The program at the University of Western Ontario is an integrated program including three teaching hospitals. Each site has a clearly defined role in the program. We are the tertiary referral centre for a catchment area of approximately 2 million people in Southwestern Ontario. Western is renowned for its strengths in neurosciences, transplantation, cardiac care, hand and upper limb care and research in many fields.

Electronic resources: Computers with internet access are available at all training sites for resident use. Educational sessions relating to Medline search skills are provided in our academic schedule.    

 Quick Facts

• Any reasonable proposal for elective will be considered. Our residents commonly pursue interprovincial electives
• Anesthesia trainees work in a one-to-one relationship with faculty anesthesiologists on a daily basis
• Residents work in a one-on-one setting with patients for whom they are providing anesthesia
• There are no mandatory rural or community rotations. The department does offer highly structured, educationally rich experiences in Southwestern Ontario

PGY-1

The first postgraduate year is a broad-based multidisciplinary pre-specialty experience under the auspices of the specialty program director and coordinated by the Western postgraduate medical education office. The rotations are designed to meet the requirements of the specialty program and the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) Part II.

Proposed rotations include:

• 4 blocks anesthesia
• 1 block general medicine
• 1 block emergency medicine
• 1 block intensive care
• 1 block surgery
• 1 block obstetrics
• 2 blocks pediatric emergency
• 2 blocks elective

During the first postgraduate year the future anesthesiologist will experience a wide variety of clinical settings as well as the complete age range of patients from newborn to geriatric. A two block elective is included during which time the future anesthesiologist may choose to expand upon any one of the above-mentioned programs or may wish to explore opportunities in the surgical subspecialties. The 10 core months can be altered to complement the trainee's previous training experience.   

PGY-2 to 5

The final four years of the residency program are structured according to the RCPSC requirements for training in anesthesia. This includes 33 blocks of anesthesia, which is divided as follows:

• 6 blocks of introductory rotations
• 18-20 blocks of subspecialty rotations in cardiac anesthesia; regional anesthesia; obstetric anesthesia; pediatric anesthesia; vascular anesthesia; thoracic anesthesia; ambulatory anesthesia; neuroanesthesia; chronic pain; acute pain, out-of-OR anesthesia; and airway
• 7-9 blocks of consolidation rotations

Thirteen blocks of internal medicine-related specialties are required by the RCPSC, which can be taken as a block or interspersed throughout the PGY2-5 time span. Residents usually spend 6 of these blocks in critical care and the other 6 blocks on specialty internal medicine, such as respiratory, cardiology, palliative medicine and general internal medicine consult services. There is some flexibility available regarding the individual subspecialties selected.

Elective experience: 6 blocks of elective time is available for the trainee in good standing to pursue areas of individual interest selected from research, clinical subspecialty and academic studies.    

Research

All residents participate in a research project during their five years of postgraduate training. Didactic sessions in research methodology are presented in our academic program to prepare trainees to participate effectively in research. It is expected that these projects will be of sufficient quality that the project is either presented at a national meeting or is published in a peer-reviewed journal. Full financial support is provided for residents presenting their work at major meetings.

Project formats are chosen by the trainee and can vary widely. Clinical research, laboratory research, reviews and meta-analysis all fall within the bounds of our projects. Dedicated time is available on an individualized basis. Our residents have won numerous prizes for their research.

Seminars

All residents are relieved of clinical duties to attend our weekly academic teaching sessions. The schedule includes sessions on all the major topic areas in anesthesia, current topic seminars presented by residents, and a wide variety of sessions to help trainees prepare for their future careers (from research methodology to financial planning).

A good selection of visiting professors provide a fresh point of view to staff and trainees alike.    

Selection Criteria - All Candidates

The Anesthesiology Program at the University of Western Ontario is fully accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The program objectives, teaching and evaluation in all areas is structured on the seven CanMeds Roles of The Royal College. These roles include:

• Medical Expert
• Communicator
• Collaborator
• Manager
• Healthcare Advocate
• Scholar
• Professional

Please refer to CARMS website regarding policies for applications to the UWO Anesthesia Residency Training Program.

2009-10 Postgraduate Education Committee Members

2007-08 Postgraduate Education Committee Members

2006-07 Postgraduate Education Committee Members