PinkFreud Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 Hi, I’m wondering if anyone has any input on the pros and cons of psychiatry residency programs in Canada to help with my ROL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 I think try to write down what things you liked and disliked about each one you interviewed at, compare what their off-service rotations are, their unique rotations and offerings are and figure out what appeals the most to you, as well as integrating in the value of location for you. A ROL is highly personal and pros to one person could be cons to another! It depends a lot on what you are looking for in a program and what your career goals are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 If you can be more specific about what you are looking for in a program you may get more help. There are just too many psychiatry programs to go through the pertinent aspects of each one! sykern 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sykern Posted March 21, 2021 Report Share Posted March 21, 2021 I can try to help, with the caveat that my cons might be someone else's pros and vice versa. UBC Pros: Great for research, niche specialties, bigger centers, addictions, BC is pretty, multiple sites Cons: bigger program (not sure about much else, didnt apply here) Alberta: dont know much about Calgary Pros: tight knit program, solid child & adolescent (able to do more blocks in it if you're interested in doing a fellowship after), alberta is pretty Cons: 4 blocks of internal med, Alberta's healthcare system is kinda rekt rn Sask: dunno much about Manitoba Pros: tight knit group, solid CL Psych (6 months in 4th year, most schools only do 3) and big on addictions, great rural psych opportunities (get to go to nunavut), psychotherapy is decent, protected academic days Cons: lots of healthcare disparities within the population, Winnipeg isn't the greatest for getting around on transit, its cold af NOSM: dunno much about Western Pros: great for psychopharmacology, Dr. Javeed Sukhera's there and is a huge advocate for SDOH Cons: Program's on probation Mac Pros: 2 sites, tight knit program, do have some access to more niche specialties, decent forensics, decent psychotherapy, close to Toronna if you're a city rat, protected academic half days Cons: I find the program is a bit overboard with supervision (but this could be a pro in that there's a lot of support and supervision in the beginning), the call is brutal (volume wise), their psych emerg has been a long-standing issue but it looks like they've been approved to expand it as the current space is ..well, bad lol. Toronto Pros: niche specialties, solid psychotherapy, research ++, robust, biggest pro here is the exposure you'll get I'd say, and Toronto's a cool city Cons: lottery for which hospital site you end up at, there's 'collegiality' among residents but not the same vibe that you'd get at programs with < 10 residents per year. It's just too big for that. They don't do socials etc. No yearly book fund, no formal academic half days Queen's Pros: small/tight knit program, research opportunities especially in ketamine use, really good for work-life balance, the program's very accommodating and the PD has your back, they have a great geri psych program i'd say, home call!!, Kingston's on the water Cons: Child & adolescent exposure is lacking, high turnover rate on their acute psych floor, just lower volumes overall; psychotherapy is okay but you have to seek out opportunities if you want more niche subtypes Ottawa Pros: tight knit but still big enough center, good research opportunities, really solid child/adolescent and psychotherapy, probably the lead in health policy and really good in forensics, cool city Cons: were on probation recently but have fought well to make a comeback, the call can be busy, I think they're just adapting to CBD and haven't really updated their website yet.., bigger emphasis on independence it seems McGill Pros: from what I've heard tight knit group, incredible psychotherapy / transcultural psychiatry program, Montreal is amazing, idk much else about the program tbh Dunno the rest of the french schools Dalhousie Pros: seem like a close group, ++ focus on work-life balance, protected academic half-days, good rural psych exposure, PGY-4 selective opportunity in additional psychotherapy modalities, coastal cities are pretty, lots of supervision (good or bad depending) Cons: 10% of your training has to be outside of halifax, only 2 months of CL in PGY-4, i'm not sure what their research opportunities are like Memorial Pros: very kind and tight knit group, early on exposure to emerg psych and opportunity to do mobile crisis block in PGY1, can help neurosurgery at a locum, beautiful coast, exposure to ECT training (usually dont get this in other centers), great for rural Cons: not known for research, psychotherapy was lacking but has improved in recent years apparently, more so geared towards training in general psychiatry vs niche. Anyway