Program Contacts

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Important Information

Institution-wide CBME Implementation within PGME at Queen’s University

Queen’s University received approval to adopt a Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) model in all specialty programs, effective July 1, 2017. 

Residents attending Queen’s since July 2017 have been using 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. The Residency program will be broken down into stages, and each stage has a series of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) based on required competencies. These EPAs 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.

Competence-Based Medical Education at Queen’s University is fully aligned with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons’ national Competence by Design (CBD) initiative to introduce CBME in all faculties and all disciplines.  While Queen's University adopted CBME on an advanced timeline and now has years of experience with it, we have made any necessary adjustments in order to fully align and comply with The Royal College's CBD initiative. 

Further information on CBD can be found on the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada website at: CBD implementation 

Queen's Psychiatry - Ask a Resident Night

As visiting electives were cancelled again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Queen's University Psychiatry Program will be hosting two virtual information sessions (via Zoom) to share our program features with you. The sessions will be hosted by current residents and we will be prepared to answer your questions and showcase our program and city. These sessions are open only to medical students applying to the CaRMS R-1 Match.

Please register in advance for one of the below sessions.

 

Session #1: Monday, November 21, 2022 from 7:00 – 8:30pm (Eastern Time)

Register in advance for session #1 by using the following link: https://queensu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUpd-6tpj8iGtU95I8eHSljkrOI343FxZGC

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Zoom meeting.

 

Session #2: Tuesday, November 29, 2022 from 7:00 – 8:30pm (Eastern Time)

Register in advance for session #2 by using the following link: https://queensu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vcO2rqjMuG9wEx27uBmNcYRZi33pZHLDj

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Zoom meeting.

 

Follow our residency program on Instagram: @queenspsychmd

Electives

We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted candidates’ opportunities to arrange and complete electives and would like to reassure you that a lack of elective activity this year will not negatively impact your application to our program. 

COVID-19 vaccination requirements:

Please refer to the 'Restrictions' section of the Ontario eligibility criteria for messaging regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

EDIIA Institutional Statement:

The goal of resident selection is to identify trainees likely to succeed both in training and, once out in practice, in meeting the health care needs of patients and Canadian society.  We know that having a physician workforce that reflects the demographics of the patients that they serve improves health care outcomes.  There are many populations within Canada under-represented in medicine (UIM) with a paucity of health care practitioners who are Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+, from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and/or with disabilities. Diversity within training programs has also been shown to improve training environments.  Queen’s University PGME is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion within its community for these reasons as well as being part of the solution to address historic and contemporary inequities.

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

Applicants should provide all required information.  Any questions about documentation or the interview process can be directed to Kevin O'Neil at oneilk@providencecare.ca

 

 

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Supporting Documentation / Information

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Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on January 10, 2023

Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  January 10, 2023

Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on January 10, 2023

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Interviews

Dates:

• February 22, 2023
• February 23, 2023

Selection Criteria

Program goals

The Department of Psychiatry at Queen's University is committed to training residents in the clinical skills necessary to become a psychiatrist based on sound theoretical, academic, and research knowledge.  This requires a strong core academic program, excellent clinical rotations, and research electives.  We provide this in the context of an energetic, enthusiastic faculty who are exceptional mentors.  We are fervent supporters of the diverse career aspirations of our trainees and, therefore, endevour to provide flexibility in pursuing personal career goals during the five years at Queen's University.

Selection process goals

The major factors that influence our Program's interview selection and ranking process are as follows:  1. The strength of your academic records (as measured by the Medical Student Performance Record and medical school transcripts).  A good academic record should demonstrate proficiency in psychiatry and related subjects.  The application should confirm the candidate's interest in mental health and psychiatry as well as interest or experience in scientific or clinical research;  2.  Letters of reference;  3.  Your personal letter;  4.  Your graduation year with preference to recent graduates; and 5.  The interview.    During the interview, candidates are expected to demonstrate clear interest in psychiatry, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, maturity, empathy and sensitivity, excellent clinical judgment, and high ethical and professional standards.

