Program Contacts

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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 Par 1 (MCCQE 1) by July 1, 2024. Those unsuccessful in the exam are subject to the decision of the regulatory authority regarding licensure.

Our program values the importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) as a goal in the selection process. 

To help inform and advance EDI in our selection process we are pleased to offer the option to submit the voluntary CaRMS Self Identification Questionnaire. Additionally, there is an additional verification process for Indigenous membership or citizenship. Please see sections below for further information

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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 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 application files are reviewed and scored by the program director and two or three other division members to determine eligibility for an interview. Applicants are considered for an interview based on a standardized scoring system that incorporates academic experience, electives, research and publications, reference letters, knowledge and interest in our training program and personal attributes from accompanying documents. Interviews are offered to applicants based on committee consensus following discussion and review of all files by two division members and the program director.

The selection committee, which includes the above three members as well as the chief dermatology resident, meets after interviews are concluded to review and discuss the application files and interview scores. A group consensus is achieved after discussion of all application information and rank order is determined based on interview and file scores as well as an individual's professional qualities as determined by interactions with administrative staff, faculty members and residents, the interview process, references and submitted CaRMS files.

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Interviews

Dates:

• January 26, 2024

Selection Criteria

1. Academic performance

2. Exposure to Dermatology or related specialty

3. References

4. Past research activities and/or publications

5. Personal letter

6. Candidate's professional qualities and ability to work collaboratively with others.

Program goals

Our primary goal of the Dalhousie Dermatology training program is to produce competent and confident general clinical dermatologists. We are looking for candidates that will have displayed interest in general clinical dermatology and training at Dalhousie.

Dalhousie is a small and collegial program by reputation that offers residents varied clinical exposure with close supervision from experienced and practical dermatologists with a medical dermatology focus.  Residents benefit from frequent clinical exposure and managing their own patients given the smaller size of the program. Also, the number of learners in the clinic environment is optimized so as not to dilute learning needs of core dermatology residents. Staff remain strongly committed to resident education and participate actively in resident academic half days.

Selection process goals

Dalhousie is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The university encourages applications from Indigenous persons, persons with a disability, racialized persons, women, persons of a minority sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community.

Candidates are not required to submit the CaRMS Self Identification questionnaire or to complete the verification process for Indigenous identity, membership, or citizenship, but for those that do feel comfortable doing so the information received would only be used to advantage those who would contribute to the diversity of our community.

Any self identification questionnaires received and the results of the verification process will be reviewed as part of our file review process, and used as an aid for file reviewers in selecting a diverse group of candidates for interviews. Information received may also be used by the program to adjust final rankings, at the discretion of the selection committee, to address issues of program priority and diversity.

The goal of the selection process is to select candidates for training that have an interest in general clinical dermatology with adequate knowledge and exposure to the field. The successful candidate will thrive in a collegial and small training program with a diverse patient contact experience with a large referral catchment area. 

The components of the file that will be considered to determine this are academic records, personal letter, references, research exposure and elective experiences. 

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

Dalhousie is a small and collegial program by reputation that offers residents excellent clinical exposure with close supervision from experienced and practical dermatologists with a medical dermatology focus. Residents gain diverse clinical experience with broad exposure as Halifax serves as a referral center for the Maritime provinces. Residents benefit from frequent outpatient and inpatient clinical interactions and are able to experience independent management of patients with close support from senior residents and staff given the smaller size of the program. Also, the number of learners in the clinic environment is optimized so as not to dilute learning needs of core dermatology residents. Staff remain strongly committed to resident education and participate actively in resident academic half days.

Halifax is a multicultural city with an attractive arts and culture scene, many outdoor activities and a vibrant, central downtown core. Specific strengths of the program noted by previous and current residents include broad exposure to dermatopathology and a dedicated teaching staff. The goal of our program is to train competent and professional medical dermatologists capable of providing exemplary clinical care for a diverse and multicultural patient population.

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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 & 2:

These first two years of general training will provide residents with essential clinical skills upon which to add a dermatology knowledge base and skill set. Rotations are structured to meet Royal College Competency By Design training requirements by exposing residents to disciplines within internal medicine, family medicine, emergency medicine, pediatrics, plastic surgery and dermatopathology. 

