Program Contacts

---

General Instructions

Program application language: English

The main strength of the program is the wealth of clinical and operative experience. The first two years comprise the "core program" years and are divided into four week and eight week rotations. The final three years focus on mastery of general surgical knowledge and skills.

a. International and interprovincial electives are available.

b. The ratio of residents to faculty is 1:1

c. Average patient load is 10 patients per resident.

---

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 1, 2022

Selection Criteria

The ideal candidate is mature, with good clinical and interpersonal skills. Motivation, problem solving, and self assessment skills are also assessed.

Program goals

• To train general surgeons skilled in clinical care of surgical patients.
• To equip them with a strong foundation of basic and complex surgical skills.
• To introduce them to the plethora of surgical sub-specialties such as ICU, transplant, surgical oncology, colorectal, HPB, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgeries.
• To support our trainees on their career choices whether community or urban sub specialty.
• To encourage the development of an enquiring mind and critical appraisal of the literature.

Selection process goals

• To select mature, well-grounded medical students who would like to train in the Maritimes to become a general surgeon.
• We look for self-motivated, responsible applicants who have rudimentary technical skills.
• We identify applicants who have demonstrated the ability to interact with collegues and patients appropriately.
• We identify applicants who have demonstrated the ability and enthusiasm to learn and are able to adapt to the varius demands of general surgery residency training.
• Our program and university value the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in residency education, and achieving a diverse and inclusive group of residents is a goal in our selection process.

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   

---

Program Highlights

General surgery at Dalhousie 

Maritime based residency training General Surgeons for community or subspecialty practice.  

Over the course of 5 years of training, the resident has a great exposure to multi-organ transplant, minimally invasive/endoscopic surgery, surgical oncology, colorectal surgery but also becomes proficient at acute care/community surgery.  

Some residents join the Clinical Investigator Program (CIP) which is fully funded and over a 2 year period to obtain a Masters Degree. 

All staff involved with colonoscopy training have the CSI certification and all resident proficiency at endoscopy is tracked. 

Surgical Skills Center is open 24 hrs a day for resident practice. 6-8 wet labs are held per year with cadaver/simulation involving the entire residency program. 

Community rotations are based in New Brunswick for PGY1-3. Electives and extra opportunities are available in Cape Breton and the rest of the Province. New Brunswick rotations are based in Saint John, Fredericton and Moncton in furnished apartments.  

Nova Scotia is best known for its rich cultural heritage and its beautiful beaches and coves. There is an endless supply of hiking, camping and kayaking adventures for you to enjoy. Halifax is defined by its rich history, boasting many heritage buildings and National Historic sites. There are plenty of festivals, art galleries, fine dining and, pubs to be enjoyed.  

 

---

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 majority of rotations are in Halifax.  In the PGY1 year 2 months are spent in Saint John, NB for general surgery.

In the PGY2 year 2 months are spent in Fredericton, NB for GI/Endoscopy.

In the PGY3 year 3 to 6 months are spent in Moncton, NB for general surgery.

PGY 1

a. General Surgery - 28 weeks (approximately 20 weeks will be spent in Halifax, and 8 weeks in Saint John)

b. Medical Specialties - 8 weeks (Halifax)

c. Emergency Medicine - 4 weeks (Halifax)

d. Surgical Specialties - 8 weeks (Halifax)

 

PGY 2

a. GI Endoscopy - 8 weeks (Fredericton)

b. Vascular - 8 weeks (Halifax)

c. Trauma and Acute Care Surgery - 8 weeks (Halifax)

d. Transplant - 8 weeks (Halifax)

e. Thoracic - 8 weeks (Halifax)

f. Critical Care - 8 weeks (Halifax)

 

PGY 3-4

PGY3 and 4 offer 12 months of General Surgery rotations in Halifax, 3 to 6 months of General Surgery rotations in Moncton, and up to 6 months of "electives" including Research, Community Surgery, Gynecology, Thoracic, etc. See Royal College training guidelines for General Surgery: http://rcpsc.medical.org

 

PGY 5

This is a Senior Residency Chief year in General Surgery in Halifax.

Research

Residents are expected to present at least two abstracts for Research Day during their five year program. The resident may take up to 6 months for laboratory or clinical research (as part of the PGY 3-4 training).

---

Training Sites

Resources

Community surgery experiences are available in Fredericton NB, Moncton NB, Sydney NS, Charlottetown PEI, Dartmouth NS, and other sites.

Electronic resources: http://www.library.dal.ca/kellogg/medicine/medicine.htm, electronic bookshelf through the Provincial Medical Society membership (www.doctorsns.com)

 

NOTE: All residency programs are required to have 10% of their residency training outside of Halifax Regional Municipality as stipulated in the most recent Academic Funding Plan set out by the Department of Health and Wellness. Please be aware that if matched to Halifax, as part of your training you may be expected to complete rotations outside central zone but within the maritime provinces.

---

Additional Information

All incoming PGY1's will participate in a one month Surgical Foundations Boot Camp in July.  Also, the ATLS Course will be offered during Boot Camp.

The ATLS Course is two full days and the subsidized fee is approximately $300.00.    Incoming PGY1's will receive ATLS registration information in late May or early June.

 

Notice of Intent to Withdraw

Please note that General Surgery currently has an accreditation status of "Notice of Intent to Withdraw" received from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. This accreditation status is given when there is major and /or continuing non-compliance with one or more accreditation standards which calls into question the educational environment and/or integrity of the program.

The training program remains fully accredited at the current time and will undergo an external review in 2021. Accreditation status for the program will be withdrawn at the time of the external review if concerns remain. In that instance, the Associate Postgraduate Dean will be responsible in ensuring that enrolled and accepted residents receive training in another accredited program in Canada.

Our program wants to ensure that applicants are aware of the accreditation status of the program so that they can make a fully informed decision.

Our department, program and the postgraduate medical education office are fully committed to addressing the concerns raised at the last Royal College Survey, and work is already underway to address these concerns.

---

FAQ

• Community or academic destination of the grads? This is hard to predict but ½ to ¾ of the graduates go on to Fellowships such as Transplant, MIS, Surgical Oncology, Thoracic, ICU-Trauma or Vascular Surgery.