Years 2-5 Curriculum

PGY2-PGY5 rotations in the Competency by Design (CBD) model meet all of the requirements for training experiences laid out by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

PGY2

In the PGY2 year of Foundations of Discipline, residents practice Inpatient and Outpatient psychiatry. PGY2 is the first year of the newly planned one-day outpatient rotation that runs from PGY2-PGY5. Residents have one day a week to see psychotherapy patients and to follow a clinic of 8-12 patients of their selection, drawn from outpatient consultations. This model allows residents to see the evolution of a mental health condition in treatment, including maintenance treatment and the development of a therapeutic alliance with more complex patients. The new core PGY2 outpatient rotation is for three days of the week for three blocks, with another outpatient supervisor, with various outpatient settings available. The other nine blocks feature three days a week of inpatient psychiatry concurrent with the longitudinal outpatient clinic.  

PGY3-4

During Core of Discipline (PGY3 and 4), residents have training in more specialized clinics. PGY3 focuses on the lifespan subspecialties of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. PGY4 exposes residents to the subspecialty rotations of Consultation-Liaison (C/L), Shared Care and SPMI (Severe and Persistent Mental Health) clinics with selective options in Concurrent Care (Addictions), Forensic Psychiatry, and various clinics in the tertiary care of Complex Mood and Anxiety, Psychosis and Personality Disorders. The longitudinal clinic runs concurrently with these rotations, allowing residents to continue following complex patients and to add new patients to their clinic as they progress in residency.

PGY5

PGY5 provides time for electives and the development of further specialized practice in the areas of the resident’s choosing.

We currently have an accredited Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Subspecialty program, as well as an accredited Geriatric Subspecialty program.  (Forensic psychiatry subspecialty will be available in the near future).  Our PGE curriculum provides flexibility beginning in PGY5 to allow completion in as little as six years for those interested in either Child and Adolescent or Geriatric Psychiatry subspecialties.

Additional Highlights

As mentioned in the Program Structure, Western provides enriching support and on-the-job training, including: 

  • Clinical teaching, in the Competence by Design (CBD) model, focusing on interviewing, pharmacology, psychotherapy, other biological treatments, as well as other dimensions of patient assessment and management in all care settings and with all of the patient types mandated by the RCPSC;
  • Direct supervision and in situ feedback for the development of competencies across psychiatry practice;
  • Increasing levels of responsibility throughout residency training to facilitate optimal development of skills at the right time;
  • Academic Thursdays, providing a full day of teaching sessions in varying formats, discussing the full range of mental health diagnoses and interventions. These teaching sessions cover all aspects of mental health, its assessment, and its treatment, complementing the clinical curriculum;
  • Longitudinal practical teaching throughout all residency years in areas such as interview skills/STACER preparation, formulation, psychotherapy, research skills, and Quality Improvement (QI);
  • Practice sessions for the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada RCPSC exam, including full practice OSCE exams every six months;
  • Quarterly “semi-annual review” meetings with the Program Director or Associate Program Director throughout residency, starting in PGY1, to review outcomes from the competence committee file review and to discuss goals and strategies for competency development;
  • A medium-sized program allowing each resident to have their goals closely supported by the Program Director and the consultants, with easy access to mentorship opportunities with specialists in diverse areas of clinical and research expertise;
  • A new formal staff mentoring program will be in place for PGY2-5 in 2020-2021. It will ensure that residents have access to support and advice on advancement in residency and career development from mentors who share their interests and priorities.