Queen’s University - General Surgery - Kingston
2025 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream for CMG
Last approved on February 19, 2025
Summary of changesAccreditation status : Accredited
Provincial Criteria
Kingston General Hospital, Watkins 3A
76 Stuart Street
Kingston , Ontario, K7L 2V7
Program Contacts
Important Information
Thank you for considering applying to the Queen's University General Surgery Residency Program. We appreciate your interest and welcome any questions. Please contact our Program Director and also take a moment to review our website.
The Queen's General Surgery program is focused on and designed to foster clinical and academic excellence in all our residents. The role of the program is twofold: to provide the appropriate clinical and academic opportunities to achieve excellence and to mentor each individual resident through their own path to success. Our program begins and ends with the success of our residents.
To achieve these goals, the Queen's General Surgery Residency provides a broad and comprehensive training experience. We provide elective planning to ensure that individual resident goals are achieved. Academic and research plans (including the Clinical Investigator's Program) are strongly supported and begin development in the first year of the residency. In our current resident cohort, 25% have or will complete a graduate degree during their training. The educational infrastructure provides the support and mentoring necessary for excellence. We currently offer general surgery rotations at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa, Ontario, and are collaborating with other community hospitals. Trauma experience has also been expanded by a new collaboration with St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
Queen's is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness. The program 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. Applicants are invited to complete the CaRMS self-identification questionnaire (CSIQ). Completion of the CSIQ is voluntary. While the goal of the diversity data is to address historical barriers, the decisions making process will also be informed by applicant’s academic merit. Any self-identification questionnaires received 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 program has included a member of the Faculty of Health Sciences EDIIA program at all decision points in the process of resident selection to ensure the principles of diversity and inclusiveness are respected.
Thank you again for your interest and look forward to meeting you at one of our virtual socials or your CaRMS interview!
EDIIA Institutional Statement:
The goal of resident selection is to identify trainees likely to succeed both in training and, once out in practice, in meeting the health care needs of patients and Canadian society. We know that having a physician workforce that reflects the demographics of the patients that they serve improves health care outcomes. There are many populations within Canada under-represented in medicine (UIM) with a paucity of health care practitioners who are Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+, from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and/or with disabilities, and other under-represented in medicine (UIM) groups. Diversity within training programs has also been shown to improve training environments. Queen’s University PGME is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion within its community for these reasons as well as being part of the solution to address historic and contemporary inequities.
Equity and diversity
We welcome diversity among our trainees and seek to foster an environment that is welcoming to all, regardless of gender identity, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
We are committed to advancing equitable and inclusive practices. Please refer to the PGME website for additional information / resources including QHS EDIIA Initiatives and EDIIA statements (Indigenous Land Acknowledgement, Anti-Discrimination Statement, Inclusion Statement, and Statement on Social Accountability)
Electives
We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has previously impacted candidates’ opportunities to arrange and complete electives while also acknowledging that we are now welcoming elective students. Please review our website for further information about visiting electives. If you complete an elective with us, please contact our Program Director, Dr. Sarah Jones, to request a meeting before the end of your elective.
COVID-19 vaccination requirements:
Please refer to the 'Restrictions' section of the Ontario eligibility criteria for messaging regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements.
Gaps in Training, Remediation, or Professionalism issues
Please address any gaps in training, remediation, or professionalism issues in your personal letter as a separate paragraph. This will not count towards your maximum word count. Failure to provide this explanation may impact the review of your application.
Return of Service
For CMGs:
If you have a ROS agreement in another province please ensure you aware of the commitments and requirements.
General Instructions
Program application language: English
Program application language: English
Optional CSIQ: Applicants are invited to complete the CaRMS self-identification questionnaire (CSIQ). Completion of the CSIQ is voluntary. The collected data will inform reviewers interview selection and matching process. While the goal of the diversity data is to address historical barriers, the decisions making process will also be informed by applicant’s academic merit.
Please note that due to the volume of applications our program receives we are not able to provide individual feedback to applicants who are not successful in the match.
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)
• Canadian Citizenship Card (both sides of card)
Proof of valid current citizenship or permanent resident status must be provided by submitting one of the following verifications to CaRMS by the File Review Opening deadline. Failure to provide valid proof will result in your application being removed. No other forms of verification are acceptable:
- Notarized/certified photocopy of Birth Certificate/Act of Birth issued by an authority in Canada must be accompanied by Canadian government-issued photo ID.
- Failure to provide proof of citizenship will result in the removal of your application. No other forms of verification are acceptable.
- Documents must be notarized/certified photocopies. Notarized/certified copies must be dated and not older than two years from the date of application submission deadline; otherwise, a new notarized/certified copy is required.
