Program Contacts

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Important Information

First iteration

To participate in the first iteration of the R-1 match, you must be a medical student or graduate who has obtained, or is in the process of obtaining, a medical degree by July 1 of the match year from an institution that meets the criteria, as indicated on the CaRMS website:  https://www.carms.ca/match/r-1-main-residency-match/eligibility-criteria/

 

CASPer Test

All applicants must complete a CASPer™ (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics) test. More information is available under Supporting Documentation (CASPer Exam).

 

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

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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

Both resident and faculty members are involved in our file review process.  All complete files will be reviewed by members of our selection team, and selected candidates will be invited for interviews.   Please note a complete file MUST include an updated Curriculum Vitae.  Unfortunately we are not able to offer interviews to all applicants, and those who we are unable to interview, or assigned to a wait-list, will also be notified.  Once notified, requests for reconsideration of status will not be accepted.  

Files will be reviewed from January 10, 2023 and an e-mail notification of results will be sent to candidates by January 27, 2023.  We will also update the candidates' interview status online.

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Interviews

Dates:

• February 8, 2023
• February 9, 2023
• February 10, 2023

Selection Criteria

All applicant files submitted before the deadline will be reviewed by the selection committee. Each file is evaluated on a number of merits, including, but not limited to, academic potential, interest in scholarly activities, commitment to and/or leadership in extracurricular activities, strength of reference letters, and the candidate's personal statement. Our program values a broad range of electives, both within and outside of Pediatrics.  The program may contact any elective supervisor listed on your CaRMS application. After review of documents, selected applicants will be offered a virtual interview.

Not all applicants meeting the minimal requirements will be offered an interview. The final ranking process is determined primarily by a combination of file review and interview scores.  CASPer scores are reviewed based on absolute cut-off score for interviews and may be reconsidered for candidates with tied final ranking scores.

Program goals

Schulich Postgraduate Training in Paediatrics focuses on training excellent, well-rounded general paediatricians. Though we value and support applicants with ultimate career goals in subspecialties, our primary promise is to have each individual trainee reach their full potential as a general paediatrician first, across all area of the CanMEDS spectrum. We believe this allows our residents to excel in all their diverse future child health goals – be they community or academic practices with general or subspecialty scopes that span a range of local or global geographies.

Selection process goals

During the CaRMS selection process, the program uses multiple selection criteria to attempt to best identify candidates who will excel in a program which stresses the global and holistic development of the general pediatrician. To best embody this, program has defined that learners need to have demonstrated personal ownership of their education, which will be measured in academic potential, leadership contributions to medicine and/or community, and scholarship activity. Equal weight is given to multiple areas of academic and community contribution, with evidence of scholarship being awarded but not to a greater weight then other measure of personal and professional accomplishment.  The selection committee considers diverse life experience, and exceptional circumstances well addressed in personal letters will be considered in overall scoring.  We have few prescriptive notions of what specific set of experiences are required for application to our program. Representation and diversity in the paediatric community are extremely important to us, and we encourage all students who are passionate about child health to apply.

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

Our paediatric postgraduate training program at Western is a medium sized program that recognizes that each individual learner is a unique and essential team member. We aim to guide learners to find their best professional selves, acknowledging that every individual brings a unique and diverse compliment of experience, interests and skills to the program. Our faculty are engaged with the general paediatric training program, and take our responsibility to provide a stimulating, safe, and equitable learning environment extremely seriously.

Some of the important details are listed below:

ROTATIONS 

Rotation schedules are created by program leadership and administration by March of each year.  Matched PGY1 residents will be sent scheduling options and asked to rank preferences for the PGY1 year when available. We have 13 four-week rotation blocks per academic year. This provides more rotations than needed to schedule all of the Royal College rotation requirements for training in Pediatrics and the flexibility for accommodating individual resident interests through rotation planning.

There is an extensive elective opportunity in the program. Residents may undertake provincial, interprovincial and international electives. International experiences require early planning and appropriate training prior to departure and are subject to COVID-19 restrictions.  All electives must be supported by Royal College Objectives with appropriate supervision and assessment.

We have Senior Call blocks for PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents which provides better continuity of care and on-call learning experience compared to traditional intermittent night call. As a result, our senior residents have minimal post call days during rotations. In preparation for transition to practice, our PGY-4 residents run a biweekly General Pediatrics Continuity Clinic; they are assigned to the same supervisor/practice during the year and are the first point of care for their own patient. PGY-4 residents are also Junior Consultants on CTU, where they provide JC home call, carry a small number of personal patients, and receive outside calls from the community for inpatient paediatrics.

