Western University - Ophthalmology - London
2023 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream for CMG
St. Joseph's Health Care
268 Grosvenor Street
London, Ontario, N6A 4V2
Program Contacts
Important Information
- There are two (2) Ophthalmology residency positions available for the 2023 CaRMS Match.
General Instructions
Program application language: English
Supporting Documentation / Information
• Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence in Canada
• Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)
Proof of current citizenship or permanent resident status must be provided by submitting one of the following verifications to CaRMS by File Review Opening Date (January 10, 2023). (Photocopies acceptable). No other forms of verification are acceptable:
- Notarized photocopy of Birth Certificate issued by an authority in Canada with any photo ID, or
- Notarized photocopy of Canadian Passport, or
- Notarized photocopy of Canadian citizenship certificate, Record of Landing; or
- Notarized photocopy of Permanent Resident Card/Canadian Citizen Card – copies of both sides of card must be provided and legible.
Three letters of reference are required. References should describe particular skills or abilities related to the profession as well as attest to interpersonal skills, team abilities and communication strengths. Late references will not be accepted.
Your medical school transcript can be submitted through one of the methods below:
- Obtain your medical transcript from your school and upload it directly to your CaRMS Online account. Follow your school’s policy regarding accessing or requesting your transcript;
- Ask your medical school to upload your medical transcript through their CaRMS Undergraduate Portal account; or
- International (IMGs) and United States (USMGs) medical graduates can transfer their transcript from their physiciansapply.ca account.
For current year Canadian medical graduates (CMGs), there is no action required from you. Your medical school will automatically submit your MSPR to CaRMS on your behalf for you to assign.
If your MSPR is in a language other than the program language of English or French, you are required to have the document translated.
A personal letter is required and must be submitted (not to exceed 500 words). Your autobiographical letter should answer the following questions: - Why you have chosen Ophthalmology as your professional career? - What experiences in your past have led you to choose this specialty? - What personal attributes you possess that fit you for this career? - What characteristics or qualities you possess that could augment our program? - What aspects of our program are important to you?
Custom Résumé / CV Ophthalmological ReportWe require that you obtain an ocular examination with an ophthalmologist or an optometrist that indicates your best corrected visual acuity including corrective prescription documented, your stereo-acuity, your color vision and any other relevant details from a general assessment.
We require your undergraduate transcript be submitted to CaRMS. Documents submitted by the CaRMS suggested deadline will be reviewed. No added information or updates, after that date, will be reviewed.
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
Interviews
Dates:
- February 13, 2023
Applicants are invited to attend an informal Virtual Social Event prior to the interview date. Further details will be provided to all candidates selected to interview.
Selection Criteria
The following criteria are employed in the selection of residents for ophthalmology training:
- An acceptable academic record which demonstrates proficiency in those subjects related to ophthalmology and a potential for the high academic achievement expected by the department standards.
- A demonstrated interest in Ophthalmology.
- References should describe particular skills or abilities related to the profession as well as attest to interpersonal skills, team abilities and communication strengths.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are required for this small residency training program in which there is close personal interchange with colleagues in the program and with supervisors.
- An attitude of compassion, empathy, courtesy and sensitivity is expected of all residents in the program.
- A strong work ethic and ability to work in a collaborative team effort is required.
Program goals
The objective of the Western University Ophthalmology Residency Training Program is to train outstanding clinicians who can provide high level ophthalmology care to patients throughout Canada. This is accomplished by following and maintaining the educational standards that are outlined for ophthalmology training programs by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Our goals are to offer a thorough clinical experience that includes all subspecialty areas of Ophthalmology, with an educational curriculum that is supported by academic faculty that are recognized leaders in Canada and international Ophthalmology communities. We also strive to provide reserach opportunities for our residents. In addition, the program provides mentorship to aid our residents in attaining their career goals after residency.
Selection process goals
The goal of our selective process is to select an applicant who:
- Has a good educational foundation rooted in CanMEDS competencies
- Demonstrates ethical and professional provision of patient-centered care
- Has a proven ability to gain clinical knowledge and skills
- Interacts well with our team and is an eager and willing learner
- Is a well-rounded individual who has insight into their current strengths and limitations
File review process
Review team composition : The review team is composed of the Program Director, 3 resident representatives – a PGY-4 (Chief Resident), PGY-3 and PGY-2; 3 consultants and Chair/Chief of Department.