hope this helps. And again, this is my perspective and other people may have different views / experiences that I don't know about! Trustworthy, Persephone, Butterfly_ and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t2n1n4 Posted March 22, 2021 Report Share Posted March 22, 2021 7 hours ago, sykern said: I can try to help, with the caveat that my cons might be someone else's pros and vice versa. UBC Pros: Great for research, niche specialties, bigger centers, addictions, BC is pretty, multiple sites Cons: bigger program (not sure about much else, didnt apply here) Alberta: dont know much about Calgary Pros: tight knit program, solid child & adolescent (able to do more blocks in it if you're interested in doing a fellowship after), alberta is pretty Cons: 4 blocks of internal med, Alberta's healthcare system is kinda rekt rn Sask: dunno much about Manitoba Pros: tight knit group, solid CL Psych (6 months in 4th year, most schools only do 3) and big on addictions, great rural psych opportunities (get to go to nunavut), psychotherapy is decent, protected academic days Cons: lots of healthcare disparities within the population, Winnipeg isn't the greatest for getting around on transit, its cold af NOSM: dunno much about Western Pros: great for psychopharmacology, Dr. Javeed Sukhera's there and is a huge advocate for SDOH Cons: Program's on probation Mac Pros: 2 sites, tight knit program, do have some access to more niche specialties, decent forensics, decent psychotherapy, close to Toronna if you're a city rat, protected academic half days Cons: I find the program is a bit overboard with supervision (but this could be a pro in that there's a lot of support and supervision in the beginning), the call is brutal (volume wise), their psych emerg has been a long-standing issue but it looks like they've been approved to expand it as the current space is ..well, bad lol. Toronto Pros: niche specialties, solid psychotherapy, research ++, robust, biggest pro here is the exposure you'll get I'd say, and Toronto's a cool city Cons: lottery for which hospital site you end up at, there's 'collegiality' among residents but not the same vibe that you'd get at programs with < 10 residents per year. It's just too big for that. They don't do socials etc. No yearly book fund, no formal academic half days Queen's Pros: small/tight knit program, research opportunities especially in ketamine use, really good for work-life balance, the program's very accommodating and the PD has your back, they have a great geri psych program i'd say, home call!!, Kingston's on the water Cons: Child & adolescent exposure is lacking, high turnover rate on their acute psych floor, just lower volumes overall; psychotherapy is okay but you have to seek out opportunities if you want more niche subtypes Ottawa Pros: tight knit but still big enough center, good research opportunities, really solid child/adolescent and psychotherapy, probably the lead in health policy and really good in forensics, cool city Cons: were on probation recently but have fought well to make a comeback, the call can be busy, I think they're just adapting to CBD and haven't really updated their website yet.., bigger emphasis on independence it seems McGill Pros: from what I've heard tight knit group, incredible psychotherapy / transcultural psychiatry program, Montreal is amazing, idk much else about the program tbh Dunno the rest of the french schools Dalhousie Pros: seem like a close group, ++ focus on work-life balance, protected academic half-days, good rural psych exposure, PGY-4 selective opportunity in additional psychotherapy modalities, coastal cities are pretty, lots of supervision (good or bad depending) Cons: 10% of your training has to be outside of halifax, only 2 months of CL in PGY-4, i'm not sure what their research opportunities are like Memorial Pros: very kind and tight knit group, early on exposure to emerg psych and opportunity to do mobile crisis block in PGY1, can help neurosurgery at a locum, beautiful coast, exposure to ECT training (usually dont get this in other centers), great for rural Cons: not known for research, psychotherapy was lacking but has improved in recent years apparently, more so geared towards training in general psychiatry vs niche. Anyway hope this helps. And again, this is my perspective and other people may have different views / experiences that I don't know about! UBC: Pros - Dedicated research track that you can enter either through CaRMS or transfer. Diverse researchers + clinical subspecialties. New facilities in Fraser + Island. Cons - Island relatively new program (3y old?) and building capacity. Seems service heavy? Alberta: Pros - New PD seems invested in listening to resident FB. Strong Addictions Psychiatry. Happy residents as per social, said the program leadership very supportive. Netcare. Cons - Call schedule/structure being reworked (trialing covering multiple sites), off service rotations include things like cardiology. I heard that