CURRICULUM

Traditionally we have a comprehensive 3-year teaching rounds curriculum for PGY-1 to PGY-3 residents that is based on the Royal College CanMEDS objectives for training in Pediatrics. Residents have protected time to attend noon hour teaching rounds twice weekly, and a weekly 3-hour academic halfday. In July and August of each year, our curriculum includes a daily noon hour orientation seminar series for PGY-1 residents and a separate review curriculum for PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents.  This PGY-1 "Summer Series" is considered essential by the program for new residents.  It allows for consolidation of entry level paediatric knowledge, as well as allows designated time for our new groups of trainees to get to know each other as a cohesive group.  Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Neonatal Resuscitation Program training is scheduled in the summer for all incoming residents and recertification for PGY-3 residents. Costs of the courses are provided by the program. The curriculum is reviewed and modified during biannual quality improvement cycles based on learner and faculty needs and feedback, as well as the unique opportunities that the Competence Based Medical Education framework requires.

PGY-4 residents have a separate Transition to Practice Curriculum that is developed with input from our PGY-4 residents, and in collaboration with our PGY-4 Faculty Lead(s). This Transition to Practice Curriculum focuses both on practice readiness, clinical skill refinement, and elements of Royal College certification OSCE exam preparedness. This curriculum is protected time for PGY-4 trainees and is independent of the PGY1-3 curriculum.

Teaching sites in the program outside of London are linked by videoconferencing and online web-conferencing to enable residents to participate in the Academic Teaching Rounds and Academic Half Days.  Multiple aspects of the curriculum have been regularly transitioned to online platforms during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and may continue in this method dependent on local and provincial guidelines.

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Patient care responsibilities are structured for each PG year to ensure a graduated increase in responsibilities. For example, PGY-1 residents are buddied with a PGY-2/3 for call. Starting in the PGY-2 year, residents are then responsible for supervising junior residents and clerks when on- call for CTU.  In July 2021, we have transitioned to Competence By Design (CBD) model, and promotion between stages is being used for CBD trainees to further guide graduated responsibility.

Scheduling of on-call, post-call, vacation etc.  is done in accordance with PARO guidelines (http://www.myparo.ca/).

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

The ratio of residents to faculty is 1 resident to 2.5 faculty, with active recruitment for a number of new faculty positions over the coming few years. We have very few Pediatric subspecialty residents and fellows which gives our residents the opportunity to have primary responsibility for patient assessments and management and to work directly with faculty.

We have a number of strategies to provide support for residents to achieve their personal best. All incoming residents are assigned a senior resident and faculty mentor to assist with the transition from medical school to residency. In addition, we have a number of faculty dedicated to supporting residents through both our active career mentorship and coaching programs.  Our research subcommittee aids the resident group in finding faculty mentors for resident research projects, as well as tracking and supporting trainees with both short and long-term research goals. In addition, our longitudinal social paediatrics curriculum includes connection with mentors to support a successful resident advocacy project.

The Program Director and Associate Program Director have an open-door policy to provide support to each resident. Program Leadership is formally scheduled to meet with each resident twice a year to review progress and set goals, in addition to twice-annual meetings with each PGY group, respectively, and the entire resident group.

We have extensive resident participation in our Residency Program Committee (RPC) and Subcommittees (Curriculum, Competence, Research, Professionalism, and Wellness). A resident representative from each PGY group is a member of our Residency Program Committee and residents are represented on three RPC subcommittees (Curriculum, Research, Professionalism). We also have 2 elected Chief Residents, who are members of the RPC. We encourage residents and faculty to provide ongoing feedback and ideas to further enhance our program. One of the important mandates of the RPC is Continued Quality Improvement of the training program itself, and recent graduates are now surveyed anonymously on an annual basis.

Resident wellness is taken seriously by the training program. Our active Resident Wellness Committee has both faculty and resident leaders. It is involved in the planning social events for residents and at time faculty and residents together, including "TGIFs" and out resident biannual retreats.  However, it is also shifts the focus to wellness on a more regular basis in the working environment, including a growing wellness library, call room “hotel kits”, regularly scheduled debriefing rounds, and community involvement/advocacy. The Program is also well supported by Schulich's Learner Equity Office (LEO) for both individualized resident and group learning activities.

