Residency Training Program
Overview
The University of Ottawa Residency Program in Psychiatry leads to eligibility to sit for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's Specialty Examination in Psychiatry. It consists of three components: a PGY-1 Basic Clinical year, a Core Program (PGY-2 to 4) and a Senior Year (PGY -5).
Our Strengths
The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa has a strong academic record and is highly respected as one of the leading departments of Psychiatry in Canada.
As a relatively small program with on average 7 residents per year, we are able to devote greater attention and resources towards individual residents, as exemplified by our flexible parental leave policy and flexibility with negotiating resident rotation objectives.
Through our various faculty and teaching hospitals, our program can provide a wide range of extensive teaching and clinical opportunities to all of its residents.
By combining strong teaching programs in both the biological and psychological fields of Psychiatry, residents can both direct their training to particular interests (including, but not limited to Child & Adolescent, Geriatric and Forensic Psychiatry) and yet still graduate with broad generalist skills in Psychiatry.
Residents accepted into the program can expect a challenging and stimulating academic environment that will prepare them for the broad and diverse field of Psychiatry.
In addition, as the Nation's Capital, Ottawa is a diverse and safe place to live for residents and their families. It offers exceptional cultural and recreational opportunities, but without the hassles of living in a large metropolitan city. For residents with families, Ottawa offers excellent employment and wonderful neighborhoods to live and raise a family.
Quick Facts
- Residents have an opportunity to pursue interprovincial and international electives.
- There are no mandatory rural rotations in our program.
- The ratio of residents to faculty is 1:4.
- The patient load is variable depending on whether inpatient, outpatient, or community-based rotation.
Faculty
There are approximately 57 full-time and 154 part-time faculty members who represent a wide range of disciplines in addition to psychiatrists - e.g., psychologists, social workers, nurses, researchers.
Positions Available
The program has approximately 7 residency positions per year. Residents primarily come through the CaRMS process, the provincial Re-Entry program, Ontario IMG program and Foreign International Graduate-sponsored positions. Additional opportunities exist for Clinical or Research Fellows, i.e. fully trained psychiatrists who seek specialized training in an academic setting.
Eligibility for licensure in Ontario is a requirement for acceptance into residency.
Facilities
A wide range of general and specialized clinical facilities are available within the Department of Psychiatry which include:
PGY-1
- 16 weeks - Psychiatry (4 weeks each of general hospital Inpatient Psychiatry, Emergency Psychiatry, Addictions and Underserviced Psychiatry)
- 16 weeks - Medicine (4 weeks C.T.U Internal Medicine, 4 weeks each of Neurology, Geriatrics, and Endocrinology)
- 4 weeks - Neuroradiology / Cognitive Disorders (to be confirmed)
- 4 weeks - Family Medicine
- 4 weeks - Emergency Medicine (Adult)
- 4 weeks - Emergency Medicine (Pediatrics)
- 4 weeks - Palliative Care
Underserviced psychiatry rotations are available both in Ottawa and rural and/or northern regions of Ontario.
PGY-2 to 3
The two and one-half core years of clinical training consist of:
- 1 year of General Hospital Psychiatry with 6-month rotations in Inpatient and Outpatient services
- 6 months of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- 6 months of Chronic Care and Rehabilitation
- 3 months of Geriatric Psychiatry
- 3 months of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
PGY-4 to 5
- During the senior years of training there are 18 months of selective/elective rotations. Residents have the opportunity to do 3 to 6-month elective blocks from a variety of Psychiatry subspecialties.
- The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa is noted for the variety of high-quality training experiences that are available within all fields in Psychiatry, including Forensics, Geriatrics, Schizophrenia, Mood disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Research and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
- Interested residents have the opportunity to complete the Career Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Training Program within the PGY-2 to PGY-5 years.
- Training is individualized to meet the educational requirements of each resident, bearing in mind the Royal College requirements and the resident's individual practice goals.
Academic Day
- Our Academic Day is now a full day of protected time each week on Wednesdays, which includes an ongoing course in Interview Techniques that occurs separately for the PGY-2s, PGY-3s and the PGY-4 & 5 group in order to address differing learning objectives.
- Resident-initiated Journal Club and Grand Rounds each occur once monthly during the Academic Day.
- There are also weekly Case-Study Rounds that occur at each hospital site and these occur outside of the Academic Day.
Seminars
- Our Academic Curriculum is a combination of tutorial/tutor-based system and didactic teaching. There is a tutor assigned to each PGY- 2 to 5 year. Residents for each year meet in a group with their specific tutor during the Academic Day for approximately 45 weeks of the year.