vacation weeks can be stacked (eg. 4 weeks in a row). Calgary: Pros - New PD. Strong culture of teaching/med ed incorporated in residency. Get to choose psychiatry preceptors. Netcare. Cons - Unclear impact of government relationship with MDs. Recent loss of psychiatry staff to other provinces. Toronto: Pros - robust clinically + research wise. Cons - have heard it described as a rat race/a lot of competition to make your name known. Can be hard to navigate ++opportunities clinically/research/advocacy. sykern 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostLamb Posted March 29, 2021 Report Share Posted March 29, 2021 On 3/21/2021 at 10:25 PM, t2n1n4 said: Calgary: Pros - New PD. Strong culture of teaching/med ed incorporated in residency. Get to choose psychiatry preceptors. Netcare. Cons - Unclear impact of government relationship with MDs. Recent loss of psychiatry staff to other provinces. To be fair—we haven’t lost all our psych staff in Calgary—several excellent preceptors have moved for various reasons. Most grads continue to stay in spite of current situation with govt. There are still many excellent preceptors in Calgary. there are also 2 PD (one is main PD, one is a new role of associate PD). Former PD remains involved as part of CBD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Layla89 Posted February 26, 2022 Report Share Posted February 26, 2022 Hi, I'm in the same boat and trying to decide between Western and Mcmaster psych... I would really appreciate any more input on which has better training, work life balance, opportunities to teach etc, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Persephone Posted February 26, 2022 Report Share Posted February 26, 2022 13 hours ago, Layla89 said: Hi, I'm in the same boat and trying to decide between Western and Mcmaster psych... I would really appreciate any more input on which has better training, work life balance, opportunities to teach etc, thanks! McMaster is way better resourced than Western. Not sure whether Western has gotten back their accreditation after losing it yet, although I know they're working on it. McMaster has great call frequency (which becomes even less frequent as you become more senior), you can sign up to teach psychiatry clinical skills (paid!) to medical students, there are some excellent staff there and Hamilton is a great smaller city to live in, with Toronto just next door. I heard from some colleagues who interviewed at Western that residents did not seem happy, although take this with a grain of salt, because this is 2nd hand info. Western is just a very small program, with fewer resources and a recent loss of several staff that caused them to lose accreditation. Maybe others will have more insight about the program, that's just what I've been told. Layla89 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellorie Posted February 26, 2022 Report Share Posted February 26, 2022 Been a long time since I was at Western (not since med school) but agree that Mac is much better resourced. Hamilton is likely also a better place to live. Unless it's changed, call at Western and ED psych services in general have historically been a mess. Layla89 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Layla89 Posted February 28, 2022 Report Share Posted February 28, 2022 Thank you so much! I have my first interview today so this info is really helpful going into this season!! On 2/26/2022 at 10:41 PM, Persephone said: McMaster is way better resourced than Western. Not sure whether Western has gotten back their accreditation after losing it yet, although I know they're working on it. McMaster has great call frequency (which becomes even less frequent as you become more senior), you can sign up to teach psychiatry clinical skills (paid!) to medical students, there are some excellent staff there and Hamilton is a great smaller city to live in, with Toronto just next door. I heard from some colleagues who interviewed at Western that residents did not seem happy, although take this with a grain of salt, because this is 2nd hand info. Western is just a very small program, with fewer resources and a recent loss of several staff that caused them to lose accreditation. Maybe others will have more insight about the program, that's just what I've been told. On 2/26/2022 at 11:13 PM, ellorie said: Been a long time since I was at Western (not since med school) but agree that Mac is much better resourced. Hamilton is likely also a better place to live. Unless it's changed, call at Western and ED psych services in general have historically been a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomme Posted February 17 Report Share Posted February 17 On 3/21/2021 at 4:19 PM, sykern said: I can try to help, with the caveat that my cons might be someone else's pros and vice versa. UBC Pros: Great for research, niche specialties, bigger centers, addictions, BC is pretty, multiple sites Cons: bigger program (not sure about much else, didnt apply here) Alberta: