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Western University - Vascular Surgery - London

2023 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream for CMG

Last approved on October 03, 2022

Approximate Quota:

 1 

Accreditation status : Accredited

Provincial Criteria


Dr. John Landau
Vascular Surgery 
London Health Sciences Centre 
800 Commissioners Rd East, Room E2-620J
London, Ontario, N6A 5W9
519-685-8044
Western Vascular Surgery Homepage

Program Contacts

John Landau
Program Director
john.landau@lhsc.on.ca
519-685-8044


General Instructions

Program application language: English

Residency Training Program Start Date: All programs at Western commence July 1, 2023 with a one-day virtual Orientation (Date TBD).


Supporting Documentation / Information

Applicants are advised to only provide the documents requested by the program. No other documents submitted will be reviewed.
Canadian citizenship
CaRMS partners with third-party organizations to verify your citizenship or permanent resident status. If your status is verified by one of these organizations, you will not need to provide citizenship documents in your application. If your citizenship status is not verified, you must provide one of the documents listed below.
Document must be notarized/certified
Required
Submit one of the following documents to verify your Canadian citizenship:
• 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:

  1. Notarized photocopy of Birth Certificate issued by an authority in Canada with any photo ID, or
  2. Notarized photocopy of Canadian Passport, or
  3. Notarized photocopy of Canadian citizenship certificate, Record of Landing; or
  4. Notarized photocopy of Permanent Resident Card/Canadian Citizen Card – copies of both sides of card must be provided and legible.
Reference documents
Required
Number requested: 3

Three letters of reference are required. References must be from consultant level physicians.

Additional documents
Required
Medical School Transcript 

Your medical school transcript can be submitted through one of the methods below:

  1. 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;
  2. Ask your medical school to upload your medical transcript through their CaRMS Undergraduate Portal account; or
  3. International (IMGs) and United States (USMGs) medical graduates can transfer their transcript from their physiciansapply.ca account.

Medical Student Performance Record 

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.

Personal Letter 
Word count
Minimum : None
Maximum : None

A personal letter is required in which candidates outline their reasons for pursuing a career in Vascular Surgery and residency training at Western. It would also be helpful to briefly discuss relevant community/volunteer work, hobbies, and other interests.

Abstract/Publications 

May be included on CV.

Custom Résumé / CV 

Photo 
[Note: Photograph is used as memory aid only]


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 21, 2023
Interviews will be held virtually on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.

Program will notify all applicants through CaRMS Online and will send email invitations directly to applicants selected for an interview.
Selected candidates will be invited for interviews that will take place virtually. In addition, we will be hosting a virtual town hall in January, 2023 (date TBD) to candidates selected for interviews where candidates will be able to ask staff, faculty, and residents questions prior to the interview.


Selection Criteria

Successful candidates will have an outstanding academic record and evidence of proven interest in Vascular Surgery.  Selection is based on a compilation of information from the interview, reference letters, and review of the applicant's CaRMS dossier.

Program goals

The overall mission is to train competent vascular surgeons for a variety of settings whether it be academic, community, military, or international settings as examples. We strive to always put the patients first and provide the utmost care to the many vascular patients of Southwestern Ontario. We are a small program but feel that we can provide the tools needed by the next generation of vascular surgeons training at Western. We provide comprehensive training in both open and endovascular surgical techniques, and our graduates are prepared to practice in either academic or community settings upon completion of their training.

Selection process goals

Successful candidates will have an outstanding academic record and evidence of proven interest in Vascular Surgery.  Selection is based on a compilation of information from the interview, reference letters, and review of the applicant's CaRMS dossier. We are looking for residents that will work hard and always put the patients first. We are also looking for residents that will be academically productive and fit in well with our current cohort of residents.

File review process

Review team composition : All staff and residents are involved in the selection process

Average number of applications received by our program in the last five years : 0 - 50

Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 76 - 100 %

Evaluation criteria :
File component Criteria
CV Yes this is considered important
Electives Due to the pandemic and the restriction placed on electives, we do not use elective choice as a screening measure for an interview. A demonstrated interest in Vascular Surgery is preferred.
Examinations We do not evaluate this file component.
Extra-curricular Yes this is considered important
Leadership skills Yes this is considered important
MSPRs Yes this is considered important
Personal letters Yes this is considered important
Reference documents Yes this is considered important
Research/Publications Yes this is considered important
Transcripts Yes this is considered important

Elective criteria

Due to the pandemic and the restriction placed on electives, we don not use elective choice as a screening measure for an interview. A demonstrated interest in Vascular Surgery is preferred.
We do not require applicants to have done onsite electives.

Interview process

Interview format :



We routinely accommodate requests to re-schedule interviews for applicants.