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   
Other : Applicant misrepresents self;
Applicant interests and career goals we cannot accommodate

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Program Highlights

About Queen's University

Queen's University has a long-standing tradition of excellence in medical education.

Department of PSYCHIATRY Residency Program

Ideal program size	Individual continuous observation and feedback Intellectually stimulating atmosphere Collegial and friendly faculty personally committed to helping residents realize their full potential as a clinician, educator, and researcher
Strong Department with a clear vision and mission	Excellent core residency program is identified as one of our key priorities.  Residents experience breadth and diversity in their training through the divisions of adult (acute, rehabilitation & community), shared care, child & adolescent, student, geriatric, developmental disabilities, and forensic mental health.
Focus on inter-professional collaboration	Close working relationship with residents in provision of excellence in academic mission and clinical service delivery
Diverse backgrounds	Truly international program allows for variety of  experiences and ideas to be shared
Outstanding people	Residents: high rate of success in RCPSC exams
Faculty	National and international recognition in academic achievements
Focus on Research	Queen’s University is a recognized centre of excellence Strong support for resident involvement Number of highly regarded research programs (autism, stigma, geriatric psychiatry, schizophrenia, mood and sleep disorders)  Clinician Investigator Program available to residents
Comprehensive psychotherapy training	Longitudinal training in all modalities Cultural competence and self awareness training Two annual CBT courses/IPT Course
Full Royal College accreditation	Next review 2026
Kingston	Repeatedly ranked as one of the best Canadian cities to live and work in

 

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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.

PGY 1

This basic clinical year (PGY-1) is designed based on the Royal College Guidelines.

Our goal is to provide residents with introduction to the Department of Psychiatry and the areas of medicine relevant to a career in psychiatry. The rotations are selected to also facilitate success on the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part II requirements.

 

Rotation	Duration
Psychiatry	4 blocks
Research	1 block
Geriatric medicine	1 block
Internal Medicine	1 block
Emergency Medicine	1 block
Pediatrics	1 block
Neurology	1 block
Family medicine	1 block
Rehabilitative Medicine	1 block
Hospital Medicine	1 block

Core Residency Program (PGY 2 & 3)

PGY 2	one year general adult psychiatry, divided between inpatient and outpatient psychiatry (2 blocks of emergency psychiatry is incorporated during OP Psychiatry rotation)
PGY 3	6  blocks Child & Youth Psychiatry 6  blocks Geriatric Psychiatry 1 block developmental disabilities

Senior Residency (PGY 4 & 5)

PGY 4  Mandatory rotations include 3 blocks of Consultation-liaison psychiatry, 2 blocks of shared care psychiatry, 3 blocks of chronic care psychiatry, 2 blocks addictions, 2 blocks personality disorders, and 1 block of emergency psychiatry.

During PGY 5, the resident assumes more leadership in the education and supervision of junior residents, while consolidating and further developing career track interest through electives and selectives, including research.

 

 

Electives/Selectives 

Rotation selection is determined based on the particular interests and career goals of the individual residents. We encourage residents to obtain broad clinical and academic experiences before making final career decisions.

Electives include inpatient and outpatient general adult psychiatry, collaborative mental health care services (shared care), forensic psychiatry, research projects, psychotherapy, geriatric psychiatry, psychoses, mood disorders, consultation-liaison, eating disorders, concurrent disorders, emergency psychiatry and a growing number of other options.

 

Academic Program

Our Academic Curriculum consists of didactic and clinical skills development aimed at training residents to become leading future psychiatrists.  This includes organized core didactic seminars, interviewing skills sessions, small group practices in Phenomenology, Diagnosis and Management and psychotherapy teaching which occur throughout the year.

Residents have protected time Wednesday afternoons, from 1:00 p.m - 4:30 p.m. during their PGY-2 to 5.  Journal Club and Wellness Sessions occur monthly at noon, prior to academic day.

During PGY1, residents attend the summer teaching series.  Sessions include a number of introductory topics: History of Psychiatry, Diagnosis and Classification, Resources, Children & Youth in the ER, Adults in the ER, the Mental Health Act, etc. 