dont know much about Calgary Pros: tight knit program, solid child & adolescent (able to do more blocks in it if you're interested in doing a fellowship after), alberta is pretty Cons: 4 blocks of internal med, Alberta's healthcare system is kinda rekt rn Sask: dunno much about Manitoba Pros: tight knit group, solid CL Psych (6 months in 4th year, most schools only do 3) and big on addictions, great rural psych opportunities (get to go to nunavut), psychotherapy is decent, protected academic days Cons: lots of healthcare disparities within the population, Winnipeg isn't the greatest for getting around on transit, its cold af NOSM: dunno much about Western Pros: great for psychopharmacology, Dr. Javeed Sukhera's there and is a huge advocate for SDOH Cons: Program's on probation Mac Pros: 2 sites, tight knit program, do have some access to more niche specialties, decent forensics, decent psychotherapy, close to Toronna if you're a city rat, protected academic half days Cons: I find the program is a bit overboard with supervision (but this could be a pro in that there's a lot of support and supervision in the beginning), the call is brutal (volume wise), their psych emerg has been a long-standing issue but it looks like they've been approved to expand it as the current space is ..well, bad lol. Toronto Pros: niche specialties, solid psychotherapy, research ++, robust, biggest pro here is the exposure you'll get I'd say, and Toronto's a cool city Cons: lottery for which hospital site you end up at, there's 'collegiality' among residents but not the same vibe that you'd get at programs with < 10 residents per year. It's just too big for that. They don't do socials etc. No yearly book fund, no formal academic half days Queen's Pros: small/tight knit program, research opportunities especially in ketamine use, really good for work-life balance, the program's very accommodating and the PD has your back, they have a great geri psych program i'd say, home call!!, Kingston's on the water Cons: Child & adolescent exposure is lacking, high turnover rate on their acute psych floor, just lower volumes overall; psychotherapy is okay but you have to seek out opportunities if you want more niche subtypes Ottawa Pros: tight knit but still big enough center, good research opportunities, really solid child/adolescent and psychotherapy, probably the lead in health policy and really good in forensics, cool city Cons: were on probation recently but have fought well to make a comeback, the call can be busy, I think they're just adapting to CBD and haven't really updated their website yet.., bigger emphasis on independence it seems McGill Pros: from what I've heard tight knit group, incredible psychotherapy / transcultural psychiatry program, Montreal is amazing, idk much else about the program tbh Dunno the rest of the french schools Dalhousie Pros: seem like a close group, ++ focus on work-life balance, protected academic half-days, good rural psych exposure, PGY-4 selective opportunity in additional psychotherapy modalities, coastal cities are pretty, lots of supervision (good or bad depending) Cons: 10% of your training has to be outside of halifax, only 2 months of CL in PGY-4, i'm not sure what their research opportunities are like Memorial Pros: very kind and tight knit group, early on exposure to emerg psych and opportunity to do mobile crisis block in PGY1, can help neurosurgery at a locum, beautiful coast, exposure to ECT training (usually dont get this in other centers), great for rural Cons: not known for research, psychotherapy was lacking but has improved in recent years apparently, more so geared towards training in general psychiatry vs niche. Anyway hope this helps. And again, this is my perspective and other people may have different views / experiences that I don't know about! On 3/22/2021 at 12:25 AM, t2n1n4 said: UBC: Pros - Dedicated research track that you can enter either through CaRMS or transfer. Diverse researchers + clinical subspecialties. New facilities in Fraser + Island. Cons - Island relatively new program (3y old?) and building capacity. Seems service heavy? Alberta: Pros - New PD seems invested in listening to resident FB. Strong Addictions Psychiatry. Happy residents as per social, said the program leadership very supportive. Netcare. Cons - Call schedule/structure being reworked (trialing covering multiple sites), off service rotations include things like cardiology. I heard that vacation weeks can be stacked (eg. 4 weeks in a row). Calgary: Pros - New PD. Strong culture of teaching/med ed incorporated in residency. Get to choose psychiatry preceptors. Netcare. Cons - Unclear impact of government relationship with MDs. Recent loss of psychiatry staff to other provinces. Toronto: Pros - robust clinically + research wise. Cons - have heard it described as a rat race/a lot of competition to make your name known. Can be hard to navigate ++opportunities clinically/research/advocacy. Any updates since 2021? Currently working on my ROL and would like some input regarding the different schools across Canada (I was hoping to stay in Ontario, IF possible). