University of British Columbia - Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery - Vancouver
2023 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream for CMG
Last approved on November 22, 2022
Summary of changesAccreditation status : Accredited
Provincial Criteria
BC Children's Hospital
K2-185 4480 Oak Street
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6H3V4
Program Contacts
General Instructions
Program application language: English
Supporting Documentation / Information
• Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)
Required documents for ALL applicants
Canadian Citizenship
The province of British Columbia will accept one of the following notarized/certified documents as proof of the citizenship/permanent residency and is required for all types of applicants. Photocopies are accepted but, citizenship documents other than what is listed below are not accepted. Proof of citizenship/permanent residency must be submitted to CaRMS by the File Review deadline. No allowances for late submission.
- Canadian Birth Certificate
- Canadian Passport
- Canadian Citizenship Certificate
- Canadian Citizen Card (both sides)
- Current Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides)
• IELTS
• Occupational English Test (OET) - Medicine
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) - General
CMG / USMG
If you graduated from an English medical school in Canada (including McGill) or the US, you are exempt from providing proof of language proficiency.
Candidates who attended medical school in Quebec or the University of Ottawa where the language of instruction or the primary language of patient care was not English, must fulfill the English Language Proficiency requirements of the College of Physicians of Surgeons of BC as identified below. This requirement is the same for IMGs and is required by the start of the Ranking Period.
IMG
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC requires applicants to be proficient in the English language.
The Registration Committee may determine that an applicant has demonstrated English language proficiency if the following conditions are met:
- The primary language of medical education was English, and
- The primary language of patient care was English.
Applications received by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC on or before June 30, 2023, who have not met the above requirements will require one of: IELTS Academic examination, OET Medicine Examination or CELPIP General Examination for licensing (see criteria below). As such, applicants must submit the proof of English language proficiency to CaRMS by the start of Ranking Period. Photocopies are acceptable.
- IELTS Academic - Minimum score of 7 in each component.
- IELTS scores are valid for a period of 2 years from the date taken.
- OET Medicine Examination - Minimum grade of B in each component.
- OET results are valid for a period of 2 years from the date taken.
- CELPIP General Examination - Minimum score of 9 in each component.
- CELPIP results are valid for a period of two years from the date taken.
Please note that results from these three examinations cannot be mixed. Candidates must meet all of the criteria in either the IELTS, OET or CELPIP examination.
Applicants are advised to review the College of Physicians and Surgeons English Language Proficiency Requirements here: https://www.cpsbc.ca/files/pdf/REG-ELP.pdf
Exactly 3 letters of reference are required. Additional letters will not be considered. It is not required that all references be from Otolaryngologists-Head & Neck Surgeons but at least one is recommended.
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 of intent is required and should not exceed 750 words.
Custom Résumé / CVA CV is required.
Abstract/PublicationsA list of abstracts and publications if any is required.
A maximum of 2 extra documents no longer than 2 pages each 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 24, 2023
Selection Criteria
Successful candidates will have a familiarity and some previous exposure to otolaryngology. Candidates should be familiar with the Royal College Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery documents as they relate to Competency Based Medical Education. These documents can be found on the Royal College website: https://www.royalcollege.ca/rcsite/documents/ibd/otolaryngology-competencies-e
An acceptable academic record will be weighed along with the candidate's personal qualities. An interest and experience in research may be an asset, however is not essential for appointment.
Program goals
The mission of the residency-training program at the University of British Columbia is to produce graduates who have all skills and competencies necessary to function as a consultant in General Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery as well as the ability to transition seamlessly into post-graduate fellowship training, when desired.
It is expected that graduates will acquire and demonstrate competencies in all of the CanMEDS roles as outlined by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. These competencies are organized into domains of Medical Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Manager, Health Care Advocate, Scholar, and Professional (see Appendix 1 and http://www.royalcollege.ca/portal/page/portal/rc/canmeds/framework ).