Average number of applications received by our program in the last five years : 51 - 200
Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 26 - 50 %
| File component | Criteria |
|---|---|
| CV | Evidence of work experience, volunteer experience and work-life experience |
| Electives | We do not consider elective choice as a screening measure for an interview. |
| Examinations | We do not evaluate this file component. |
| Extra-curricular | Engagement in activities outside of medicine (work-life balance) |
| Leadership skills | Evidence of leadership roles, duration and accomplishments |
| MSPRs | Completion of all requirements |
| Personal letters | Evidence of personal, academic, interpersonal concerns. |
| Reference documents | All documents/files submitted will be reviewed by the committee |
| Research/Publications | Evidence of publications and/or involvement in scholarly work |
| Transcripts | Highlighting any areas of strengths or weaknesses in applicants prior studies |
Elective criteria
Interview process
Interview format :
We may accommodate requests to re-schedule interviews for applicants due to weather, technology failure, or unforeseen circumstances.
| Interview components | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Collaboration skills | Demonstrated skill in collaborative activities in the past |
| Collegiality | General ease of communication and interaction |
| Communication skills | Ability to articulate and describe simple and complex concepts |
| Health advocacy | Ability to demonstrate advocacy in health promotion |
| Interest in the discipline | Demonstrates knowledge of Ophthalmology |
| Interest in the program | Awareness of London, Western and Ophthalmology |
| Leadership skills | Discussion of prior leadership roles |
| Professionalism | Consistent history of professional behaviour |
| Scholarly activities | Discussion of areas of exceptional academic achievement |
Information gathered outside of CaRMS application
We do not consider any information gathered outside of the CaRMS application and local interview processes.Ranking process
The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :Program Highlights
Quick Facts
- In the five year duration of training, residents are provided up to 6 months of electives. These are usually taken in the form of community electives, subspecialty exposure or research electives.
- Ratio of residents to faculty is 6 - 8 core residents (PGY-2 to PGY-5) to 20 faculty.
- The ophthalmology program sees approximately 120,000 patient visits per year. We perform approximately 6,500 surgical procedures in operating rooms and approximately 2,200 surgical procedures in procedure rooms within the clinical facilities. Approximately 3,300 laser surgeries are performed clinically in the management of retinal disease and glaucoma. Our diagnostic and orthoptic facilities, which are unique in the region, see approximately 30,000 patients per year and provide testing reports to referring physicians throughout the region.
- There are no mandatory rural rotations.
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
The PGY-1 year provides a broadly based general year with emphasis on those services that interface with ophthalmology. Special emphasis is provided to the acquisition of skills necessary to pass the Phase II examination of the Medical Council of Canada.
Residency Training Program Start Date - All programs at Western commence on July 1, 2023.
PGY-2 to 5
The program provides the four core years of integrated training in ophthalmology required by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The program is structured to provide graded responsibility and appropriate levels of supervision. Emphasis is placed on the acquisition of diagnostic skills in the early phase of the program and on development of surgical abilities in the later part of the program.
Emphasis is placed on vertical (subspecialty) rotations in PGY-3 to 5. Electives are available to allow trainees to gain additional expertise. The trainee and the elective supervisor jointly prepare objectives and a plan for the proposed elective which is submitted to the Program Committee for approval before implementation. Both research and clinical elective proposals will be considered.
Seminars
Dedicated academic time is committed on Fridays for postgraduate education with a combination of lectures, problem solving sessions, surgical wet labs and operating microscope sessions. This time also allows for small group teaching sessions. A Journal Club is held monthly during the academic year. Guest lecturers provide seminars throughout the year and a visitng professor program is in effect. Speakers of international calibre are also invited to the department's clinical day each year. Training will include comprehensive exposure to basic science related to Ophthalmology.
Research
All residents must take part in clinical or basic science research during their training. The exception is during PGY-1 when residents are exempted and optional for PGY2 residents. PGY-2 to PGY-5 residents can choose to participate either in a different small project each year, or in a major project which is ongoing. The residents are strongly encouraged to choose projects that incorporate their interests and their previous educational background. Residents present their ongoing or completed research at the annual Ophthalmology Research Day. The department has a Research Director who chairs the Research Committee, made up of faculty members and resident representatives. All projects are carried out in conjunction with faculty supervision and must be approved by the Research Committee. The Research Director acts as a resource for all aspects of research, with the goal of publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentation at national and international conferences.
Training Sites
Residents carry out the majority of their clinical and surgical training in the core PGY-2 to PGY-5 years at the Ivey Eye Institute located on site at St. Joseph's Health Care in London. Subspecialty rotations in Neuro-Ophthalmology and the Neurological Sciences also take place at University Hospital of the London Health Sciences Centre. Pediatric surgeries (strabismus, cataracts etc) occur at the Children's Hospital (Victoria Hospital). The PGY-1 general year is spent rotating through teaching clinics at the three London teaching hospitals.
Additional Information
For those interested in an academic career, arrangements can be made for supplementary research and/or clinical training to follow the four year program either at Western or at another centre with strength in the desired area for training. In order to assess and document the progress of each trainee, both written and oral examinations are held annually. The written examination is provided by OKAP (Ophthalmic Knowledge Assessment Program) and is taken by most ophthalmology trainees in North America. The performance of each resident is graded against the performance of peers in North America at a similar stage of training and provides a substantial measure of objectivity. Satisfactory performance is expected of all trainees on both written and oral examinations as well as on the performance appraisal that is completed at the conclusion of each rotation. Satisfactory progress is required in order to permit progression from one year to the next within the program.
Competition for matching to the program is keen. All seriously interested candidates are urged to arrange an elective rotation within the department in order to evaluate the program personally and become known to the members of the Selection Committee. However, in years where visiting electives are not permitted, we will NOT be using elective choice as a selection criteria.
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.