What are the application requirements for Queen's Ophthalmology?

Beyond the standard application components that make up the CaRMS application, our program has two additional requirements: We ask that all applicants to our program complete the CASPer situational judgement test—this online tool assesses non-cognitive skills, interpersonal characteristics, and personal values. These are dimensions that we feel are important for assessing the future success of our residents, and members of our community Queen’s Ophthalmology has prepared a short questionnaire to assist us the selection process. This brief, 500-word submission is designed to help us learn a little more about a prospective applicant’s personality and compatibility with our program, and whether we are a good fit for them. Failure to complete these two components run the risk of voiding an application.

Queen's University - Ophthalmology - Kingston

Q: What is Queen's ophthalmology looking for in their candidates?

Our program is interested in training residents who are engaged and eager to learn, who have a genuine interest in delivering high-quality ophthalmic care during residency and in their future careers, who have excellent interpersonal skills and can work effectively in our tight-knit environment, and who are mature, introspective and self-reflective. We are interested in residents who will actively contribute to the program throughout their residency.

Q: What does Queen's look for in the personal letter?

We want to get a sense of who you are: What motivates you in general, and what motivates you toward a practice in ophthalmology? What makes you a good fit for a position in ophthalmology, and in particular Queen’s Ophthalmology? What do you hope to achieve in residency, and ultimately in a career in ophthalmology? The personal letter is an opportunity to give us insight into who you are beyond what we can glean from all of the documentation of your application package.

Q: Does Queen's require an ophthalmological report?

We do require an ophthalmological report as we want to ensure a prospective resident’s potential for microsurgery. Having excellent stereoacuity is a crucial asset when trying to perform delicate intraocular 3-dimensional tasks like capsulorhexis and epiretinal membrane peeling.

Q: Should I upload all of my publications as PDFs?

Please upload no more than three (3) abstracts/publications as PDFs. We recommend that you upload those pieces that you feel represent your best work. We encourage you to choose things that are representative of your contributions. Of course you should list all of your research in the appropriate section and in your custom CV, along with citations so that our reviewers can easily access additional material online should we wish to read more of your work.

Q: Do all of my reference letters need to be from ophthalmologists?

No, they do not. While it is strongly encouraged that at least one letter be from an ophthalmologist (particularly from an academic centre), we are keen to read letters from physicians from any specialty who know you well, and who can attest to your overall abilities and interpersonal skills, rather than from an ophthalmologist who has only spent a small amount of time with you during a short elective.

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Queen’s University – Ophthalmology – Kingston

Ophthalmology

Contact

Dr. Rachel Curtis

Program Director

Shauna Vinkle

Program Administrator

Application Details

Canadian Medical Graduates

3 Available Spots

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Program Highlights

We are proud of our “small but mighty,” tight-knit, collegial program, and all of the perks that come with that. There is one-on-one teaching and supervision on most subspecialty rotations, which results in high surgical/procedural volume. Schedules are designed with flexibility and individual learning plans can be tailored to individual resident interests and needs.

General Information

All applications will be reviewed by a mix of faculty and current residents, and each application will be reviewed by multiple people. Applications will be shortlisted to 18–24 individual who will be offered interviews.

Salary Information

Post graduate salaries and benefits differ by province and are determined by two things: your training year, and the province you work in. See below the salaries and benefits for Queen's University - Ophthalmology - Kingston.