These overall goals will be accomplished via a series of specifically designed rotations and employing a graded escalation of responsibility commensurate with the trainee’s level of training and ability. Academic Half Day Sessions, Weekly seminars at three of the four main teaching hospitals, Weekly Grand Rounds, Regional, National, and International Otolaryngology Meetings, the Annual Retreat and Specialized Courses will provide additional educational background.
Selection process goals
The program seeks candidates who are likely to be able to achieve the competencies necessary for the practice of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. Successful candidates will have had a strong academic application and be a well-rounded individual. Candidates should be familiar with the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons objectives for training in otolaryngology. An acceptable academic record will be weighed along with the candidate's personal qualities. An interest and experience in research may be an asset, however is not essential for appointment. Clinical rotations within the Division of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery at UBC or some other division/department are recommended, but it is not mandatory.
File review process
Review team composition : Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery staff and residents.
Average number of applications received by our program in the last five years : 0 - 50
Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 26 - 50 %
| File component | Criteria |
|---|---|
| CV | Education, work experience, research experience, community contribution. |
| Electives | Exposure to Otolaryngology, breadth of clinical exposure. |
| Examinations | We do not evaluate this file component. |
| Extra-curricular | Interest and strengths outside of medicine. |
| Leadership skills | Leadership strengths |
| MSPRs | Function as a clinician |
| Personal letters | Life experience and goals, strengths in communication, collaboration and leadership. |
| Reference documents | Function as a clinician or researcher and collaborative strengths |
| Research/Publications | Research exposure and productivity. |
| Transcripts | Academic strengths |
Elective criteria
Historically, the Division of Otolaryngology's policy is to make every effort to allow all students an elective at UBC. We recognize that Covid-19 has not allowed electives for non-UBC students. However, we feel we will have the ability to assess all candidates fairly.
Interview process
Interview format :
We routinely accommodate requests to re-schedule interviews for applicants.
| Interview components | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Collaboration skills | We are evaluating the candidate's strengths in collaboration. |
| Collegiality | We are evaluating the candidate's strengths in collegiality. |
| Communication skills | We are evaluating the candidate's strengths in communication skills. |
| Health advocacy | We are evaluating the candidate's strengths in health advocacy. |
| Interest in the discipline | We are evaluating the candidate's interest in the discipline and their future career interests. |
| Interest in the program | We are evaluating the candidate's interest in the program. |
| Leadership skills | We are evaluating the candidate's leadership strengths. |
| Professionalism | We are evaluating professionalism. |
| Scholarly activities | We are evaluating not just history of scholarship but potential for future scholarship. |
| Other interview component(s) | We are evaluating resilience, motivation, intellectual drive, compassion, self-reflection and humility. We are also assessing suitability for and a general understanding of the requirements of the profession. |
Information gathered outside of CaRMS application
Specifically, we may consider:Ranking process
The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :Program Highlights
Please see the UBC Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Resident Applicant information video. This video is from 2020 and is still very much relevant to the program. We are in the process of developing a website and this will be up and available by January 1, 2023 if not before:
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.
CBME (Competency-Based Medical Education) commenced accross Canada for all Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Programs. Full details regarding CBME are available at the following Royal College website: http://www.royalcollege.ca/rcsite/cbd/competence-by-design-cbd-e
Although CBME is no longer time based it is projected that the majority of residents will complete residency in a 5 year period. The program curriculum as noted below continues to be broken down into the PGY1-2 and PGY 3-5 years although it is recognized that the completion of EPAs (Entrustable Professional Activities) and milestones is not time based.
The Otolaryngology Training Program at the University of British Columbia is a broadly based program encompassing two major adult teaching hospitals, a large community hospital, rural hospital electives, and the sole pediatric specialist hospital for the province. All areas of Otolaryngology are covered at UBC and include paediatric otolaryngology, otology, neuro-otology, rhinology, sinonasal surgery including image-guided surgery, laryngology, head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstruction and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. The goal of the program is to develop skills and knowledge to allow the trainee suitable for a practice of general otolaryngology in the community as well as provide a basis for advancement to further training in subspecialty programs (Fellowship training) or to pursue an academic career.
