Dr. Lori Connors
Program Director
Suzanne Marshall
Residents are assessed using a standardized, on-line evaluation system. Residents receive formative feedback from the attendings supervising the rotations and meet regularly with the program director to discuss their performance. In addition, residents have the opportunity to further gauge their academic progress by having the opportunity to write the American Board of Internal Medicine exam and a faculty developed OSCE exam.
The Department of Medicine has sponsored every resident in the current academic year to have individual subscribed access to Up-To-Date. Further, residents can choose to participate in an out-of-province or out-of-country elective rotation provided at an accredited teaching hospital.
All Internal Medicine PGY1s participate in a two-month Research Methods course in October – November in their first year of training. This course provides the foundation necessary to take a project idea to a proposal and then introduces the resources to drive the project to completion at a level required for presentation at a research events and/or publication.
In support of scholarly activity, the Residency Research Director, Committee and Coordinator, all work closely with residents to assist them in reaching their research goals.
During the Ambulatory Care rotation in first year, residents are given the opportunity to set aside a half-day per week dedicated to scholarly activity. In addition, residents are provided support and encouraged to submit project abstracts for presentation at the Department of Medicine Research Day and to other peer-reviewed conferences.
During the year, the Residency Research Committee analyzing residents’ research proposals for project approval. Once approval has been received, residents then have the opportunity to set aside additional time for scholarly activity.
As part of supporting residents’ continuing education, the Department of Medicine provides funding for residents to attend at least one academic conference per year. Residents may receive additional financial support to attend a second conference in a year, if they present research.
The Dalhousie University Core Internal Medicine Program was fully accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada during its last evaluation in November 2018, and received the maximum possible approval. Dalhousie University has subspecialty programs in all the specialties of Internal Medicine, except in Clinical Pharmacology and in Clinical Allergy & Immunology.
The Dalhousie University Core Internal Medicine Program has a formal affiliation with the Department of Medicine in Saint John, New Brunswick, a Saint John Based Program in its seventh year. Saint John based residents complete rotations at the Saint John Regional Hospital (SJRH) and at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax as outlined in the curriculum above. Accommodations are provided during a resident’s stay in Halifax at no cost to the resident, and travel reimbursement is provided.
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island | |
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Gross Annual PGY-1 Salary | $69,867 |
Gross Annual PGY-2 Salary | $75,527 |
Gross Annual PGY-3 Salary | $80,646 |
Gross Annual PGY-4 Salary | $85,988 |
Gross Annual PGY-5 Salary | $91,777 |
Gross Annual PGY-6 Salary | $97,968 |
Gross Annual PGY-7 Salary | $103,870 |
Gross Annual PGY-8 Salary | $110,897 |
Educational Leave | Yes |
Annual Vacation | 4 weeks |
Call Stipends | Yes |
Frequency of Calls | l in 4 in-hospital and for home call |
Maternity Leave Top Up After One Year’s Service | eligible for up to a maximum of 17 weeks top-up allowance for maternity/pregnancy leave |
Provincial Health Insurance | Yes |
Extended Health Insurance | Yes |
Provincial Dues (% of salary) | 1.30% |
CMPA Dues Paid | Yes |
Dental Coverage | Yes |
Statutory and Floating Holidays | Paid |
Long-Term Disability Insurance | 66.7% of salary |
Life Insurance | $100,000 of insurance |
Sick Leave | Yes |
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The Medicine Teaching Unit (MTU) experience is considered to be the site’s strongest experience in Internal Medicine. This inpatient unit is managed by two 12-bed teams which is staffed by both general internists and subspecialty staff. Thanks to the Family Medicine Hospitalist unit on site, the types of patients on the MTU are restricted to those requiring Internal Medicine expertise – a factor that provides residents with appropriate and challenging cases that further their development of knowledge and skills.
In addition, since there are fewer residents on each service, there is more opportunity for direct interaction with the attendings, there is a consistently higher level of responsibility, and there is the opportunity for residents to take on leadership roles in guiding junior learners.
What is the general level of satisfaction amongst your residents?
The current residents are very satisfied with our Program. We are a close and supportive group, and we have excellent relationships with our attending staff. There is a strong commitment on the part of the Site Director, the Program Director and the administrative staff to provide the support to the residents, which ensures resdient success in our Program.
The Saint John Regional Hospital is the largest hospital in New Brunswick, offering experiences in numerous medical subspecialties, including cardiology, respirology, GI, hematology, medical oncology, nephrology, infectious diseases, rheumatology, and endocrinology. In addition, residents have various selective/elective rotations that can be completed in Halifax or elsewhere that supplement any areas of particular interest that a resident might have in Internal Medicine.
The Medical Education Department, hospital library, and nursing stations have extensive computer availability. The Medical Education Office has subscribed to the Up-To-Date program accessible at any computer station throughout the hospital. The Medical Information System provides rapid access to laboratory results and Web1000 permits immediate access to diagnostic imaging studies from most computer stations. The MTU also has “workstations on wheels” to provide access to records at the bedside.
The Saint John and Halifax based residents in the program complete rotations at each site. This interchange of residents between sites allows residents to build a strong sense of camaraderie between the sites. The combined social activities, an annual Resident Retreat (a weekend of education and socializing), as well as the combined curriculum events throughout the year (particularly the weekly Academic Half Day) allow for further interaction between the sites, which strengthens the relationships between residents.
In general, the Saint John Regional Hospital supports an active learning environment. At any given time, over 50 undergraduate and postgraduate learners are on clinical rotations in the various medical and surgical services at the site. In addition, the new medical school based in Saint John further supports the learning and teaching environment for the residents.
The collegiality between residents and staff, including attendings, nursing staff, and interdisciplinary teams , is a unique feature of training in Saint John. This is in part due to the smaller staff size which provides residents with a real sense of engagement. Likewise, the attendings and other hospital staff value and strongly supporting the residency training in Saint John.
Saint John is located on the southern coast of New Brunswick and provides an excellent blend of urban advantages and outdoor lifestyle – this combines to allow for an excellent quality of life. A 2007 study by UBC, found Saint John to be the happiest city in Canada, thanks in part to the lifestyle the city offers and the sense of engagement in the community.
The uptown area is a hub for arts, culture and heritage in Saint John. In fact, Heritage Canada recognized Saint John as a 2010 Cultural Capital of Canada. The area is noted for its architecture, theatre, and galleries. Restaurants, festivals, concerts, and sporting events are also attractions in the uptown area.
Outdoor activities are one of the best features of the area. The ease of commuting around the city and the close proximity to parks and waterways means that residents often find themselves in a kayak, on a bike trail or on a golf course within minutes of finishing their shift at the hospital. A few key locations are Rockwood Park (one of the largest urban parks in North America) which is less than 5 minutes from the Saint John Regional Hospital and the Irving Nature Park in the city’s west side. Water activities abound with the Saint John river systems, the Bay of Fundy, lakes, as well as indoor aquatic facilities.
Another feature that residents in the Saint John residency programs enjoy is the city’s strategic location which allows easy access to other locations in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, and the northeastern United States. The possibility of weekend road trips to Halifax, Boston, Montreal, etc. are an added bonus to living in Saint John.
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