Dalhousie University - Nuclear Medicine - Halifax
2022 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream for CMG
QEII Health Sciences Centre
Room 319 North Wing, 1276 South Park Street
Halifax , Nova Scotia, B3H 2Y9
Program Contacts
General Instructions
Program application language: English
Supporting Documentation
• Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence in Canada
• Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)
You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident at the time of application.
Three reference letters are required from established physicians with preference for one being from a non-radiologist/nuclear medicine physician. You are not required to have a reference letter from our department for your application. Our Selection Committee prefers to see reference letters from people who know you well and can vouch for your competence beyond brief encounters on a two-week elective. References from senior residents will not be accepted.
A personal letter (500-550 words) detailing your reasons for application to nuclear medicine, and to Dalhousie in particular.
PhotoOrder from your registrar.
Custom Résumé / CV Medical Student Performance RecordOrder from your Dean's office.
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 4, 2022
There is no examination in the interview. Candidates will have several short interviews with members of the Selection Committee. All applicants to our combined program will also be interviewed by some members of the Radiology Selection Committee. A recent photograph of the candidate as part of the electronic file would be helpful to the committee, especially upon review of the candidate's profile after the interviews.
Selection Criteria
Candidates are selected based upon their academic record, interview, personal letter, references and interest in this field. Interactions with the program in formal and informal settings may be considered in the selection process.
Program goals
Program Goals:
- To attract:
- academically strong candidates who have a strong interest in Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging.
- academically well-rounded candidates interested in pursuing research and teaching.
- candidates who are interested in group and team-learning, and who have the ability to work both independently and collaboratively as needed.
- candidates who have a history of responsibility and accountability to their colleagues.
- diverse candidates who have interests and goals outside of medicine.
- To provide
- a safe and friendly learning environment.
- access to opportunities to complete supervised research.
- access to opportunities to become involved in teaching and administration.
- access to local and national experts to enrich the learning experience.
- access to the appropriate number and types of studies to give a well-rounded experience.
- access to community practices.
- structured guidance for residents who are struggling.
- a well-rounded curriculum that satisfies the requirements of the Royal College.
- a solid foundation for life-long learning.
Selection process goals
The goals of the selection process are:
- To select academically strong candidates who have a strong interest in Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging, as well as research and teaching.
- To identify candidates who are interested in group and team learning. Candidates who have the ability to work both independently and collaboratively as needed.
- To select residents who have a history of responsibility and accountability to their colleagues.
- To attract diverse candidates with interests and goals outside of medicine.
File review process
Review team composition : The review team is composed of the Program Director, three (3) Faculty in Nuclear Medicine and two (2) senior residents, subject to availability. As this is an integrated program, candidates will also be reviewed by the Diagnostic Radiology review team with a similar makeup.
Average number of applications received by our program in the last five years : 0 - 50
Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 76 - 100 %
| File component | Criteria |
|---|---|
| CV | Candidates' academic history and overview of career. |
| Electives | Interest in Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging and experience in other clinical domains. |
| Examinations | We do not evaluate this file component. |
| Extra-curricular | Outside interests and hobbies. Well-rounded candidates. |
| Leadership skills | Activity in leadership and administrative roles. Ability to work independently and collaboratively. |
| MSPRs | Academic record and consistency. |
| Personal letters | Candidates' motivations, personal history, and interest in the specialty. |
| Reference documents | Collegiality skills. Academic, research and practical skills. Recommendations from known colleagues. |
| Research/Publications | Previous research history and quality. |
| Transcripts | Academic record and consistency. |
Elective criteria
Interview process
Interview format :
We do not re-schedule interviews for applicants after we have completed the scheduling process.
| Interview components | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Collaboration skills | Candidates who can work well in a team at various levels. |
| Collegiality | Candidates who show courtesy and collegiality during the interview process. |
| Communication skills | Candidates who are able to communicate and interact well with the interview team. |
| Health advocacy | Aptitude for advocacy work in health care. |
| Interest in the discipline | Discussion of the candidates' motivations and interest in Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging. |
| Interest in the program | The candidates' motivations and interests in Dalhousie and living in Nova Scotia during residency. |
| Leadership skills | Candidates' previous leadership experience and future interests. |
| Professionalism | Discussions around professionalism and professional issues. |
| Scholarly activities | Academic consistency. Past scholarly activities and future interests. |
Information gathered outside of CaRMS application
Specifically, we may consider:Ranking process
The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :Program Highlights
This is a combined program with Diagnostic Radiology and candidates must be satisfactory to both programs.
Quick Facts:
- Electives are available outside of our regular training sites, pending approval from the Residency Program Committee and subject to Royal College requirements.
- Ratio of residents to faculty in Nuclear Medicine is roughly 3:7. In Diagnostic Radiology, it is roughly 3:5.
- Average patient load is not applicable to this specialty.
- AIRP Radiology/Pathology course is made available to all residents (tuition paid by department).
Additional Comments:
Residents are encouraged to attend an annual national/international scientific meeting with stipend from the university department during training.
Dalhousie University Department of Diagnostic Radiology offers a high teaching staff to resident ratio and harmonious working relationship with referring clinical departments.
Departmental Website: https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/department-sites/radiology/programs/residency.html
Program Curriculum
This residency program is for 6 years.
Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.
The Dalhousie Nuclear Medicine program is offered as a 6 year combined Nuclear Medicine/Diagnostic Radiology program. Currently there is one PGY-1 position every two years. The program consists of one basic clinical year, two full years of training in all aspects of Nuclear Medicine and three years of training in Diagnostic Radiology. The program incorporates rotations within Nuclear Medicine at all stages of training under CBD. This 6 year program leads to certification in both specialties. The resident writes the RCPSC exam in Diagnostic Radiology in the fall of the PGY5 year, and the RCPSC exam in Nuclear Medicine in the fall of the PGY6 year.
