Program Contacts

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Important Information

Competency Based Education

As of July 2021, residents entering a Vascular Surgery will participate in competency-based training through the Competence by Design (CBD) educational initiative of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

Program application language: English

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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

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Interviews

Dates:

• March 2, 2022

Selection Criteria

The Department of Surgery at the University of Calgary is committed to a fair, equitable, and transparent application process. We maintain the right to choose the applicants we feel are the best people for our residency training program. The following criteria will be used as a baseline to determine who will be considered for an interview.

Program goals

The Vascular Surgery Resident Training Program at the University of Calgary seeks to provide the highest quality care to patients while supporting the educational, research, health, and wellness needs of our residents.  The aim of our program is to provide the best possible environment, technology, facilities, and human resources in order to facilitate comprehensive education and training of residents, along with medical students.  

Selection process goals

When selecting applicants, the interview team looks for a candiate:

• Has a strong academic standing as a medical student
• Reference letters that can attest to the applicant's knowledge
• Good clinical judgement and moral character
• Demonstrated enthusiasm and committment to the specialty of Vascular Surgery
• Well-rounded individuals with interests both within and outside of Medicine
• Good teamwork and leadership ability
• Excellent self-discipline and a good approach to learning
• Stress management skills
• Excellent professionalism

The team also expects a personal letter that clearly outlines why the applicant wishes to pursue a career in Vascular Surgery in Calgary.  Reference letters from surgical specialists will be an important factor.  

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
Other : Performance on local electives if done.

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   
Other : Any situation, either witnessed or reported, wherein an applicant's professionalism and honesty are found to be compromised.

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Program Highlights

The Vascular Surgery service is based at the Peter Lougheed Centre, but provides city wide coverage. We are a large volume center with complex cases. We have a dedicated faculty who are keen on teaching residents and medical students. There are opportunities for research in clinical outcomes and education for those interested in pursuing it. Some trainees may also be interested in the surgeon scientist program.  

The Vascular Surgery Service is closely linked to Interventional Radiology Services and our groups work together routinely and have joint rounds to add different perspectives. Our group also works closely with our cardiac surgery colleagues to address complex aortic cases including arch and thoracoabdominal procedures.

We have two hybrid OR suites that were built specifically for vascular surgery, a vascular surgery step down unit and a dedicated vascular ward.  Our group has a dedicated research coordinator, vascular nurse practitioner, and an internal medicine team focused on vascular surgery patients.  We work closely with podiatrist in the limb preservation clinic which is a dedicated in hospital vascular/podiatry and vascular risk reduction clinic.

 

To see more about our program, please check out our website at uofcvascular.ca

 

Instagram https://instagram.com/uofcvascular?utm_medium=copy_link

 

A Program Information Session will be held on January 12 from 5:00 - 6:00 PM MST on Zoom.

Zoom link:   https://albertahealthservices.zoom.us/j/97239637050?pwd=Y3JiOEIvcjJoSU11dWZFczZMRGRTdz09

Meeting Code: 972 3963 7050

Passcode: 574243

Dial by location:

1-587-328-1099

Toll Free: 1-855-703-8985

Find by local number: https://albertahealthservices.ca.zoom.us/u/adFmMoxnf

 

 

 

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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.

 Vascular Surgery Program Curriculum

In the first year, the R1 attends the University of Toronto Boot Camp for one week and also attends the Surgical Foundations Boot Camp for one week.  Starting in July 2021, CBD will be launched in Vascular Surgery.  Surgical Foundations takes place in the first two years.  A curriculum for all surgical residents at University of Calgary during the PGY 1 and PGY 2 Surgical Foundations years includes weekly seminars, technical skills laboratory sessions, online case-based learning modules, Principles of Surgery Examination Review Lectures, and a series of formative assessments. 

The final three years of training are comprised of senior level rotations as well as enrichment rotations and elective opportunities.