PGY-1 & 2
Residents will spend approximately 6 or 7 Blocks on General Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and 6 or 7 Blocks on Core Surgery Rotations which include Adult and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, ICU, Trauma, General Surgery, CTU and Surgical Dermatology in each of the first 2 years of the program. These rotations usually are 4 weeks in duration while the OtlHNS rotations can be 8 weeks.
Residents attend a series of Core Surgery seminars, which, in addition to the rotations described above, are intended to prepare residents for the Foundations of Surgery examination. A one month Crash program for all surgical residents also takes place that reviews Surgical Competencies in Resuscitation and Stabilization of Hospital Patients. Please see the following website for more details:
http://gsresidency.surgery.med.ubc.ca/current_residents/crash-course/
PGY-3 to 5
Third through fifth years of Residency are now undertaken in preceptor based blocks of subspecialty areas and includes. paediatric otolaryngology, otology, neuro-otology, rhinology, sinonasal surgery including image-guided surgery, laryngology, head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstruction and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. The block system (13 blocks per year) is utilized at UBC and rotations ideally range from 2 to 4 months involving the various specialties. One month blocks may occur due to scheduling issues and rural rotations are also one month in length. In the final year of residency, rotations are selected depending on what the resident will be doing after graduation. Ie. General otolaryngology or sub-specialty fellowship training.
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada: Applying competency-based practices to residency education
Please see the Royal College website for information related to CBME http://www.royalcollege.ca/rcsite/cbd/competence-by-design-cbd-e
Research
Trainees are expected to become involved in a research project in each year of their training in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. There are opportunities to take up to six months of research time in order to pursue specific research activities. There are opportunities for research in basic science as well as a broad range of clinical research. Multi-year projects of a more substantial nature are encouraged. Residents are encouraged to submit their research to national and international meetings, and are supported to travel to meetings if their research is accepted for presentation.
All residents present annually at the P. J. Doyle Research Day, held in the Spring, and are expected to submit research to the Wally Chung Surgical Research Day at UBC, usually held in the fall.
Seminars and other Academic Activities
A protected academic half-day each week is included throughout the Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery residency program.. The academic half days are structured on a subspecialty basis, and are rotated on a two-year cycle. Grand rounds, individual hospital-based rounds and BC Cancer Agency Head and Neck Oncology rounds are conducted weekly. Thyroid conference is held monthly at the BC Cancer Agency. Journal club is held during the academic year and incorporated into the academic half day program. Clinic days with visiting professors are held 1-2 times yearly. A sinus surgery course is held annually, either at UBC or The University of Manitoba on a rotating basis and is open to R2 or R3 residents. A temporal bone laboratory is available and residents attend bi-weekly temporal bone dissection sessions with supervision by a staff otologist, fellow or both. All senior residents are supported for travel to the American Academy of Otolaryngology annual meeting and the Halifax Review Course.
Training Sites
Resources
- Vancouver General Hospital
- St. Paul's Hospital
- British Columbia's Children's Hospital
- Surrey Memorial Hospital
- Royal Inland Hospital, Kelowna General Hospital (rural experiences, may include other rural hospitals)
Subspecialty based rotations allow focused learning in each of the main areas of Otolaryngology.
Additional Information
Quick Facts
- There are opportunities for both Canadian wide and international electives. Rural Otolaryngology elective experience is also strongly encouraged.
- Travel to indigenous communities takes place with various faculty. Attendance is mandatory for at least a minimum of 1 visit in the senior residency years.
- Elective time / Experience with exposure to Indigenous Health is mandatory.
- The ratio of residents to faculty is approximately 1:2.
- Residents are provided with access to electronic medical resources.