Our program is structured to provide trainees with both an outstanding clinical and research environment in which to learn. In what we feel is in the best interest of our trainees, the clinical work is spread over the entire two year program, and the research component is adjusted to meet the career goals of the individual trainee.
All trainees must complete at least 14 months of adult critical care medicine as per the Royal College standards. Each trainee will complete at least thirteen months of adult critical care medicine, shared between the three participating core teaching sites: Vancouver General Hospital, St Paul’s Hospital and the Royal Columbian Hospital. Trainees will also complete 1 mandatory community ICU rotation as well as 1 mandatory Cardiac Surgery ICU (CSICU) rotation. The remainder of the rotations are electives and can be tailored to the individual trainee based on their interests, base specialty and career goals, and must be approved by the Program Director(s). Our program offers considerable flexibility and the ability to tailor training based upon the needs of the candidate within the requirements set by the Royal College. Trainees may identify a particular passion within critical care including research, medical education, quality improvement, community medicine etc. Throughout the program, trainees will receive mentorship from the Program Director(s), Academic Advisors and through organic mentorship relationships to help achieve their goals. All residents will also be required to complete a Scholarly Project during their two years of training. Projects and mentors will be identified in the first year of training.
In addition to clinical rotations and scholarly projects, trainees will be exposed to an active academic program. We are constantly striving to improve our trainees experience and learning. Academic Half Day is protected time on Thursday afternoons for trainees to learn and bond as a group. The Academic Half Day content is spread over a 2-year rotating curriculum so that each fellow will see all content at least once in their training. Over the course of the two years, fellows will be exposed to the core concepts of Critical Care Medicine. Didactic medical expert content will focus on covering core topics relevant for the Royal College examination and to prepare trainees for independent practice. Other components of the AHD curriculum include simulation, exam preparation, ultrasound, evidence based medicine, wellness and an indigenous curriculum.
In addition to the above academic content, we require all of the Critical Care trainees to be certified in the Advance Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course. Trainees will also receive funding for conferences and dedicated conferences days each year to encourage ongoing learning. Our Program evaluates trainees by bedside observation during their clinical rotations, through EPAs, rotation evaluations and through meetings with their Academic Advisors.
Please reach out if there are any questions about our program, we would love to hear from you!