- Confirmation of permanent residence must be accompanied by Canadian government-issued photo ID.
CaRMS is partnering with third-party organizations to automate the verification of citizenship/legal status required by postgraduate offices for entry into residency. Third-party verification simplifies the process for applicants and programs. All applicants who do not receive third-party citizenship verification will be required to upload and assign an acceptable proof of citizenship document. Please see additional information here.
If possible, one or more reference letters from a faculty member from General Surgery is strongly advised, but not required. References should be able to attest to interest and proficiency in General Surgery as well as comment on interpersonal skills.
Please provide a CV that provides a clear and concise record of education, electives, research experience (provide a brief description, maximum of 2 sentences, of the role that you played in the research) and other interests. Please ensure that events are listed chronologically.
Medical School TranscriptYour 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.
When writing your personal letter we ask that you include the following information:
- Why have you decided to pursue General Surgery as a career choice?
- Describe how your lived experiences (e.g. first generation, family status) may have impacted the perceived strengths and/or weaknesses of your application.
- Demonstrate that you have an understanding as to what it takes to be a resident in General Surgery, as well as a Surgeon.
- Why have you chosen to apply to the Queen's General Surgery Residency Training program?
Maximum 1000 word count
Please address any gaps in training, remediation, or professionalism issues in your personal letter as a separate paragraph. This will not count towards your maximum word count. Failure to provide this explanation may impact the review of your application.
Medical Student Performance RecordFor 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.
Please provide a list of publications. Abstracts are required for your three most recent publications.
PhotoDocuments that are not in English must be accompanied by a notarized translation. Students applying in the last year of medical school will need to submit their most recent marks/transcripts, and will need to provide proof of their MD to CPSO prior to the start of residency training.
Applicants are invited to complete the CaRMS self-identification questionnaire (CSIQ). Completion of the CSIQ is voluntary. The collected data will inform reviewers interview selection and matching process. While the goal of the diversity data is to address historical barriers, the decisions making process will also be informed by applicant’s academic merit.
Review Process
Applications submitted after file review has opened on November 29, 2024
Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened on November 29, 2024
Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on November 29, 2024
All of the complete applications received by the deadline date will be reviewed by a group consisting of either one faculty member and two residents or two faculty members and one resident. Applicants will then be ranked based on overall academic performance, reference letters, research experience and interest in Queen's general surgery. Considerations will also include diverse lived experiences and perspectives. Any self-identification questionnaires received 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. The Queen's Faculty of Health Sciences EDIIA Program will be involved in the file review process. The top ranked applicants will be selected for an interview.
Interviews
Dates:
- January 20, 2025
Selection Criteria
The Queen's General Surgery Residency Program is looking for wellrounded applicants with an academic record that shows an interest in General Surgery. References should be able to attest to interest and proficiency in the specialty, cognitive and manual skills, ability for self-directed learning, time management and teamwork; as well as comment on interpersonal skills. Research productivity during medical school including research projects, presentations and publications will also be considered.
Information provided by the self-identification questionnaires may 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 program has included a member of the Faculty of Health Sciences EDIIA Program at this stage of the process of resident selection to ensure the principles of diversity and inclusiveness are respected.
Program goals
The Queen's General Surgery training program is focused and designed to foster clinical and academic excellence in all our residents. The role of the program is twofold: to provide the appropriate clinical and academic opportunities to achieve excellence and to mentor each individual resident through their own path to success.
Our program is strong, characterized by close working relationships between residents and attending faculty, which is built over repeated exposures on each clinical teaching unit throughout their five year residency. This exposure allows for appropriate graded responsibilities as the resident develops strong clinical decision making and proficient technical skills. The program uses a combination of simulation and innovative feedback techniques to improve learning.
Selection process goals
We receive approximately 120 applications, of which approximately 40-60 applicants will be offered an interview.
The Queen's General Surgery Residency Program is looking for residents who are independently motivated and dedicated team players. Successful candidates will also have strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills, an equitable patient-centred approach to care, as well as high ethical and professional standards.
For those who are invited to attend an interview, the file review score and interview score are produced independently of each other. Once interviews have been completed the interview committee will meet to discuss each applicant and begin assembling a final rank order. The final rank list is completed at the end of this meeting. Only information obtained through review of application files and the interview process, including the optional CSIQ, will be used in decision-making. A member of the Faculty of Health Sciences EDIIA program is involved at all decision points in the process of resident selection to ensure the principles of diversity and inclusiveness are respected.
File review process
Review team composition : All of the complete applications received by the deadline date will be broken up into groups of 8-10 based on alphabetical order. Each group will consist of three reviewers; either one faculty member and two residents or two faulty members and one resident.