RESOURCES

We have two general paediatrics Clinical Teaching Units (CTU) staffed by both academic general paediatricians and community paediatricians. The resident group consistently speaks to the value of the community perspective in the CTU environment to their learning. Each CTU team is comprised of one senior and one junior resident and three clerks.

The program also includes Community Paediatric rotations in smaller communities in the Southwest region of Ontario (i.e. London, St. Thomas and Stratford), some within commuting distance from London. Residents receive full funding for travel and accommodation for these Community Paediatric rotations in St. Thomas, Stratford and other Distributed Medical Education (DME) network/sites.

We have a teaching faculty of just over 100 clinicians, including general Pediatricians, Pediatric subspecialists and Pediatric general and specialist surgeons. All Pediatric subspecialties are available in our program for resident rotations.

We have an onsite simulation center, the Michael Gunning Simulation Centre, that is dedicated to paediatrics and maternal and child health. our residents participate in many courses and learning activities that use this space, which include but are not limited to our mandatory simulation curriculum. The program incorporates simulation in multiple areas of the training program, and is increasingly becoming a vital tool for both curriculum delivery and assessment.  We are fortunate to have a number of faculty with formal expertise and commitment to Simulation in Education.

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Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 4 years.

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

Curriculum

The core curriculum meets the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada standards for accreditation in paediatrics.  In July 2021, the Competence By Design (CBD) curriculum has been officially launched.  The 4 stages of CBD are mapped over 4 years, after which residents can choose to apply to a subspecialty.  

The Paediatric training program at Western is designed for trainees interested in pursuing careers in either community consulting paediatrics or a paediatric subspecialty. To facilitate the transition to residency, our program matches a senior resident and a faculty mentor to each incoming PGY-1 resident. In addition, we have a group of trained faculty coaches, with whom each of our PGY1 is paired with.  A comprehensive orientation seminar series is held during the first eight weeks of the PGY-1 year.

Residents are provided with ample opportunity for hands-on clinical experience and supervised decision-making. Objective assessment of performance is an integral part of our program which includes mapped Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAS) and final evaluations for each rotation, regular observed history and physical exams, and yearly OSCE examinations.  EPAs have already been active assessment tool for 2-years within our training program. 

Our training sites include hospitals, ambulatory Pediatric offices, community health care facilities in London and smaller regional centers in Southwestern Ontario. Under the Distributed Medical Education (DME) network program, rotations in various subspecialties are available in the region. The community paediatric rotations during the PGY-1 and PGY-3 year are spent working in community paediatricians' practices in the region under the DME program, whereby accommodation and travel funds are made available by DME.  For details, please refer to their website: Distributed Medical Education.  

PGY-1 Rotation (as of 2022-2023)

3 blocks - Clinical Teaching Units (CTU) - Children's Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Paediatrics in Distributed Medical Education (DME) sites 

1 block - Community Paediatric - Distributed Medical Education (DME) sites 

2 blocks - Neonatal Intensive Care - Children's Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Paediatric Emergency Medicine - Children's Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Paediatric Surgery - Children's Hospital, London, ON

4 blocks - Paediatric subspecialty rotations (Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Genetics, and Respirology) - Children's Hospital, London, ON

PGY-2 Rotation  (as of 2022-2023)

1 block - Paediatrics in Distributed Medical Education (DME) site

1 block - Level 2 - Neonatal Intensive Care - Children's Hospital, London, ON

2 blocks - Paediatric Critical Care - Children's Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Child Psychiatry - London, ON

1 block - Child Protection - Children’s Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Research - London, ON

3 blocks - Paediatric subspecialty rotations, including Haematology/Oncology, Cardiology, and Neurology - Children's Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Paediatric subspecialty elective at Children's Hospital, London, ON

2 blocks - Paediatric subspecialty electives - can be outside of, or within London, ON 

PGY-3 Rotation (as of 2022-2023)

3 blocks - Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) - Children's Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Neonatal Intensive Care - Children's Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Paediatric Critical Care - Children's Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Community Paediatrics - London or DME site

1 block – Developmental Pediatrics – Child and Parent Resource Institute and Thames Valley Children’s Centre, London, ON

1 block - Paediatric Emergency - Children's Hospital, London, ON

1 block - Paediatric subspecialty elective - London, ON

1 block - Paediatric subspecialty elective - can be outside or within London, ON

1 block - Research

2 blocks - Senior Call (split 2wks across the academic year) - Children's Hospital, London, ON

Longitudinal curriculum

There are some objectives which the program also delivers in a longitudinal manner, with specific curriculum developed in social paediatrics, patient safety, and ethics. Many of these include minimum expectations of all residents, with the ability to become more involved with resident interest level.

