Program Contacts

---

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 upon entry into any of the University of Ottawa's training programs. 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.

CBD (Competence by Design)

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.

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 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.

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.

---

General Instructions

Program application language: English

Program application language: English

 

 

---

Supporting Documentation

---

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

---

Interviews

Dates:

• March 7, 2022

Selection Criteria

Applicants are assessed in a two-step process:

1. File Review

All applicants will be independently scored by the selection committee and a composite score based on the individual scores will be produced. The top 16 - 20 applicants will be invited for an interview. The file review will comprise 50% of the final candidate mark. Scoring will be based on academic achievement, scholarly activity (research and education), extracurricular activities and reference letters.

 

2. Interview

Virtual interview format will be used with all candidates cycled through stations of 2-3 interviewers. Each interview station will follow a general theme. Each interviewer will score each candidate and a composite score will be developed based on these scores. The total interview score will comprise 50% of the candidate mark.

 

-an acceptable academic record

-a clear interest in Otolaryngology

-publication and research in any field as an indication of academic motivation

-reference letters from academic physicians with whom candidates had significant clinical/research experience

- we encourage reference letters from one of the core rotation, e.g. pediatrics, medicine or general surgery 

 

Program goals

The five-year residency program in Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Ottawa provides the residents with a superb educational experience in the Nation’s Capital.  The Department provides a supportive and collaborative environment for residents to learn all aspects of this surgical discipline.  All aspects of OTL-HNS are well represented in the program from both a curricular and practical experience.  Innovative teaching techniques are used to ensure residents gain early competence in all important areas of practice.  A hallmark of the program is early surgical exposure at junior years allowing residents to quickly gain surgical skills which are the foundation of the practise of OTL-HNS.

The program offers residents this educational experience in a multidisciplinary environment with significant exposure to all CanMEDS roles.  Research is a core element of the experience offering all residents the ability to publish multiple high level papers through their residency.

Selection process goals

Ability to interact appropriately with patients and colleagues in a collegial environment

Interest in Otolaryngology and develop into skilled surgeons and clinicans

Demonstrates abilites in all areas of the CanMEDS roles

Demonstrates ability and enthusiasm to learn and able to adapt to the various demands on an Otolaryngologist

Demonstrates the interest and ability for various research opportunities

File review process

Evaluation criteria :

Elective criteria

Interview process

Interview evaluation criteria :

Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

We do not consider any information gathered outside of the CaRMS application and local interview processes.

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   

---

Program Highlights

-residency in a dynamic environment with faculty engaged in medical education

-very busy clinical service at all sites of training with high surgical volumes

-all aspects of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery are represented including cochlear implantation, complex pediatric and adult airway management, an oncology robotics program, a busy base of skull program

-protected academic half days with a strong curriculum

-protected research time

-senior residents off call by the end of April in 4th year  until the exam in the fall of 5th year ( average 1 in 7 calls for PGY 2-4 years) -program fully complies with PARO guidelines for home call

---

Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 5 years.

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

The University of Ottawa training program in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery is a five-year residency program.  The program is fully accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and has been in existence for over 25 years.

This Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery program at the University of Ottawa consists of 1 year of Surgical Foundations training followed by 4 years of specialty training at the University of Ottawa teaching hospitals.

The program’s first year consists of introductory rotations in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.  During this initial rotation, residents rotate at all of our Department’s sites.  This allows residents to become familiar with all team members and faculty. 10 blocks follow this in surgical and nonsurgical disciplines related to our specialty and another 3 in ENT.  These rotations comply with the guidelines of the subspecialty committee in Otolaryngology-Head &Neck Surgery at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.  These specialties include ICU, General Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Anesthesiology, Thoracics, Emergency, and recently added Palliative Care.

 

The 2nd year starts with a senior rotation in the ICU.  This rotation allows the residents to develop certain independence in managing sick patients as they must act as the senior call resident for their unit.  Following this rotation, the residents begin earnest their full-time training within the specialty of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.  This initial year includes rotations at all major teaching hospitals in the role of the junior resident.  The goal of the year is to allow each resident to develop their basic knowledge and skills relating to the specialty.

 

The 3rd year is marked by the beginning of subspecialty rotations.  During this year, the residents also participate in a community rotation in the location of their choosing.  This allows them to see the full potential of community practice in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery in Canada.  The residents also participate in their first elective rotation.

 

In the 4th year, the residents rotate in all subspecialties with the University of Ottawa system.  They are gaining a significant amount of surgical independence through the process.  During this year, the residents also have two more elective rotations within the specialty.  The 4th year is also marked as the year residents take on the responsibilities of Chief residents. At the end of the fourth year of training, residents are removed from the night time call schedule to allow them to have increased study time and will resume call duties after their exam. 

 

In the final year of residency training, the residents have three months of training in Head & Neck Oncology, Rhinology and Otology-Neurotology and one month in Facial Plastic surgery and pediatric otolaryngology.  

 

Residents will be training in two major academic health science centers affiliated with the University of Ottawa.  The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada's biggest academic health science centers, and all adult patients are seen at one of two main campuses: the General campus and the Civic campus.  The residents also go to the Riverside campus, in which daycare procedures are performed.  The pediatric teaching center is the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). All aspects of pediatric care in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery are performed at this site. During their residency, residents will spend most of their time in one of the Ottawa Hospital campuses and 8 months at CHEO.

 

The residency program's academic program consists of a three-year subspecialty curriculum that covers all aspects of training in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.  The academic half-day is on Friday mornings, and the sessions are completely faculty-driven.  Block examinations also highlight the program to help residents assess their progress in knowledge acquisition and multiple sessions on non-medical expert topics of importance to residents in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

 

Research is also a significant portion of the residency program.  A three-month research block is offered to all residents to enable them to participate and complete projects.  This time can be taken in either the third year or fourth years and can be broken up.   All projects are completed with guidance from a departmental faculty member.  Stipends are given to all residents for presentations of projects at meetings.

 

Residents in the program also participate in various outreach programs.  The Baffin Island program is a Departmental initiative in which services are offered to the residents of Nunavut.  Four annual trips to Iqaluit are planned. A resident and one faculty member travel to Iqaluit for one week to treat patients suffering from issues relating to the specialty.  The program also participates in the CanHear Uganda initiative. A yearly trip of specialists to Kampala, Uganda, treats patients and teaches residents and faculty surgical skills.  Finally, the department conducts an annual head and neck cancer screening day at Ottawa homeless shelters.  Otolaryngology residents and staff travel to the shelters to perform screening head and neck physical exams for this high-risk population with low healthcare access.

---

Training Sites

Resources

The training is carried out in four teaching hospitals:

-Ottawa Hospital - Civic Campus

-Ottawa Hospital - General Campus

-Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario

-Ottawa Hospital - Riverside Campus - Out-patient Facility- attending OR's from both the General and Civic Sites