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 | Organized and professional review of pertinent accomplishments |
| Electives | Evidence of interest in General Surgery |
| Examinations | We do not evaluate this file component |
| Extra-curricular | Activities contributing to a well rounded individual |
| Leadership skills | Leadership contributions |
| MSPRs | Performance in all CanMeds domains |
| Personal letters | Insight into General Surgery and one's self. Interest in Queen's program and Kingston. Describe how lived experiences may have impacted the perceived strengths and/or weaknesses of your application. Please address any gaps in training, remediation, or professionalism issues in your personal letter as a separate paragraph. This will not count towards your maximum word count. Failure to provide this explanation may impact the review of your application. |
| Reference documents | Personal and professional qualities of a successful General Surgery resident |
| Research/Publications | Research history, publication/presentation |
| Transcripts | Academic performance |
| Other file component(s) | Applicants are invited to complete the CaRMS self-identification questionnaire (CSIQ). Completion of the CSIQ is voluntary. The collected data will inform reviewers interview selection and matching process. While the goal of the diversity data is to address historical barriers, the decisions making process will also be informed by applicant’s academic merit. |
Elective criteria
An acceptable academic record which demonstrates special proficiency in those subjects related to our specialty.
References should be able to attest to interest and proficiency in General Surgery as well as comment on interpersonal skills.
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 | Communication style, evidence of skills necessary to work effectively with others |
| Collegiality | Able to contribute and cooperate with colleagues with shared responsibility |
| Communication skills | Style and clarity, effective and efficient |
| Health advocacy | Evidence of involvement in advocating for patients or community health issues |
| Interest in the discipline | Discussion of reasons for choosing general surgery |
| Interest in the program | Knowledge of, reasons for interest in, personal ties to program/city |
| Leadership skills | Evidence of leadership and teaching experience/roles |
| Professionalism | Communication and etiquette, social awareness, high personal standards of behaviour |
| Scholarly activities | Academic history and performance, research and teaching experience and interest |
| Other interview component(s) | The Queen's Faculty of Health Sciences EDIIA Program is involved in the interview process to minimize biases. The interview process will take into consideration the need for diverse lived experiences and perspectives. |
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
The Queen's General Surgery Residency Program is a strong, cohesive program that emphasizes clinical and academic excellence in all our residents. Graduates are well prepared either for community General Surgery or further fellowship training.
To further facilitate pursuit of an academic career the program now offers the opportunity to apply to the Queen's Clinical Investigator Program. This CIP program allows a resident to obtain a Masters or PhD during their General Surgery residency. Furthermore, residents often take a 1-2 leave of absence from the program to pursue higher education at other institutions including Harvard, Oxford and the London School of Tropical Medicine. Amongst the current resident cohort, 25% are pursuing graduate degrees.
In response to resident feedback, our program has moved to a night float system in order to allow for more of a work/life balance. This eliminates post call days when running elective services as a senior resident. The night float resident spits each block with another resident on the Acute Care Service, such that the residents are on the Acute Care Service for 2 weeks followed by 2 weeks of night float. The program has recently developed an Endoscopy specific rotation (starting in the PGY1 year) that consists of both simulation and clinical training.
Residents also spend time in Oshawa (Lakeridge Health) as a community experience as well as Colorectal and Acute Care. We also collaborate with other community hospitals. Trauma experience has also been expanded by a new collaboration with St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
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 General Surgery residency program accepts 4-5 residents per year from the PGY1 CaRMS match into a planned five-year program. This is a small to mid size cohesive program that emphasizes a sound academic approach to General Surgery. Sub-specialty exposure is appropriate to a quality general surgical education. Rotations are organized as four week "blocks" with thirteen blocks per year. Graduates are well prepared either for community general surgery or further sub-specialty academic training if desiring an academic career. Repeated and close exposure to staff at all levels of training facilitates a good working relationship between residents and faculty.
General Surgery rotations are divided amongst 6 clinical teaching units (CTU1: Colorectal, CTU 2: Hepatobiliary, CTU3: Oncology and Pediatric Surgery, CTU 4: Acute Care Surgery, CTU5: Surgical Endoscopy, CTU 6: Foregut and Bariatric Surgery).
The program is designed around a specific template that ensures that all residents have equal exposure to sub-specialties of General Surgery. The template is designed around stage of training and not specific PGY year.
Transition to Discipline (PGY1, 3 months)
The first two weeks of PGY 1 are a surgical foundations bootcamp whereby residents are given a mix of didactic lectures and skills labs to facilitate a smooth transition to residency. PGY 1 residents are not assigned overnight call for the first two weeks of their residency.
