordination with our Research staff, our new Research Director Dr. Alix Carter, we have recently revamped our structure of our program allowing for increasing guidance, collaboration, teaching and support to perform the required research. This has allowed for increasing diversity of projects including new innovative and program design related projects and increased collaboration with other Departments, and the Centre for Education Research and Innovation (CERI) at UWO, a world renown Medical Education institution.

Our Journal Club has been revamped recently, and will have a hybrid of evening dinner sessions either at a faculty house, or at a restaurant.

 

Program Curriculum