Welcome to the McMaster University Pediatric Residency Program in Waterloo. The program is committed to providing the best education possible for our residents with skills in clinical medicine, research and education. Residents graduating from the McMaster program are fully prepared for their ultimate career. The Pediatric Residency Program takes 12-14 residents per year from various entry points — including one from the Waterloo stream.

The Waterloo program offers the unique experience of a combined academic tertiary residency program with that of a community-based program. While at McMaster Children’s Hospital, residents obtain exposure to the diagnosis and management of a diverse spectrum of disease. Residents will develop relationships with academic faculty at MCH, including opportunities for clinical and scholarly mentorship. McMaster University is the home of many of the world experts in evidence-based medicine. Residents in the training program can expect to receive outstanding formal training and critical appraisal skills through CTU rounds, Academic Half Day, Journal Clubs, subspecialty teaching rounds, and our unique ward-teaching schedule. Through their clinical rotations, residents learn to use literature in daily management of patients giving them life long learning skills that will make them better physicians.

Residents selected for the Waterloo program will also spend a portion of their training at Grand River Hospital (GRH), and surrounding teaching sites in the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo. At GRH, residents will have longitudinal exposure to neonatal resuscitation and intensive care, as well as general pediatric issues both in an inpatient and ambulatory setting. Residents receive an excellent foundation in pediatrics that will prepare them for any career they may eventually choose.

Residents in the Waterloo program will have the opportunity for earlier independence and leadership, both in the clinical realm and beyond. Residents play a pivotal role in continuing to improve and vitalize the program. Their opinions are highly valued and we depend on resident involvement to keep the program evolving, and to maintain high morale and pride amongst the residents.

Residents will be a part of a program known for its innovation and leadership in educational scholarship. The Waterloo region is also home to the Waterloo Regional Campus branch of the undergraduate medical program, as well as a strong family medicine residency program. As such, pediatric residents have many opportunities for teaching, including formal clinical skills to the undergraduate class, as well as for clinical clerks and family medicine residents.

There is strong research faculty in Hamilton who are committed to promoting research activity of the resident. There is competitive funding available for resident projects through the Pediatric Residency Program and the Postgraduate Office. There is optional protected time for research during the residency program. Funding for conferences is available through the program.