Best Royal College Emergency Med Program

[Guest OnlyTheFastLane]

I'm interviewing across the country for 5 year emergency med.

 

I'm having a hard time determining real differences between the programs. The differences seem pretty small. I know there is disproportionate number of emerg residents on pm101. Can any resident help shed some light on the highlights and cons of the programs?

 

Thanks!

[bloh]

If you've interviewed across the country, then you should have a good idea of what the best program is for you.

[vancity88]

I agree w/ bloh. Go with what works for you.

 

Alberta and Ottawa have very strong academic programs, if that's something you're interested in. Toronto is competitive but I've heard not so great things about the program.

[ploughboy]

I agree w/ bloh. Go with what works for you.

 

Alberta and Ottawa have very strong academic programs, if that's something you're interested in. Toronto is competitive but I've heard not so great things about the program.

 

Agreed. Enjoy the tour, ask questions of the residents, and after each city take down notes about pros and cons in your mind before they disappear out of your brain. Then when it's all over, make the rank-list that works best for you.

 

 

Toronto is quite competitive, partially for geographic reasons. I think it's a pretty decent program, but I have a significant and obvious conflict of interest when I say that.

 

There's good pathology in Toronto, lots of variety and volume, and if you have an interest in any sub-area of emergency medicine there are likely staff emerg docs at U of T who are experts in that field. The curriculum has improved significantly in the last few years as well.

 

A couple of things are facing the U of T program at the moment:

 

- it's no big secret that there is an interim program director.

 

- also no big secret that the Royal College assessors will be visiting again sooner than they normally would after an accreditation review.

 

- a program of this size should have much better research productivity from both the residents and staff.

 

 

Part of the above problems are structural and system related and, as far as I can tell during the few times that I take my nose out of Rosen's, they are being addressed by the powers-that-be.

 

Pretty much any program in Canada will give you a good education, and at least for the last couple of years there seems to be a fair degree of mobility among grads (ie people getting staff jobs in cities where they didn't do residency). Go with your gut, and hope for the best.

[rogerroger]

When I was in your shoes I felt similarly. I think the simple reality is that the programs are more similar than different. I don't think we have a red flag "bad program" in Canada. The biggest differences come down to geography IMO. This will influence the proportion of different pathologies you will see in the ER and your life style outside the hospital.

 

One thing you may want to look at is the order in which you do certain rotations. There is some variability between programs regarding what you do in which years and for how long you do certain rotations. What you like in this regards is just a matter of personal preference. If you have an idea of what you what to subspecialize in different places are known for strengths in different areas. Just ask the residents about your EM interests, they will be able to guide you.

 

I agree that upon completing the program people seem to be pretty mobile. Hopefully this continues for the near future.

 

Good luck in the match!