Throughout the 5 years the residents will be exposed to the following: Vascular Surgery, Surgical Foundations, Internal Medicine, General Surgery Access, General Surgery Trauma, Cardiac Care, Emergency Medicine, Angiography, Ultrasound & Vascular Lab, Research, Transplant Surgery, ICU, Podiatry, PMR, and Cardiac Surgery.

Education Sessions

All surgical residents have protected academic time on Thursday afternoons from 12- 6 PM.  Vascular Academic half day teaching rounds are from 3:30 - 5:30 PM weekly.  Once a month CanMEDS has a mandatory teaching session Thursdays from 12:30 - 2:30 PM.  Journal rounds are held about 4 or 5 times a year.

Vascular Rounds

For the entire five years of the program, in addition to the weekly vascular rounds (which address basic and vascular topics), there are also weekly interventional radiology rounds. QI Rounds are held monthly and Aortopathy Rounds are held every other month.  During daily rounds and weekly vascular rounds, the resident is responsible to demonstrate adequate teaching skills with junior house staff and associated staff (nursing). 

Research

Research is highly encouraged for residents to pursue scholarly work while in the program.  We also have a dedicated research analyst. 

Electives

Elective opportunities and opportunities for rotations at other hospitals across Canada are possible.

Evaluations

Starting July 2021, all Vascular Surgery CBD Residents will be required to do the EPA evaluations on Mainport.  There will also be In-training evaluation reports (ITERS on One45) that reflect the rotation specific goals and objectives follow every rotation and are read and signed by the resident. Residents' performance and progress are monitored closely by the program director and the residency program committee with regular feedback to the residents. 

Residents are invited to provide written evaluations of the teaching performance of the individual faculty members, to the extent that is possible, in an anonymous manner.

  

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Training Sites

Vascular Surgery is a quaternary referral service that is the only source of vascular care to patients in southern Alberta, western Saskatchewan and eastern British Columbia, with a catchment population of approximately 2.1 million persons.  

There are five major hospital sites in Calgary that the program covers.  The Peter Lougheed Centre is where the Vascular Surgery Program is based.  The Foothills Medical Centre is attached to the University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine Health Sciences Centre and is a teaching trauma hospital.  The Alberta Children's Hospital is an award winning facility that attends to children from south eastern British Columbia, all of Alberta and western Saskatchewan.  The Rockyview General Hospital is a community teaching hospital that includes general surgery, urology, and ophthalmology.  South Health Campus is Calgary's newest facility and will have many services offered at the site.    

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Additional Information

About Calgary:

Calgary is a dynamic city of over 1 million people located in the Southern Alberta Foothills.

Within the city of Calgary there are numerous cultural and social amenities. These include an excellent system of pathways for walking and cycling.  For those with children there are excellent schools. There is a world class zoological garden with a prehistoric dinosaur park, Heritage Park and Science Centre. The world famous Calgary Stampede is held every July. For sports enthusiasts, Calgary boasts the NHL Western Conference Calgary Flames, CFL Calgary Stampeders, and WHL Calgary Hitmen. The city houses the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Alberta Ballet Company, Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary Opera, Theatre Calgary, and several annual festivals including the Calgary Children's Festival, the Calgary Folk Music Festival and the Calgary Jazz Festival.

Kananaskis Provincial Park, Banff National Park and Lake Louise are within a one to two hour drive of the city. Yoho, Kootenay, Jasper and Waterton Lakes National Park are all within a three hours drive. For outdoor enthusiasts these areas provide unlimited opportunities for sightseeing, hiking, cycling golfing and skiing.

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FAQ

Do you have Extended Residency opportunities?

Calgary Vascular Surgery Program has the accreditation to have a 5 + 2 Program.  Offering an extended residency position is dependent on PGME budget allocations and may not be offered on a regular basis.

Do you have a Fellowship Program?

We currently have a fellow and are determining if a fellowship will be beneficial for our program and our vascular surgery service.