Program Contacts

---

Important Information

To obtain a postgraduate training license after the conclusion of the match, Canadian Medical Graduates (CMG's) must have registered and challenged the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Exam Part 1 (MCCQE 1) by July 1, 2024. Those unsuccessful in the exam are subject to the decision of the regulatory authority regarding licensure.

---

General Instructions

Program application language: English

---

Supporting Documentation / Information

---

Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on December 2, 2023

Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  December 2, 2023

Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on December 2, 2023

All components of each application are reviewed by the Selection Committee.  This includes the academic record, research activities, extra-curricular activities, awards, and letters of reference. Candidate applications are scored using a consistent, objective, weighted scoring system.  The highest combined scores will then be short-listed and offered interviews.

---

Interviews

Dates:

• February 2, 2024

Selection Criteria

Our ideal candidate will have a superior academic record.  They will have demonstrated responsibility, conscientiousness, a capacity for hard work, resilience and initiative.  They will have demonstrated an interest in and - as far as can be determined at this level of training - an aptitude for Plastic Surgery.  They will show maturity and have no difficulties with interpersonal relationships.  They will also demonstrate the potential to pursue productive research.

 

Program goals

The Dalhousie University Plastic Surgery training program is committed to leadership, innovation, and excellence in the field of Plastic Surgery. Our goal as a division is to provide the best in patient care with respect and sensitivity, innovation in research, and to prepare future Plastic Surgeons to continue in the promotion of excellence. We achieve these goals through dedication, hard work, continuous acknowledgement of patient needs, and a robust awareness of the most current literature.

We seek to inspire compassionate and creative Plastic Surgeons – collaborators, innovators and leaders who strive for excellence while caring for our Atlantic Canadian community, and spread the Nova Scotian values of grit and kindness to wherever they may be.

Selection process goals

The overall purpose of the CaRMS Selection Committee for Dalhousie Plastic Surgery is to assist the Program Director in selecting the best possible applicants for the residency training program. It works to ensure that applicants are ranked according to objective criteria and that selection is fair, unbiased, transparent and equitable to all applicants. Importantly, it must abide by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Human Rights Legislation. Our program and university value the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in residency education, and achieving a diverse and inclusive group of residents is a goal in our selection process

The successful candidate, through demonstrated performance evident in their application, will espouse the qualities of a true professional with exemplary communication and collaborative skills. They will have a keen scientific mind, with the potential to contribute to the body of literature for the specialty. They will also have the insight, emotional intelligence, and humility to engage in a reflective practice that focuses on continual personal and professional improvement.

File review process

Evaluation criteria :

Elective criteria

Interview process

Interview evaluation criteria :

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 :
Unprofessional or inappropriate behavior   
Did not attend interview   
Interview performance was not competitive   

---

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.

PGY1 is the first of two foundational years of surgical training. It is an integral part of our Plastic Surgery Training Program.

The first 4 weeks has residents starting on their home Plastic Surgery service and participating in an intensive Surgical Boot Camp run through the Surgical Foundations Program.  Included in this Surgical Boot Camp is completion of the ATLS course and a number of skills-based workshops on suturing, vascular access, operative patient positioning, chest tube placement, ultrasound skills, and OSCE style assessments. This program has received extremely positive feedback in its efforts to foster medical competence, empower inexperienced junior physicians, and ultimately improve patient safety.

A Plastic Surgery specific Boot Camp will also be introduced in conjunction with the implementation of Competence By Design for Plastic Surgery. Included in this will be a number of skills-based workshops and focused instruction on the basics of Plastic Surgery for Foundations level residents.

The remainder of the academic year consists of the following rotations:

Plastic Surgery - 12 weeks

General Surgery - 8 weeks

Vascular Surgery - 4 weeks

Neurosurgery - 4 weeks

Anesthesia - 4 weeks

Emergency Medicine - 4 weeks

Infectious Disease - 4 weeks

Dermatology - 4 weeks

Selective - 4 weeks

PGY2 is the second of the two foundational years of training.  Included in this year is the Royal College Surgical Foundations Examination.  The academic year consists of the following rotations, with all off-service rotations front-loaded to the beginning of the year:

Plastic Surgery - 28 weeks

Otolaryngology - 8 weeks

ICU - 8 weeks

Orthopedics- 8 weeks

 