Interview evaluation criteria :
Interview components Criteria
Collaboration skills Interview questions will assess understanding of the importance of collaboration in Vascular Surgery.
Collegiality Potential to be a team player.
Communication skills Evaluated throughout the interview by observing the candidate answering questions (verbal and non-verbal).
Health advocacy Understanding of the current state of health care and the challenges faced by all stakeholders.
Interest in the discipline Demonstrated awareness of skills and abilities required.
Interest in the program Familiar with Western's Vascular Surgery program.
Leadership skills Provides examples of leadership roles.
Professionalism Exhibits/displays professional attire and attitude during the interview.
Scholarly activities Demonstrated interest shown for academic/scholarly pursuits.

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

The direct entry five year residency training program in Vascular Surgery at Western University accepted its first residents in 2012.  The Division of Vascular Surgery is dedicated to this new paradigm of training and look forward to meeting this year's applicants.

The program at Western University provides exceptional clinical and academic opportunities for residents to develop and prepare for satisfying and successful careers in academic or community vascular surgery.  

Our hybrid operating suite and fusion imaging technology has enhanced our current endovascular capabilities. We remain dedicated to both open surgery and endovascular training, and continue to develop our approach to cutting edge aortic and peripheral endovascular techniques. We believe that our strong commitment to resident education, extremely high clinical volumes, and unlimited research opportunities make Western University an outstanding program to consider for residency training.


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.

The Vascular Surgery residency training program at Western University is five years in duration, and we have adopted the competency-based medical education curriculum in Vascular Surgery after its launch in July of 2021.  The first two years of the program are considered to be "core surgery" and provide residents preliminary exposure to vascular surgery and relevant medical and surgical specialties.  Intermediate and senior level rotations during the final three years of training prepare the residents for their RCPSC examinations and careers in vascular/endovascular surgery.

PGY1 & PGY2

Rotations during the two "core surgery" years include vascular surgery, general surgery, thoracic surgery, cardiac surgery, cardiology, trauma, emergency medicine, intensive care, and interventional vascular radiology.  Elective and research blocks are also available during this time.

The highly acclaimed "Surgical Foundations" course is mandatory for PGY-1 residents and occurs on Wednesdays in PGY-1.  This course includes lectures, ATLS, and animal "wet labs" to introduce various surgical techniques.

PGY3

The intermediate third year is designed to facilitate the transition to senior residency.  The majority of the year is focused on vascular surgery with options for additional rotations in the vascular laboratory, electives, or research.

PGY4 & PGY5

The final two years of training include senior level rotations in vascular surgery, interventional vascular radiology, and an elective or research block.  This time will be spent preparing residents for the RCPSC examinations and the transition to independent practice.

 Research

Research is an exciting and mandatory component of our residency training program and is facilitated by our research assistant.  Numerous opportunities for investigation exist and can be tailored to the interests of each individual resident.

Each resident will complete and present one project per year and present their results at the annual research day.  Financial support is available to encourage residents to submit abstracts to national and international meetings.  Individual projects will be supervised by faculty members to ensure successful completion and appropriate dissemination of the results (i.e. presentation and publication).

Seminars

The Division of Vascular Surgery has a strong and well established commitment to resident education.

All residents will be excused from clinical duties to attend the weekly Vascular Surgery academic half day.  This includes Vascular Surgery/Interventional Radiology case-based rounds and teaching seminars facilitated by a consultant vascular surgeon.

Morbidity & Mortality rounds, Journal Club, and various other educational sessions are interspersed on a monthly basis.

In addition, case-based sessions on "Endovascular Decision Making and Techniques" complements the hands-on learning that occurs in the operating room/angiography suite.

The highly acclaimed "Surgical Foundations" course is mandatory for PGY-1 residents and occurs on Wednesdays.  This course consists of lectures, ATLS, and numerous animal "wet labs" where the residents learn various surgical techniques. 

 


Training Sites

Western University is an internationally recognized Vascular Surgery training program with a strong academic and clinical focus in a large volume tertiary care centre.  The clinical teaching unit is conveniently situated at one hospital. Graduates of our program are currently working in academic and non-academic centres throughout Canada and the United States.

The relatively small number of Faculty allows for close supervision of all residents.  The excellent relationship with our Interventional Radiology colleagues continues to benefit resident education.

Our program performs a large volume of endovascular aortic cases including thoracic, abdominal, and advanced thoracoabdominal procedures. 

We perform a large volume of peripheral interventions providing ample opportunity for resident education by both interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons.

Our state-of-the-art hybrid operating theatre is now in operation and is our main operating suite.

 


Additional Information

The strengths of our program include the small and dedicated group of Faculty and the large clinical volume encompassing all aspects of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery.  Our trainees are extremely well trained and immediately capable of practicing modern day vascular surgery in an academic or community setting upon graduation.

The Program has a strong academic focus with a robust formal teaching program and an internationally renowned research track record.

Graduates of our program are held in high regard internationally and upon graduation are consistently approached and recruited for various academic and community positions.


FAQ

Please contact the program director Dr. John Landau with any further questions (john.landau@lhsc.on.ca).

We would be pleased to provide additional information that may be helpful when considering the Vascular Surgery training program at Western University.