The focus in junior years is on small group teaching encompassing core topics in psychiatry including etiology, phenomenology, descriptive psychopathology, diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders across the life cycle as well as interviewing and case formulation. 

Residents in their senior years PGY 4 and 5 are involved consolidating knowledge at an advanced level to prepare for the Royal College examination and to prepare to work as an independent psychiatrist.  Senior residents  prepare for their Royal College final examinations through practice long case examinations and PDMs (Phenomenology Diagnostic and Management Practice Stations).   

Senior Residents have the opportunity to attend Annual Review Courses in Psychiatry, and are relieved of clinical duties to attend.

Psychotherapy teaching includes theory of psychotherapy practice, research methodology and critical appraisal.  Residents gain proficiency in cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), psychodynamic psychotherapy, interpersonal therapy (IPT), family, group and couple therapy.  Our program follows the Royal College Guideline requirements.

Emergency psychiatry rounds (weekly), Geriatric Rounds (bimonthly),  Journal Club reviews under the supervision of a staff psychiatrist (monthly), and Psychiatry Grand Rounds (weekly), supplement the core academic teaching.  Individual services have formal case based teaching and specialty specific literature reviews (weekly).

Practice STACERs or Diagnostic Interview examinations are integrated into every core rotation. The STACER examinations in the senior years are integrated into the rotations of the Senior Residency. Residents have multiple opportunities to meet the STACER requirement by the early PGY5 year leaving ample time to prepare for the written and oral Royal College Exams.

On-Call 

Staff psychiatrists supervise and support resident interaction with patients in the emergency department. On-call duties are shared among the junior and senior residents (buddy system for all calls) Residents provide coverage on weekends, and from 5:00 pm - 8:30 am on weekdays.  After hours call frequency is approximately 1 in 14.

Research Training Program 

The Department is dedicated to clinical research and provides residents with opportunities to be mentored by Faculty actively involved in research. The residents participate in ongoing research projects and are encouraged and mentored to initiate their own research projects.

The program has two formal streams. Each resident can choose which stream to pursue during their residency, and there is the possibility of switching streams if necessary.

Residents choosing the General Research Stream will be expected to participate in all aspects of research but do not have to do this as part of a single project or present or publish as first author. In PGY4, they will be expected to produce a manuscript or summary of projects to show they have met the research training requirements. With permission, residents in this stream can switch to the Intensive Research Stream during the first 2 years of their residency.

Residents choosing the Intensive Research Stream will be expected to participate in all aspects of research. They will be expected to be first author on a submitted manuscript and present at the departmental research day and a national or international conference. These residents will schedule research electives.

Guidance is available from departmental members for study design methodology and statistical analysis as well as preparing projects for publication in peer reviewed journals. 

The Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) is also available for Queen’s psychiatry residents. The CIP's mandate is to assist in the career development of clinician/investigators by providing a formalized postgraduate educational program that fulfills the existing clinical specialty training requirements of the Royal College, as well as a minimum of two years of structured rigorous research training. Up to one of the research years may also be credited to fulfill the individual's specialty requirements. It is preferred that the two years of research be sequential.

The Postgraduate Program Director is available for ongoing consultation and will meet with each resident regularly.  The Resident body meets with the Program Director monthly as a group to discuss their program and address any concerns that might relate to their training.

Detailed information regarding RCPSC Specialty Training Requirements can be found at: https://www.royalcollege.ca/rcsite/documents/ibd/psychiatry_str_e

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Training Sites

Resources

Kingston Health Sciences Centre - Hotel Dieu Hospital and Kingston General Hospital sites are two acute care facilities that provide training opportunities for psychiatry residents in general adult psychiatry and child and youth psychiatry. Providence Care Hospital is a chronic care inpatient/outpatient training site which focuses on rehabilitation medicine as well as psychiatric rehabilitation, geriatric psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, personality disorders and mood disorders. A wide variety of experiences are available in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, emergency/urgent care psychiatry, and specialty clinics for psychotic, anxiety, mood and eating disorders.

Community psychiatry training placements are available with Family Health Teams, at Queen's Student Health, and Community Mental Health Services in and around Kingston.