We anticipate the Diagnostic Radiology program transitioning to Competence by Design (the Competency-Based Medical Education program being used by the RCPSC) with a start date of July 1, 2022. The Nuclear Medicine program has already made that transition. Residents beginning their residency or entering the Nuclear Medicine program on or after this date will follow this program design and evaluation structure for both parts of the integrated program.
PGY-1
The Nuclear Medicine (and Dalhousie Radiology) postgraduate training programs offer their PGY-1 trainees one year of multidisciplinary clinical training within the Dalhousie integrated postgraduate programs. Residents are required to take at least 1 month of clinical cardiology training during their PGY-1 year.
PGY-2 to 6
The program is organized to ensure each resident has exposure to all aspects of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Nuclear Medicine. Training in adult clinical Nuclear Medicine is undertaken at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, Victoria General (VG) and Halifax Infirmary (HI) sites. A large volume of Nuclear Medicine studies are performed, including cardiac imaging, oncology imaging, bone scanning, lung scanning, renal scanning, endocrine imaging (particularly thyroid), infection and inflammation imaging, CNS imaging (particularly brain PET scanning), biliary and other GI imaging, bone densitometry, and non-imaging in-vivo studies. There is a particular emphasis on oncology and endocrine imaging at the VG, and on cardiac imaging at the HI. We have a PET/CT suite located at the VG hospital which performs approximately 72 examinations each week and there is a local cyclotron production facility for FDG production and PET radiopharmaceutical research. Pediatric Nuclear Medicine training takes place at the IWK Health Centre. Numerous radioisotope therapies are performed at our centre, ranging from the commonly performed 131-Iodine therapies for benign and malignant thyroid disease, 223-Radium therapies for bone metastases in castration-resistant prostate cancer, and 177-Lutetium-dotatate therapies for neuroendocrine tumors. In addition to clinical Nuclear Medicine rotations, residents go through dedicated rotations in radiopharmacy and technical aspects of Nuclear Medicine, as well as rotations in cardiac stress-testing. For an overview of the Radiology rotations, please refer to the Dalhousie Diagnostic Radiology section of the CaRMS website.
There is a large volume of resident teaching within the program. Nuclear Medicine rounds are held weekly and consist of a mix of grand rounds, journal clubs, interesting case rounds, and research rounds. There is a dedicated curriculum for nuclear medicine residents while they are on service where key topics in Nuclear Medicine are covered in depth through lectures by faculty. During the PGY2-5 years, residents also participate in the Diagnostic Radiology rounds. In addition to weekly rounds, there are a number of defined courses provided. For Nuclear Medicine, these include a Radiation Safety Orientation, a Nuclear Medicine Physics Course, a Radiopharmacy Course and a Radiation Safety Course. Courses provided through the Diagnostic Radiology aspect of the combined program include a Physics Course for Radiology Residents, a Radiobiology Course and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AIRP) program, an extensive 4 week radiology/pathology correlation course attended by all Dalhousie Radiology and Nuclear Medicine residents in Washington, DC, USA.
The Nuclear Medicine Division at Dalhousie is extensively involved in research. Residents are required to undertake at least one approved scholarly project during their residency.
Residents perform Radiology call in PGY2-5 years and Nuclear Medicine call in the two Nuclear Medicine years. The amount of Radiology call is scaled back during the year in which the resident does both Radiology and Nuclear Medicine call (fall PGY3 to mid PGY4).
Research
Residents are required to carry out at least one original academic project and/or audit, with the guidance of the Research Director and committee. Time will be made available to the resident in carrying out this activity.
Seminars
An extensive basic science and clinical teaching program exists in radiology. Please see the Diagnostic Radiology program description for details. In Nuclear Medicine there are formal teaching sessions with a dedicated curriculum for the Nuclear Medicine residents delivered by faculty. There are weekly academic rounds with topics including journal clubs, JNM rounds, CanMEDS rounds and interesting case rounds. An integrated physics course is offered yearly in conjunction with Radiology.
Training Sites
The following are primary hospitals for PGY 1-5:
- QEII Health Sciences Centre is the base hospital, Halifax, NS
- Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB
- IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS
- Electronic medical resources available include Teaching files, RADPrimer, StatDx
- Residents are encouraged to take part in community rotations
NOTE: There are many learning opportunities through the Maritimes that we try to leverage to deliver the best possible educational experience for our residents. As part of the integrated program with Diagnostic Radiology, you may be expected to complete rotations outside Halifax but within the Maritime provinces.
Additional Information
AIRP radiology-pathology course is made available to all residents (tuition paid by department). Residents are encouraged to attend annual and/ or international scientific meetings with financial support from the university department. Dalhousie University Radiology Department/Nuclear Medicine Division offers a high teaching staff to resident ratio with a high clinical volume. There is an excellent working relationship with radiology, cardiology and related clinical departments.
We anticipate the Diagnostic Radiology program transitioning to Competence by Design (the Competency-Based Medical Education program being used by the RCPSC) with a start date of July 1, 2022. The Nuclear Medicine program has already made that transition. Residents beginning their residency or entering the Nuclear Medicine program on or after this date will follow this program design and evaluation structure for both parts of the integrated program.
FAQ
Find out why our current residents chose the Dalhousie programs: https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/department-sites/radiology/programs/hear.html
Find out why our current residents chose the East Coast as their residency home: https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/department-sites/radiology/programs/east-coast.html