 

PGY 3-5:

The training program is based at teaching hospitals within the Capital District Health Association and includes the Halifax Infirmary, Victoria General (VG) Hospital, Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre, Abbey Lane Hospital and the Izaac Walton Killam (IWK) Children's Hospital.

The majority of training occurs within outpatient clinics at the VG hospital and the IWK hospital. Consultation service involves coverage at other sites listed.

Residents rotate through general and subspecialty clinics during their three years of core dermatology training. Subspecialty clinics include surgery including Moh's surgery, phototherapy, cutaneous oncology, Gynecologic dermatology and Pediatric dermatology. Later in residency, residents obtain exposure to lasers and some aesthetic procedures through exposure at private clinics or electives. Community, national and international electives are encouraged. The Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness also requires residency programs to provide up to 10% of a residents training outside of the Central Zone. This will be supported through elective and selective experiences.

A noted strength of the program is dedication to protected academic teaching sessions for residents. Friday mornings are protected for teaching and involve a robust schedule of rounds including patient clinical rounds, digital photography rounds, JAAD CME review, book chapter club, basic science, therapeutics, M&M rounds, CANMEDS lectures and clinico-pathology correlation rounds. There are weekly dedicated dermatopathology teaching sessions provided by local dermatopathologists. These sessions are supplemented by monthly clinical dermatopathology sessions where a dermatologist provides clinical material and the pathologist reviews corresponding pathology. There are also weekly therapeutics review sessions.

Resident travel is supported by the department of medicine as outlined above. Residents are encouraged to undertake research in their training; a scholarly project or activity is mandatory according to Royal College requirements.

Residents in the core three years of dermatology training rotate quarterly through three month clinic blocks with general, pediatric and subspecialty clinic exposure. In the first year, residents generally do a one month dermatopathology rotation with our dermatopathologists. Consultation coverage varies within each rotation. In the second and third year residents may choose other electives such as dermatologic surgery or contact dermatitis and these could be done at another academic center with divisional financial support. In the final two years of training there is a weekly resident clinic where residents book in patients at their discretion and manage patient care under supervision. Residents in their PGY3 year attend a series of didactic and case review framing lectures when they begin their core training so there is a baseline knowledge of approach to various dermatologic conditions established. Throughout the training program, residents achieve graded responsibility with a goal to function independently as a consultant dermatologist.

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Training Sites

Dalhousie University

Teaching hospitals include: Halifax Infirmary, Victoria General Hospital, Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Center, Abbey Lane Hospital and the Izaac Walton Killam Children's Hospital. The Victoria General building houses the administrative offices of the program administrator, division head, educational library and most teaching clinics.

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 of Nova Scotia. Please be aware that if matched to Halifax, as part of your training you may be expected to complete rotations outside the central zone but within the maritime provinces.

There is a strong commitment to teaching both in clinics and during weekly academic half days. Half day activities include patient rounds, digital rounds, pathology rounds, JAAD CME articles, book chapter club and basic science. Weekly dermatopathology and one on one resident teaching sessions are also incorporated into the resident schedule. Residents receive ample opportunity to develop increasing professional responsibility in a collegial and professional working environment with close supervision and support of staff members.

All residents in the department of medicine at Dalhousie University are eligible for one funded trip per year for educational purposes and a second trip provided a poster or paper is presented at a recognized conference.

A full time, on site phototherapy unit is located adjacent to the dermatology clinic space and provides light treatment (including narrow band UVB, broadband UVB , PUVA, ingram and goekerman regimens) for numerous patients in Nova Scotia.

The program's primary objective is to train excellent general clinical dermatologists who will serve the medical needs of an expanding patient population with skin disease.

Dalhousie University has had a dermatology training program since 1982 and entered the Carms match system in 2010. Given that it is a smaller program, there is significant daily, direct interaction between residents and staff. There are three full time members on site with approximately 10-12 part time members who participate in teaching clinics, academic half day and the call roster. The presence of a  Division of Medical Education at Dalhousie enriches medical education significantly and for those with interests in medical education, electives are encouraged.