PGY-4 Rotation  (as of 2022-2023)

The fourth year of training carries some individualization to meet the trainee's educational needs and career objectives, with additional rotations mapped according to the Transition to Practice EPAs. The following are expected components of the current PGY4 year:

Acute care (NICU, ER, PCCU, Anaesthesia, PCCOT/Transport) = 4weeks minimum and could be longitudinal.

Senior calls – minimum of 3 x 2-wk blocks, or as per determined by the PD

CTU-Admission/Junior Consultant – 4-wk block

Continuity Clinic – one halfday clinic per week (with a Community paediatrician) - to be assigned by the program

Community Paediatrics (non-tertiary care) - 4-wk block, could be at LHSC or outside, but with calls.  

Complex Care – minimum of 4 weeks, could be inpatient and/or outpatient.

Mental Health – minimum of 2 weeks, could be longitudinal (does not need to be Psychiatry, objectives as per PD's approval).

Transition to Practice – competency-based, 2-week, and should be longitudinal, and should be general paediatrics.

Teaching block - 2 weeks and is optional

SELOUT blocks - 3 blocks; calls not required/optional (number varies every year, as per PD's discretion)

 

Seminars

During the first 8 weeks of the academic year, a mandatory daily Paediatric Orientation lecture series is scheduled for new PGY1 residents. During this period, residents are also required to complete the Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) courses. In addition, the new residents are also required to complete Canadian London Advanced Paediatric Life Support Simulation Course (CLASSiC), Crucial Conversation Course, and The Healer's Art session.  Additional seminars relevant to the broad CanMEDS roles are hosted by Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry PGME. 

In 2012, the Senior Resident Summer Lecture Series was introduced. These series of lectures take place during the months of July and August  for PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents. The purpose of these lectures is to help facilitate residents' transition to the senior role, thus allowing for the review of important paediatric topics in a more in-depth manner.

The PGY-4 residents also have a separate teaching sessions, which geared towards transition to practice.

The core curriculum teaching sessions for all residents are held from September to June.  Protected teaching time is provided for residents to attend the mandatory noon hour Academic Rounds and a weekly Academic Half Day. Additional teaching rounds are scheduled for each clinical rotation and Journal Clubs maybe held outside hospital.. Residents have protected time to attend at least two off-site resident retreats that are organized each year.

Research

The research component of our program was developed to ensure successful completion of a scholarly project by residents over the three core years of Pediatric residency. A research mentorship program is in place for incoming PGY-1s. Residents have access to facilities, funds and faculty supervisors with expertise in basic, clinical and translational research, medical education and health administration. Research methodology, an annual Research Proposal Day and an annual Pediatric Research Day are incorporated in our core curriculum. It is an expectation that at least one publication or abstract presentation will be completed during residency.

Start Date

Residency Training Program Start Date: All programs at Western commence on July 1, 2023, with a City-Wide Orientation Day at Western University (date TBD). The Paediatrics PGY1 Bootcamp with Meet and Greet (date TBD) usually takes place within the first week of July, at Children's Hospital, in London, Ontario.

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Training Sites

Resources

Children's  Hospital/LHSC (CH)- 58 paediatric beds and a 42 bed tertiary-level Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in a new state of the art facility including a 13 bed paediatric critical care unit and paediatric emergency department with  over 35,000 visits  per year. CH serves as the regional paediatric trauma centre and as the only tertiary paediatric referral centre for a population in excess of 1.5 million.

Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI) - 78 bed hospital for children with psychiatric, behavioral and neurological problems with  a large ambulatory service. 

Child Health Research Institute (CHRI) - research facility offering opportunities in a wide range of research activities located at the CHWO site.

TVCC - The Thames Valley Children's Centre is an outpatient rehabilitation centre offering a wide range of programs and services to children and youth with physical, communication and developmental needs.

DME (Distributed Medical Education) network provides students and residents with opportunities to experience learning, living, and working in Southwestern Ontario. DME is partnered with more than 45 Communities who are involved in DEN training activities. Link:   http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/distributededucation/

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Additional Information

A citywide Orientation Day takes place later either in the last week of June or first week of July - will be scheduled by Postgraduate Medical Education office for all PGY1 residents.

All information contained is subject to change until such time as the rank order lists are filed. Please ensure you review information on a regular basis.