Program Contacts

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Important Information

Applying competency-based practices to residency education

 

Residents entering Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery program in July 2016 and beyond will experience competency-based training. 

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 Competency 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.

OTL Head and Neck program 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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General Instructions

Program application language: Either English or French

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Supporting Documentation

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Interviews

Dates:

• March 4, 2022

Selection Criteria

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA-jA9CCxtc 

Program goals

• To provide the finest possible educational experience for our trainees.
• To provide "Best Practice" patient care, emphasizing timeliness and safety.
• The care that we provide will be supported by the latest advances and our own original research. 
• We will provide a setting that is supportive and welcoming for patients, staff and trainees.
• We will continue to be dynamic leaders in teaching, mentoring and coaching. 

Selection process goals

We are looking for applicants with a keen interest in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery who have demonstrated clinical excellence, strong ethical and professional standards and exceptional interpersonal skill throughout their medical education. Intellectual curiosity as demonstrated through research endevours and intiative in their own learning, patient care and teaching of others are highly viewed upon. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we are looking for individuals who have demonstrated strong leadership abilities, while collaborating and integrating well within a team in both clinical and non-clnical settings.

Reference letters obtained from clinical preceptors should ideally comment on interest and proficiency in the speciality and include an assessment of clinical and technical skills. Additional comments on interpersonal and interprofessional skills and sense of responsibility are also appreciated. 

IMPORTANT AND MANDATORY FOR OUR SELECTION PROCESS: Effective January 1, 2014, all
candidates applying to our program must provide proof in writing from a certified optometrist, preferably an
ophthalmologist, that he/she has successfully passed a depth perception test.

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

Choosing a program and city to call “home” for the next 5 years is an exciting, yet challenging task. We have collated below a few program highlights. We have built a small community of tight-knit residents and faculty, all of which are easily approachable and would be happy to talk with upcoming applicants should they have any additional questions as they navigate the CaRMS application process.

1. Teaching curriculum and academic excellence

McGill Otolaryngology is a leader in medical education, with multiple simulation courses devised to improve our residents’ comfort level with various surgical procedures. Among others, a temporal bone drilling course is offered to residents every winter, and we host the annual Endoscopic Sinus Surgery masterclass led by Dr. Marc Tewfik. Residents have weekly protected half days on Friday mornings, covering a broad range of otolaryngology topics. Additionally, we hold weekly Grand Rounds, featuring visiting professors, subspecialty panels and journal club discussions on groundbreaking research. Our program follows the CBME (competency based medical education) approach. An additional strength of our program is the rich informal teaching we benefit from throughout our clinical rotations, working alongside dynamic and highly knowledgeable staff who love to teach and are actively involved in our learning.

2. Surgical volume and exposure

McGill Otolaryngology is a well-balanced surgical program, with great exposure across all Otolaryngology subspecialties. We serve a broad patient population with complex and challenging pathologies, allowing ample hands-on experience to train highly skilled surgeons comfortable with a wide range of surgical procedures, ranging from simple “bread-and-butter” procedures to intricate subspecialty otolaryngology surgeries.

3. Research

Our program is highly supportive of residents wishing to lead or be involved in impactful research endeavors. We benefit from both formal and informal mentorship from well-respected academic leaders in our field, 3 months of dedicated research rotations and funding for presentations at national and international conferences. Additionally, a newly founded basic science and research methodology course has been implemented in our junior year to further strengthen our foundational knowledge. Residents are encouraged to present their research projects at our Annual Resident Research Day.

4. Our team

Perhaps the greatest strength of our program is the supportive and welcoming learning environment our team has created. We are a diverse, yet tight-knit community of trainees and faculty, who share a strong culture of mentorship both inside and outside of the hospital. We host frequent departmental events, including an annual outdoor gathering to welcome our junior residents and a weekend retreat in Mont-Tremblant featuring enriching talks on the latest updates in our field, afternoon ski on some of Quebec’s finest slopes, and gourmet banquet dinners.

5. Our city

Our program is located in beautiful and vibrant Montreal, Quebec. The city is home to a diverse art scene, charming alleyways, outdoor markets, independent coffee shops, microbreweries and rooftop terraces. Cost of living is surprisingly affordable compared to other large Canadian cities. What we spare in rent, we get to spend exploring Montreal’s world-renowned food scene, from flavourful food trucks to high-end tables. Our downtown core is centered next to beautiful Mount Royal, an urban oasis of lush greens, tortuous running and biking baths and a mountain-top Belvedere with breathtaking views of our city landscape. Montrealers are a friendly, welcoming and diverse community, with a shared love of food, art and outdoor activities. Indeed, Montreal also caters to the adventurous soul and outdoor enthusiast, being only a short drive away from many of Quebec’s stunningly serene mountains and lakes, for peaceful weekend escapes from the city’s hustle and bustle!

6. Our training sites

We are fortunate to train in brand new, state-of-the-art facilities in and around downtown Montreal. Most of our rotations are completed at the new McGill University Health Centre (merger of the former Royal Victoria Hospital and Montreal Children’s Hospital), and the Jewish General Hospital. We additionally have 3-months of community rotations at peripheral sites, and we are given the opportunity to participate in community outreach in our Northern Territories.

 

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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.

Curriculum Overview

PGY1

Our PGY1 year (Surgical Foundations) consists mainly of rotations in otolaryngology-related fields, including: anesthesiology, critical care medicine, general surgery, plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial surgery and neurosurgery. We also benefit from 3 months of early otolaryngology exposure, allowing us to integrate the resident group and develop a strong knowledge base in commonly encountered otolaryngology topics.

PGY2

Whereas most of our PGY1 is invested familiarizing ourselves with the hospitals and getting the lay of the land, as of PGY2, we are on ENT full-time. Our PGY2 year is perhaps the busiest, but we rapidly acquire practical knowledge allowing us to manage a variety of common otolaryngology problems. We are entrusted with a lot of responsibility, yet have full support from our staff and senior residents who are always only a phone call, text, or door knock away for any questions, concerns or help with procedures. Plus, our call system has a senior second-on-call to add an extra level of support!

PGY3

PGY3 is when we graduate “juniorship”, and now focus mainly on quality operative and learning exposure. While rotating on pediatric otolaryngology, we are the most senior resident on service and get to assume the lead role in the OR across a broad range of specialties (from bread-and-butter septoplasties and middle ear surgeries all the way up to complex airway reconstructions). On the adult side, our year is tailored toward building core surgical skills, gaining exposure to interesting and complex pathologies, and getting involved in teaching junior residents and medical students. The year features a 5-week block in cosmetic facial plastic surgery, a series of valuable in-house and external courses (temporal bone, sinus, and advanced airway surgery), as well as 3 months of dedicated research time, where we are offered the resources and connections needed to carry out impactful and rewarding projects.

PGY4 and PGY5

Our PGY4 and PGY5 years consist of furthering independent learning, improving surgical skills and developing leadership responsibilities. Residents now considered fully-fledged seniors rotate between various subspecialties, focusing further on otology, rhinology and laryngology subspecialty clinics and ORs. We also increase our exposure to community practice, with up to 4 elective rotations during the PGY4 year. These may be chosen at the resident’s area of interest with approval from the Program Director in sites throughout the province or at other Canadian university centers.

As experienced by residents.

 

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Training Sites

 

-McGill University Health Center (RVH-Glen Site)

-Montreal Neurologic Institute

-Jewish General Hospital

-Montreal Children's Hospital (Glen site)

-McGill affiliated laboratories

-community-based rotations (Lakeshore General/Verdun Hospital) and Northern Quebec