- The PGY-1's audit the PGY-2 academic tutorial and didactic sessions. During the PGY-2- year tutorials, residents are exposed to the major diseases in adults, as well as receiving a more didactic block in Child Psychiatry. The content of the year includes an introduction to Neurosciences and Psychopharmacology, Affective Disorders, Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Personality Disorders, Substance Abuse, Dissociation and Trauma, Eating Disorders and Developmental Disorders in Adults. Each disorder section covers epidemiology, phenomenology and diagnosis, etiology, genetics and treatment.
- The PGY-2's attend the one-week Psychiatry Review Course and are relieved of clinical duties for the week to attend the course.
- Residents in the PGY-3 year develop a research proposal or quality assurance project that they work towards completing during the year. As part of the year they are exposed to topics on Research Design, Statistical Methods, Critical Appraisal, Quality Assurance and Bioethics. A didactic block in Sleep Disorders, Geriatric Psychiatry and Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Ethics occurs in the second half of the year.
- Residents in the PGY-4 year of the curriculum are seeking to consolidate their knowledge in Psychiatry and to also get exposure to more advanced topics in a variety of areas. Residents in this year are involved to a greater degree in designing their own curriculum based on perceived needs. The content for the year includes lectures in Advanced Psychopharmacology, Advanced Psychotherapy, Forensic Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, Gender, Sexuality and Culture, Ethics in Psychiatric Practice.
- Residents in their final PGY-5 year are involved in learning related to preparation for practice including topics such as Administrative Issues, Third-Party Assessment, Medico-legal issues and Preparation for Practice during the first part of the year. The second part of the year is involved with facilitating preparation for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's Specialty Examinations in Psychiatry through teaching about the examination and undertaking a series of practice examinations.
- Residents in the PGY-5 year also attend the Annual Review Course in Psychiatry and are relieved of clinical duties for the week to attend.
Research
- Residents are expected to present a quality assurance or a research project at Resident Research Day at least once during their training. The PGY-3 Academic curriculum assists residents in this with exposure to research methodology and critical appraisal skills.
- Dr. Alan Douglass has recently been appointed as Resident Research Mentor. He will advocate and assist resident involvement in research during their training.
- The Research Mentorship program (optional) provides high quality research experiences for interested residents. It is meant to assist residents in becoming exposed to research during their residency and to promote an atmosphere of curiosity and academic inquiry within our training program. It assists residents who wish to do a small degree of research during their training, as well as those who want to set the course for a research career in Psychiatry. It provides the resident a half-day per week of protected time for research activities for 6 months (renewable).
- We are fortunate at the University of Ottawa to have the ability to enhance research training in a more formal capacity through the Royal College Clinical Investigator Program. Dr. John Angel is the current director of this program for the University. This opportunity provides formal research training of two years duration to residents and is open to trainees in any medical specialty. Should a Psychiatry trainee be interested and receive approval for the program, one year of clinical research training would come from within the usual Psychiatry training elective time. The other year is an additional year of training. More information on this program is available through our PGE office, the Royal College website or by contacting Dr. John Angel at the University of Ottawa.
- Please refer to the Resident Research Catalogue for more detailed information regarding specific opportunities for Psychiatry Residents to be involved in research.
Psychotherapy
- Our Psychotherapy Program consists of didactic teaching and clinical supervision in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (PGY-2), Family Therapy (PGY-2), Long Term Insight Psychotherapy (PGY-3), Interpersonal Psychotherapy (PGY-3) and Brief Dynamic Psychotherapy (PGY-4).
- Each psychotherapy modality has a coordinator who is responsible for the didactic curriculum. The didactic component for each modality includes the history of the modality in relation to other psychotherapies, specific principles of the psychotherapy and a practical approach in how to do the specific psychotherapy. As well, there is a focus on how to select patients for each specific modality. Didactic components typically run for 12-20 weeks of one and one-half hour length sessions per week.
- The coordinator assists each resident who has taken the didactic instruction in the specific psychotherapy to find a patient and a psychotherapy supervisor skilled in that specific modality. The coordinator has a list of psychotherapy supervisors who are specialized in a given modality and willing to supervise. The coordinator ensures that each resident has had at least one psychotherapy patient in supervision in their specific modality prior to completion of the residency training program.
- Opportunity for Group Psychotherapy occurs within the Day Hospital/Partial Hospitalization Program rotations at both CHEO and the Ottawa Hospital. Psychiatry residents can also register for the Group Psychotherapy Training Program that is available in the community.
- Opportunities for Play Therapy training are also available at CHEO.
Contact Information
For more information about the program, please contact:
- Lynn Bertrand, Postgraduate Coordinator, The Ottawa Hospital (General Campus), 501 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L6, 613-737-8955 (phone), 613-739-9980 (fax)
- Dr. Brad Booth, Director, Postgraduate Education, c/o Lynn Bertrand
Application
All PGY-1 candidates must apply directly through:
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