Ontario
	Effective October 4th, 2023
PGY1	$67,044.99
PGY2	$72,804.48
PGY3	$78,190.61
PGY4	$84,712.26
PGY5	$90,073.03
PGY6	$95,190.86
PGY7	$99,836.15
PGY8	$105,844.41
PGY9	$109,734.47


Professional Leave	7 working days/year Additional time off provided for writing any CND or US certification exam, leave includes the exam date and reasonable travel time to and from the exam site. Additional RCPSC & CFPC Certification Examination Prep Time Subject to operational requirements and at the request of a resident, a resident will not be scheduled for call duties for a period up to fourteen days prior to a CFPC or RCPSC certification exam. Subject to operational requirements and at the request of a resident, a resident will be granted up to seven consecutive days off during one of the four weeks preceding a CFPC or RCPSC certification exam.
Annual Vacation	4 weeks
Meal Allowance	No
Frequency of Calls	1 in 4 In-hospital, 1 in 3 home
Pregnancy Leave	17 weeks
Parental Leave	35 weeks, 37 weeks if resident did not take pregnancy leave
Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (SUB) Plan	Top-up to 84% 27 weeks for women who take pregnancy and parental leave; 12 weeks for parents on stand-alone parental leave.
Provincial Health Insurance	Yes
Extended Health Insurance	Yes
Provincial Dues (% of salary)	1.3%
Dental Plan	85% paid for eligible expenses
CMPA Dues Paid	Under current arrangements, residents are rebated by Ministry of Health and Long Term Care for dues in excess of $300.
Long-Term Disability Insurance	Yes – 70% of salary, non-taxable.
Statutory and Floating Holidays	2 weeks leave with full pay and benefits; 10 stat days plus 1 personal floater. Residents are entitled to at least 5 consecutive days off over the Christmas or New Year period, which accounts for 3 statutory holidays (Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day), and 2 weekend days.
Life Insurance	Yes, 2x salary
Salary and Benefit Continuance	A resident that can’t work due to illness or injury will have salary and benefits maintained for 6 months or until end of appointment (whichever occurs first)
Call Stipend	Regular: $127.60 in-hospital; $63.80 home call or qualifying shift on shift-based services. Weekend premium: $140.36 in-hospital; $70.18 home call or qualifying shift on shift-based services.

Updated October 4, 2023

Visit the PARO website.
www.myparo.ca

Kingston

History innovation thrive in our dynamic city located along the beautiful shores of Lake Ontario, an easy drive from Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, in the heart of eastern Ontario. With a stable and diversified economy that includes global corporations, innovative startups and all levels of government, Kingston’s high quality-of-life offers access to world-class education and research institutions, advanced healthcare facilities, affordable living and vibrant entertainment and tourism activities.

Resident Experience

Rachel Martin

5

We have a clinical environment that is focused on teaching. We are really fortunate to have great relationships with our staff physicians. They care about our clinical training, as well as who we are becoming as people. I have learned so many clinical and life tips from our staff.

One of the best parts of our program is that the vast majority of our training is centralized at one hospital site. Residents from every stage in our program are regularly interacting with one another as well as with most members of our department, which creates a closer community. Junior and senior call is also great for learning. As a junior resident, you have your senior resident for support. As a senior resident, you have graduated responsibility for decision-making (with your staff for back-up as needed).

We have a very close and supportive resident group. We look out for each other. We are residents together, as well as friends.

I love living in Kingston. I have a 5 minute walk to work, 5 minute walk to the waterfront, 2 minute walk to restaurants/coffee shops. Kingston has everything I want in a city and nothing is very far (the far edge of town is about 15 minutes by car). The community in the hospital and in the city are also very friendly.

Our program has an excellent culture and works hard to protect a positive and supportive environment. We regularly have opportunities for feedback and discussion with our Program Director (who is a former Queen’s resident herself).

I am excited for R5 to improve my surgical abilities for more difficult cases!

Aidan Pucchio

2

The resident group is truly amazing. We also get so much support from the program – custom study schedules, teaching, staff helping us reach professional goals. We also easily have the most funding for lenses, TORIC, travel of any program in Canada.

The community is justgreat—it’s a very collegial team. Everyone will take on work to make your life easier, everyone supports each other both at work and outside. There’s lots of friendships within the program. We also all play intramural sports together!

