Program Contacts

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Important Information

Please be aware the Ministry of Health has mandated all hospital and health care employers establish, implement and ensure compliance with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.  The Ministry directive can be reviewed here. Residents matched to any Ontario residency program must ensure they are able to comply with the Ministry directive in order to start training July 1, 2022.  

It is important to understand this is an evolving issue. You are required to review Provincial, Hospital, University and Program information to ensure you are in continued compliance with directives.  

All candidates must meet the Ontario Criteria of Eligibility found here.

MCCQE (Medical Council of Canada qualifying examination) Part 1 results:

Trainees will be required to disclose their MCCQE Part 1 examination results if taken, upon entry into any of the University of Ottawa's training programs. Please note that the MCCQE Part 1 is not a requirement to begin residency. The purpose of this disclosure is to allow for resources to be provided to the few residents who would benefit from extra support early in their residency in an effort to maximize their success.

Failure to meet or provide proof of any of the stated requirements may result in an applicant’s file not being reviewed or removed from the Rank Order List.

In addition to our CMG stream, starting in 2021 our program is also offering a Research Intensive Residency stream (RIRS).
In order to be considered for the RIRS stream, applicants must apply to both the CMG and RIRS streams and be invited for interviews and ranked within both streams.
For more information, please see the information provided in the RIRS stream description.

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

All candidates must meet the Ontario criteria of eligibility.

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Supporting Documentation

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Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on January 31, 2022

Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  January 31, 2022

Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on January 31, 2022

Once all of the files have been reviewed, applicants will be contacted regarding an interview and interview details will be provided. Applicants who will not be granted an interview will also be notified.

An email notification will be sent on February 18, 2022 .

Due to the limited number of interviews we can provide, unfortunately there will be excellent candidates who will not get an interview. Requests for reconsideration of status will not be accepted.

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Interviews

Dates:

• March 8, 2022
• March 9, 2022
• March 10, 2022

Selection Criteria

Program goals

The everyday work of a pediatrician can look very different in different settings. Residents graduating from our program will be well prepared to meet their career goals for pediatric practice in the setting of their choosing, be it rural or urban, community-based or in an academic center. Our program provides learning opportunities in all of these settings. In addition to a strong foundation in core pediatric clinical skills and patient-centered care, our residents will have exposure to all of the CanMeds roles including scholarly work, research and advocacy. Our resident team is a close-knit group who are highly motivated and support each other both at work and outside work. Our resident team is integral to the functioning of our program, and we highly value their leadership and input into all aspects of their training and work. We provide our residents with a safe and supportive learning environment where they are challenged to achieve their full potential

Selection process goals

The University of Ottawa Pediatrics program aims to train excellent pediatricians who are committed to optimizing the health and well-being of all children, youth and families in the communities they serve. Selection criteria are based both on current attributes and future potential, recognizing that past behavior and achievements are the best predictors of future performance.

• Candidates must have demonstrated a serious interest and aptitude in paediatrics, as evidenced through the file review and interview process. 

• Candidates should demonstrate excellent communication skills. Although bilingualism is not necessary, a working knowledge of French is an asset.

• Candidates should demonstrate a mature and caring approach to individuals from diverse ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds. 

• Candidates should have an inquiring mind. Experience or interest in research is an asset.

• Candidates should exhibit a strong ability to work within a team structure, especially in a multidisciplinary environment. 

• Candidates should show capacity for health advocacy, whether it be at the individual, institutional or systems-level.

• Candidates should be compassionate individuals with demonstrated skills in self-reflection to benefit from their residency education and develop skills in lifelong learning.

• Candidates should have a strong work ethic and the aptitude to develop appropriate time management and coping strategies to manage the multiple demands of the profession. 

File review process

Evaluation criteria :

Elective criteria

Interview process

Interview evaluation criteria :

Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

Specifically, we may consider:
Social interaction during program related events
Communication with program administration
Social media
Unsolicited reference letters
Unsolicited email references
Unsolicited verbal information on a candidate's prior performance
Unsolicited feedback from colleagues and co-workers

Ranking process

The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :
Unprofessional or inappropriate behavior   
Did not attend interview   
Interview performance was not competitive   