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crkbc Posted April 26 Report Share Posted April 26 UBC Pros: dedicated research track, great teaching for substance use/concurrent disorders, distributed sites - Vancouver, Fraser, Prince George, Kelowna, Victoria Cons: cost of living ($$), service heavy - Kelowna - new program. not used to having residents - still figuring things out. - Fraser - subpar teaching compared to Vancouver, service heavy, issues with some staff and leadership? Pomme 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedsInTheWest Posted May 1 Report Share Posted May 1 I’m in the UBC program and this is just my personal opinion and also partly based on friends in other UBC psychiatry tracks than my own: UBC has several tracks, each offering its own advantages. As I see it: Vancouver: opportunity to work in downtown eastside, epicenter of the toxic drug overdose crisis and amazing opportunities to learn addiction psychiatry at St. Paul’s Hospital. Fraser: incredible supervisors who are genuinely interested in your career progress and development. They try to provide top notch clinical experiences and feedback, regardless of which hospital you’re at. More reasonable cost of housing in Fraser leads many residents in Vancouver and Fraser track to eventually work and live in Fraser. It’s great to train here to get a sense of where you might be a good fit. Lots of patients to learn from — amazing exposure with great support. Brand new facilities at the main teaching sites. Caring and committed program director. Kelowna/Okanagan: new track, will take a few years to get on track, but I hear the supervisors are enthusiastic Vancouver Island: more laid-back vibe, friendly supervisors I have loved the UBC psychiatry program so far and have no regrets about choosing to train here. The only negative I can think of is I hear there’s a higher than expected degree of internal resident gossip and politics and interpersonal conflicts among residents in senior years which spills into the open Pomme 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedsInTheWest Posted May 2 Report Share Posted May 2 I forgot to mention that the UBC Psychiatry residency is very resident wellness focused. It’s so progressive compared to other programs in the country. Some of the things that they do for residents includes on call ends at 11 PM, if you stay past 12 midnight you get the whole next day off, yes the entire next day, there’s no overnight call in practice, that doesn’t exist anywhere else from what I hear from friends in other programs, UBC Psychiatry policy is that residents don’t do any more than three Psychiatry on calls shifts in one month which is incredible, you get all of Thursday off for didactic teaching and personal wellness, they fund Resident business meetings, and and a yearly retreat. And you’re guaranteed time off for all of these. Yes the program can be busy, but there’s so much focus on resident wellness that everything balances out perfectly. As I said, so happy to be in this program Pomme 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crkbc Posted July 5 Report Share Posted July 5 On 5/2/2024 at 7:06 AM, MedsInTheWest said: I forgot to mention that the UBC Psychiatry residency is very resident wellness focused. It’s so progressive compared to other programs in the country. Some of the things that they do for residents includes on call ends at 11 PM, if you stay past 12 midnight you get the whole next day off, yes the entire next day, there’s no overnight call in practice, that doesn’t exist anywhere else from what I hear from friends in other programs, UBC Psychiatry policy is that residents don’t do any more than three Psychiatry on calls shifts in one month which is incredible, you get all of Thursday off for didactic teaching and personal wellness, they fund Resident business meetings, and and a yearly retreat. And you’re guaranteed time off for all of these. Yes the program can be busy, but there’s so much focus on resident wellness that everything balances out perfectly. As I said, so happy to be in this program You are probably PGY1. Re-read this post when you are PGY3-4. Good luck! MedicineLCS 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zosyn Posted September 16 Report Share Posted September 16 On 7/5/2024 at 4:58 PM, crkbc said: You are probably PGY1. Re-read this post when you are PGY3-4. Good luck! Care to elaborate? I’m looking to apply here and would greatly appreciate your input Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McCoy Posted September 23 Report Share Posted September 23 Hi, I've been wondering about locum opportunities during residency. Dal specifically states that senior residents can locum in rural settings during residency. Is this common elsewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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