I love Kingston. It has an amazing music scene, great food, everyone lives so close so friends are always easy to get in touch with. There are sports to play, musical endeavours to be included in etc. The culture at the school is amazing too, and really allows you to be yourself and have a life outside of work.

The staff are kind and supportive, there is ample opportunity to fit in personal commitments given the flexibility of the scheduling, and the culture is so non-competitive that you feel like you can get help and support from other residents and staff alike. It’s a really great sense of camaraderie.

Continuing to spend time with my amazing co-residents, singing in a choir in Kingston, playing sports with the squad, and learning lots in clinic :)

Daniel Lamoureux

1

The Queen’s Ophthalmology program has an amazing team of passionate and caring individuals who go the extra mile to make you feel welcome. Right from the start of first year, there is significant exposure to the field of ophthalmology and tremendous teaching during this time. There is also a lot of opportunity to explore your interests, and significant support in doing so.

The community within our program is very welcoming and collegial. There is a genuine support in one another, and everyone is working together to provide great patient care.

Outside of medicine, I like to do anything outdoors. Walking along the Kingston waterfront is a great way to unwind after a day of work. There’s always something to do in Kingston, whether that’s a concert at the square, trying out one of the many fantastic restaurants, or taking the ferry to Wolfe Island for a day trip.

The program does a fantastic job at fostering a culture of wellness. There is a community that does a great job in implementing wellness initiatives, and the team members are respectful with another, truly fostering a great work environment.

Having only just started in the program, I’d first like to say that it can be intimidating to move to a new city, in a new environment, and in a new role. I found the Queen’s Ophthalmology team did a fantastic job in assisting with my transition from medical school to residency. I felt a genuine interest from them in supporting me during this time and I’m very thankful to have joined such an amazing team. I look forward to continuing to feel more and more comfortable, and to flourishing in my new home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our program is interested in training residents who are engaged and eager to learn, who have a genuine interest in delivering high-quality ophthalmic care during residency and in their future careers, who have excellent interpersonal skills and can work effectively in our tight-knit environment, and who are mature, introspective and self-reflective.

We are interested in residents who will actively contribute to the program throughout their residency.

Beyond the standard application components that make up the CaRMS application, our program has two additional requirements:

We ask that all applicants to our program complete the CASPer situational judgement test—this online tool assesses non-cognitive skills, interpersonal characteristics, and personal values. These are dimensions that we feel are important for assessing the future success of our residents, and members of our community
Queen’s Ophthalmology has prepared a short questionnaire to assist us the selection process. This brief, 500-word submission is designed to help us learn a little more about a prospective applicant’s personality and compatibility with our program, and whether we are a good fit for them.

Failure to complete these two components run the risk of voiding an application.

We want to get a sense of who you are: What motivates you in general, and what motivates you toward a practice in ophthalmology? What makes you a good fit for a position in ophthalmology, and in particular Queen’s Ophthalmology? What do you hope to achieve in residency, and ultimately in a career in ophthalmology?

The personal letter is an opportunity to give us insight into who you are beyond what we can glean from all of the documentation of your application package.

We do require an ophthalmological report as we want to ensure a prospective resident’s potential for microsurgery. Having excellent stereoacuity is a crucial asset when trying to perform delicate intraocular 3-dimensional tasks like capsulorhexis and epiretinal membrane peeling.

Please upload no more than three (3) abstracts/publications as PDFs. We recommend that you upload those pieces that you feel represent your best work. We encourage you to choose things that are representative of your contributions.

Of course you should list all of your research in the appropriate section and in your custom CV, along with citations so that our reviewers can easily access additional material online should we wish to read more of your work.

No, they do not.

While it is strongly encouraged that at least one letter be from an ophthalmologist (particularly from an academic centre), we are keen to read letters from physicians from any specialty who know you well, and who can attest to your overall abilities and interpersonal skills, rather than from an ophthalmologist who has only spent a small amount of time with you during a short elective.

An initiative of

Queen’s University – Ophthalmology – Kingston