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Program Highlights

Quick Facts

As a training program in an academic pediatric hospital, we achieve the optimal balance between supervised clinical practice and emerging independence and provide direct contact with a variety of expert faculty supervisors. This is enhanced by the involvement of engaged Community Pediatrics faculty. We are the only pediatric hospital in the region serving a large catchment area, which provides the opportunity for exposure to common pediatric conditions as well as those unique to tertiary care pediatrics, covering subspecialty representation from all disciplines. Residents are exposed to Community Pediatrics throughout their training and are provided with opportunities to complete rotations in a rural and remote settings Note that in 2022-23 this may be modified due to COVID-19 restrictions. Residents have an opportunity to pursue interprovincial and international electives (a supervisor and objectives must be identified and approved by the Program Director). . Note that in 2022-23 this may be modified due to COVID-19 restrictions. We provide a rich on-call experience which allows for both night float systems and 24-hour call experiences. This is valued by our residents for its variety of clinical contact and continuous opportunities for on-call experiences in several areas of the hospital throughout the 4 years of residency. We have a strong research component in the department and an affiliation with the CHEO Research Institute. Residents who wish to further develop their research portfolio are well supported and mentored by several CHEO-based researchers with nationally and internationally recognized research programs. We encourage scholarly questions in a variety of areas including basic science, clinical, medical education, quality improvement and advocacy.

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Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 4 years.

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

The program meets the requirements of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the pediatric training for certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Board of Pediatrics. For residents beginning in July 2021, the Competence By Design (CBD) curriculum will be officially launched. The 4 stages of CBD are mapped over 4 years, after which residents can choose to apply to a subspecialty. The Department of Pediatrics at UOttawa includes academic general pediatricians, community consultant pediatricians and academic subspecialists. 

Our philosophy is geared towards providing a solid foundation in general pediatrics and we are committed to providing each trainee with pediatric experiences individualized to his/her personal career goals. Residents, by the end of their training, have had the opportunity to develop the confidence and skills needed to practice general pediatrics expertly in any sized community or practice setting, or to move on into additional subspecialty training.
Our training site offers a multitude of experiences in a variety of hospital and community-based settings, including: Adolescent Medicine, Anesthesia, Advocacy/Social Pediatrics, Ambulatory Care, Cardiology, Child Protection, Consulting Rural Pediatrics, Complex Care, Development, Diabetes Camp, Emergency Medicine, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Genetics, Hematology/Oncology. Infectious Diseases, Inpatient Medicine (CTU), Metabolics, Neonatology, Nephrology, Neurology, Newborn Care, Orthopedics, Palliative Care, Pediatric Intensive care, Mental Health, Radiology, Research, Respirology, Rheumatology, SPOT/IV team, Surgery, Transport medicine.

Transition to Discipline and Foundations of Discipline

The first two stages of residency will give the trainee a solid base in general pediatrics. Residents will participate in an initial onboarding period during Transition to Discipline. By the end of the Foundations of Discipline stage, the resident will be skilled in the diagnosis and initial management of less-complex pediatric conditions and presentations.

Core of Discipline

Now that the trainee has acquired foundational knowledge of the field of general pediatrics, the Core of Discipline stage is designed to provide a deeper exposure to subspecialty areas of pediatrics and to encourage the resident into taking a leadership role in the care of each patient. At this stage the resident will progress into more senior and supervisory roles, where the trainee is entrusted with the management of ward and/or ambulatory patients, including those with complex problems. The resident also takes on the responsibility of supervising more junior trainees. In the latter half of this stage, the resident assumes supervisory roles both in their daytime and on call activities. This stage encourages the development of skills in prioritization, clinical judgment and increasing self-confidence. To encourage the integration of knowledge from different areas of pediatrics, the resident will work in both outpatient and inpatient settings. At this stage residents will be provided with the opportunity to participate in a monthly longitudinal clinic.

Transition to Practice

The Transition to Practice stage is designed for the refinement of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learned in the preceding stage and provides more flexible time to target training opportunities dependent on the resident’s chosen career path and goals. Residents identify and work towards meeting their own learning needs with a variety of experiences including ambulatory and in-patient blocks, At this stage residents will progress to a junior attending supervisory role in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Education and Assessments:

Residents in our program have protected time to attend regular teaching sessions in addition to an Academic Half Day. The Academic Half-Day rotates through a 3-year core curriculum that includes teaching in general and subspecialty pediatrics as well as exploring topics related to other CanMeds roles such as advocacy, leadership and professionalism. Multiple simulation experiences in both acute care as well as communication skills are also a part of the training. Residents participate in individual observed history/physicals twice per year. In addition, formative OSCE examinations are held twice a year, as preparation/practice for the Royal College certifying examination in pediatrics; these are part of national OSCE collaboration between all other pediatric programs. Residents in the first three years of training will write the annual American Board of Pediatrics in-training examination every July, as well as biannual MCQ/SAQ Canadian In-Training (CITE) practice exams.