After bootcamp, residents continue to have weekly Surgical Foundations protected academic time every Wednesday afternoon. The Surgical Foundations program (PGY 1 and 2 years) includes residents from general surgery, orthopedic surgery, urology and OB/GYN. It consists of a small group of residents, making for a close working relationship.
For the first 3 months of PGY1, we have all our new residents assigned to our various General Surgery CTU Teams. During this time, residents also complete their ATLS training. General surgery rotations for all years are divided amongst 5 clinical teaching units; CTU 1: Colorectal, CTU 2: Hepatobiliary, CTU 3: Oncology and Pediatric Surgery, CTU 4: Acute Care Surgery, CTU 6: Foregut and Bariatric Surgery.
Surgical Foundations (PGY 1 to PGY 2-3, 18-24 months)
Over PGY 1 and 2, residents will have the following blocks in no particular order; two blocks of vascular surgery, two blocks of ICU, two blocks of endoscopy, two blocks of thoracics, one block of ER, one block of plastic surgery and a split bock between anesthesia and radiology. The remaining blocks are General Surgery blocks, with two blocks completed at the Oshawa Lakeridge health site.
PGY 2 residents complete their Surgical Foundations exam in the fall. They are given one week of additional educational leave to facilitate studying and are exempt from call the 10 days before their exam.
About halfway through PGY 2, residents are transitioned into the senior resident role while on call as they are integrated into the night float system. Because of the small-medium program size, residents enjoy a significant amount of patient responsibility, care experience, and operative experience very early in their residency, tailored to the strengths of each residents.
Core of Discipline & Transition to Practice (PGY 3-5, Remainder of Residency)
During the PGY 3 year, residents will spend time in gastroenterology (one block), as well as general surgery (12 blocks, Kingston). Most residents also enjoy a community surgical experience in Napanee, which is 40min outside of Kingston, in either PGY 3 or PGY 4.
The PGY 4 year includes three or four elective blocks depending on the individual resident’s circumstances and interests, seven general surgery blocks in Kingston, and a one block trauma rotation at St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto.
The PGY 5 year is split between the CTU services on general surgery, once again tailored to each specific resident to allow for EPA completion. During the PGY 5 years, residents also participate in senior clinics and senior ORs where they are expected to run the clinic and ORs independently with minimal staff intervention, to simulate a day in their independent practice.
Research
Resident research is an expected component of residency training at Queen's University. One half-day per week can be taken off from clinical responsibilities for work on research projects. Half days can be saved to create one or two week blocks dedicated to research work. Elective times can be scheduled for work on research projects. Residents will be expected to give an update on their research projects, several times per year, during the Wednesday morning academic half day, to the rest of the Division. Research projects are presented at the annual Department of Surgery Resident Research Day. There is a research curriculum that is integrated into the Surgical Foundations academic time. This course covers the fundamentals of clinical research and also provides the resident with direct supervision for a systematic review and other such methodology.
Academic Curriculum
On Wednesday's, there is dedicated academic time for General Surgery, consisting of a 4 hour block in the morning. There are no elective clinics or endoscopy Wednesday morning's to minimize conflicts. All General Surgery residents on-service and all general surgeons (not on-call) are expected to attend the academic program.
The academic schedule includes a combination of:
Interesting Cases presented by the resident staff
General Surgery Resident teaching presented by the resident staff
Professor Rounds presented by the attending staff
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Rounds
Resident research updates
Trauma Rounds occur once per month on a Wednesday morning
Quarterly Mock oral and written exams
Laparoscopic/Endoscopic and technical skills occur in Simulation Labs
Open and Laparoscopic sills labs twice per year
Journal Club throughout the year in the evening. This is a social gathering as well as the opportunity to teach critical appraisal.
Training Sites
Resources
Kingston Health Sciences Centre (Both in-patient and ambulatory care centre)
Intensive Care Unit at KHSC Kingston General Hospital site
Lakeridge Health (Oshawa General Hospital)
Electronic resources include resident office/library with internet access, and references via Queen's library.
Simulation and Surgical Skills Lab, Queen's Medical School Building
There are opportunities to take interprovincial and international electives while training in our program, but they must be self-funded.
Residents rotate through the Oshawa site repeatedly during their training.
There are no mandatory rural rotations.
Additional Information
Interviews are by invitation.
If you complete an elective with us, please contact our Program Director, Dr. Sarah Jones, to request a meeting before the end of your elective.
FAQ
Where can I learn more about the Queen's University General Surgery program?
1. Meet with our Program Director, Dr. Sarah Jones (in person or virtually)
2. Our website
3. Our Instagram
4. Our Twitter
5. Our Program Coordinator for any further questions
6. Attend our CaRMS social and meet & greet events - see CANPREPP website for more details.
Summary of changes
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