PGY3,4,5

These years make up the Core Phase of training, dedicated to the development of competence and proficiency in Plastic Surgery.  Residents are paired with Faculty members in a mentor-based model.  This model has residents actively engaged in the provision of care to patients in all aspects of practice, with early patient management and operative experiential training.  This approach provides exposure to, and progressive responsibility in General Plastic Surgery and the various Plastic Surgery subspecialties.  These objectives are facilitated by Faculty members with advanced fellowship training in Microsurgery, Breast Reconstruction, Hand Surgery, Peripheral Nerve Reconstruction, Craniomaxillofacial Surgery, Aesthetic Surgery, Gender-Affirming Top Surgery, and the full spectrum of Pediatric Plastic Surgery.

Senior residents are also offered the opportunity to participate in an international charitable mission to gain exposure to cleft lip and palate surgery in underdeveloped countries.  Additional opportunities may also be available in international hand surgery missions.  There is also opportunity for senior resident electives to complement fellowship applications.

Academics

In addition to daily clinical teaching, there is a coordinated academic curriculum which includes weekly divisional rounds and a weekly academic half-day.  The academic program includes a weekly two hour seminar in which a topic in Plastic Surgery is comprehensively covered through a presentation and staff mediated discussion.   The seminar is preceded by a practice Royal College style written examination and followed by an oral exam skill building session.  The seminar schedule has been organized to run over a two and a half year cycle, so that each resident is exposed to every topic at least twice during their five years of residency.  The curriculum has been carefully mapped to ensure that all aspects of the Royal College Objectives of Training Requirements are met.

The seminar schedule is complemented by a well-planned, comprehensive skills lab curriculum which includes anatomy lab prosections, fresh cadaver flap dissections, as well as low and high fidelity models for developing technical skills.

The research curriculum is largely covered during our monthly Journal Clubs, which are hosted by Faculty members. In this forum we critically appraise the current Plastic Surgery literature, review landmark papers from the past, discuss research methodology and statistics, and have open discourse on new research ideas.

Efforts have also been made to have a Visiting Professor for the residents twice per year, inviting prominent figures from all over North America.

Research

The program has developed a clear matrix for awarding efforts in research. Each resident is required to obtain a minimum number of points based on this system, which values everything from successful REB submission to presentation and publication.  Residents are encouraged to complete at least three research projects to the point of presentation and publication. The Program Director and Research Director meet regularly with the residents to assist in the progress of each research project.

Residents are also provided with regular, dedicated, protected research time as part of the monthly academic schedule.

There is a well-equipped Plastic Surgery Research lab, which is available to residents wishing to pursue a basic science or bench research project. There is clinical research expertise in epidemiology and basic science available in the division. A formal Clinician Investigator Program is also available to residents wishing to pursue a Masters degree and further their scientific career.

Assessment

A robust program of assessment has been developed over recent years to include standard rotation evaluations and a number of additional metrics in preparation for Competency-Based Medical Education. These metrics predominantly include work-based assessments such as the OSCORE to assess and provide feedback on technical skill development, as well as multisource feedback. Weekly academic half-day written exam scores are also included in the resident assessment portfolio. Resident teaching evaluations and assessments of critical appraisal skills have also been developed.

Residents complete two standardized examinations (the Canadian and American Plastic Surgery In-Service Examinations) each year during the Core Phase of training to provide a measure of comparative assessment to national benchmarks.

Additionally, the program has developed an internal OSCE which is administered to all residents each April. This assessment involves 6 full Royal College style oral examination questions and 2 procedural examination stations. Two OSCEs are designed each year targeted to the Foundations of Discipline level and Core of Discipline level resident. Results from this examination is used for both formative and summative assessment.

---

Training Sites

Training Sites

- QEII Health Sciences Centre, Halifax, NS (Primary Training Site)

- IWK Health Centre, Halifax, NS (Pediatric Training Site) 

- Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB (Community Training Site)

 

Note: All residency programs are required to have 10% of their residency training outside of Halifax Regional Municipality, as stipulated in the most recent Academic Funding Plan set out by the Department of Health and Wellness.  Please be aware that if matched to Halifax, as part of your training, you will be expected to complete rotations outside central zone, but within the Maritime provinces.