Scholarly Activities:

Scholarly initiatives are a required component of pediatric residency training. Each resident must lead or demonstrate significant contribution to a scholarly project during their training. Their project can be related to any aspect (research, education, clinical care, advocacy, quality improvement) of Pediatrics. Our program offers excellent support guidance and instruction through expert faculty mentors and the resident Scholarly Activity Guidance and Evaluative (SAGE) Committee. Our residents present their scholarly projects at our program’s annual Resident Research Day, and many residents also disseminate their scholarly work at national and international meetings or through peer reviewed publications. Residents who wish to further develop their research and scholarly activity portfolio as a major component of their future career are well supported and mentored by several CHEO-based child-health researchers with nationally and internationally recognized research programs.

 

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Training Sites

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is a tertiary care children's hospital that provides the only pediatric inpatient services in the Ottawa-Carleton region and serves a referral population of over 1,500,000.

The University of Ottawa residency training program in pediatrics, based at CHEO, has excellent patient volume and diversity in both the inpatient and outpatient units. The program exposes residents to primary, secondary and tertiary level models for provision of care to children. There are numerous subspecialty rotations available, many of which also offer Royal College accredited subspecialty training.

The program attracts the top students from across the country who are interested in a career in consulting or subspecialty pediatrics. Residents are chosen based on their academic potential and interest in pediatrics, problem-solving capability, communication and interpersonal skills. The size of the pediatric residency program and the number of faculty and fellows ensure that all residents have superb opportunities for hands-on clinical work, developing teaching skills, and actively participating in research and/or child health advocacy.

Our medium-sized hospital provides a work environment that is friendly and supportive.  The focus is on patient- and family-centred care and the multidisciplinary team highly values its resident members. The Postgraduate Medical Education Committee carefully evaluates and incorporates feedback from the residents through the Annual Resident Retreat and resident representation on the PGME Committee.

Whilst valuing clinical experiences above all as the best means of learning pediatrics, the program provides time for a structured academic curriculum, using a format of seminars, lectures, interactive discussions and journal clubs. The curriculum for this is planned by the PGME Education Subcommittee, which includes resident representation. Protected time includes weekly Grand Rounds, Residents' Academic Half-day and monthly Morbidity and Mortality rounds which provide excellent learning experiences for the residents. The Postgraduate Medical Education Committee carefully evaluates and incorporates feedback from the residents through the annual resident retreat and resident representation on the PGME committee.  The teaching faculty enjoy sharing clinical experiences, expertise, education and feedback with the residents.

The Departments of Pediatrics at the University of Ottawa and Queen's University have enjoyed a liaison between pediatric programs. We also have a very close association with residents in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) Pediatrics Program.  The NOSM residents spend several months per year at CHEO and University of Ottawa residents have the opportunity to experience community consulting pediatrics during a mandatory rotation in North Bay, or elective experiences in Sudbury or Thunder Bay. 

In their senior years, University of Ottawa residents spend a mandatory 6 weeks in remote pediatrics providing pediatric care in Canada's North.  This third/fourth year rotation provides excellent experiences in triage, stabilization and cross-cultural medicine. The residents highly value and evaluate this rotation, from both the clinical experience perspective, but also for the opportunities it provides to experience more remote Canadian geography and culture.

 

 

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Additional Information

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada: 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 milestones based on required competencies. These milestones 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 all specialty and subspecialty programs in Canada have adopted CBD in gradual phases. All disciplines have been divided into seven cohort groups, each of which will adopt CBD at different times. Pediatric programs across Canada have transitioned to the CBD model in July of 2021.
All programs implementing CBD will continue to undergo the same rigorous accreditation processes as traditional programs. Residents in CBD programs will be assessed against program milestones throughout their training. Within a CBD program, all milestones (documented within an electronic portfolio) and the Royal College examination must be successfully completed to achieve certification.
For more information, please contact cbd@royalcollege.ca.

Unique Opportunities :
The rural/remote pediatric rotations in our program offer many unique experiences not available in other center. Our program also offers a longitudinal Advocacy Curriculum which includes an Advanced Pediatric Global Child Health course, co-hosted with McGill. Following participation in this course many of our residents go on to participate in international and global health electives.