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We are very proud of our residents, faculty and administrative staff. Teamwork and inspiring people to do their best are core values of the program.
There are many fantastic aspects about our program, below are some of the highlights:
We have made great investments in simulation equipment and have expertise in simulation based training at all sites with a RCPSC accredited Simulation Program.
We have an extremely strong ultrasound (POCUS) and procedural skills program in our residency program.
We have an accredited SIMulation program and trainees have exposure throughout their training.
We have a well established mentorship program in our Department and our mentorship groups meet quarterly
We have excellent research opportunities in the Department and Faculty of Medicine
We recently added a Jr. MTU wellness initiative, which provides vacation during two of the MTU rotations.
Competency-based Medical Education is a national Royal College educational initiative. The core internal medicine residency programs across Canada formally adopted this initiative in July 2019, and all our current PGY-1 to PGY-3 residents are CBD cohorts. We provide all the PGY1-3’s with an Academic Advisor, as this has been identified as a valuable and meaningful relationship for the residents.
All trainees in our program are expected to have one or two face-to-face assessments of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) completed every week and have been asked to complete 6 EPAs per 4-week block. We use the RCPSC e-portfolio portal to track EPAs in Calgary. A formal Competence Committee meets regularly and reviews the progress of the trainees – under the direction of the program’s CBD Lead and Competence Committee chair, Dr. Darren Burback.
We are pleased to be able to support our trainees in providing educational resource material. This has included a three-year New England Journal of Medicine Knowledge+ subscription for all trainees in our program. We also allow trainees additional support to take coursework that meets certain criteria. Trainees are also provided with up to $500/year to attend a conference and could apply for additional funds from the PGME office.
Thank you for your interest in the Calgary Internal Medicine program
This residency program is for 3 years.
Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.
Please see our Program website.
The Calgary Internal Medicine Program adheres to the Royal College Specialty Training requirements and was fully accredited at our last external College review. We had a successful November 2019 internal review with no major concerns identified
Each PGY year is composed of thirteen 4-week blocks. The first year includes 6 blocks on the Medical Teaching Units (MTU) located at Foothills Hospital, Peter Lougheed Hospital, Rockyview General Hospital, and/or South Health Campus. Trainees are not assigned to one specific site. and have the opportunity of exploring all adult training sites. The balance of the year includes subspecialty rotations including one block of Coronary Care Medicine, Geriatrics and Nephrology. The remaining four blocks are scheduled from the other subspecialties and may include critical care medicine (PGY2 and 3 only), dermatology, general internal medicine, endocrinology & metabolism, gastroenterology, hematology, infectious diseases, medical oncology, nephrology, respiratory medicine, rheumatology, toxicology and palliative care rotations.
During the second and third ‘senior’ years, residents complete three rotations (per year) as Senior Medical Residents. The balance of the year includes subspecialties, electives (max three over the core 3 years) and research. Community rotations are offered in Grande Prairie, Yellowknife, Lethbridge, Red Deer and at Rockyview General Hospital (RGH). The RGH community rotation is reserved for those unable to leave Calgary for personal reasons. Senior residents are given priority in rotation choice to allow alignment of training and career objectives.
Academic Half-day (AHD) is protected (Wednesday afternoons) and includes lectures, small group learning, simulation based training and protected time for independent scholarly activity. The PGY3’s have protected study time during their AHD to allow for RCPSC exam preparation.
Resident Research Day, our Annual Resident Retreat, Charitable Half Day and evening Journal Clubs are among our special academic activities. Social events include a Welcome BBQ, Fall Awards Dinner and Sports Day. 2020-21 was a challenging year as in-person time was restricted. We continue to have POCUS and Simulation teaching and we look forward to an expansion of in-person AHD sessions as the University restrictions are lessened, Our priority is the safety of our trainees and we have been fortunate to have creative Chief residents who have modified AHD and also arranged small group “wellness initiatives” such as hikes and other outdoor events.
Number of beds: 1000
Number of emergency visits/year: 79,000+
The Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) is a major referral centre for southern Alberta and south-eastern British Columbia. It functions predominantly at secondary and tertiary levels but community and family physicians play an important role. The FMC includes the Foothills Hospital , the Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC), the Grace Women’s Health Centre, McCaig Tower, Teaching-Research-Wellness Centre, and the Health Sciences Centre (HSC) which houses the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. It has a 30 bed ICU and an 18 bed CCU with post CV Surgery and post PCI areas. There is a 14 bed stroke assessment and treatment unit. It has a very active hospitalist service which assists greatly with care of inpatients.
Number of beds: 500
Number of emergency visits/year: 81,000+
The Peter Lougheed Centre (PLC) provides a blend of primary, secondary and tertiary levels of patient care and learning experiences. It also houses a number of specialized programs such as Therapeutic Endoscopy, Cardiac Rehabilitation, and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography. This site was recently expanded with new medical teaching unit and general medical units. The PLC has a 19 bed ICU and a highly functional CCU.
Number of beds: 500
Number of emergency visits/year: 78,000+
The Rockyview General Hospital (RGH) provides a multidisciplinary PGY-1 year for many residency programs at the University of Calgary. Within Medicine, educational experiences include rotations in Respirology, Rheumatology, Neurology and General Internal Medicine (GIM), incorporating ward inpatient services, consultation services and ambulatory clinics. RGH is the Calgary centre of Urological and Ophthalmological services. The RGH is located on the Glenmore Reservoir and easily accessible by bike or running trails. There is a 17 bed ICU with a 7 bed CCU.
Number of beds: 642 (not all filled but capacity exists)
Number of emergency visits/year: 68,000+
Opened in 2013, the SHC is Calgary’s newest health facility.
The South Health Campus (SHC) is the newest of the four adult hospitals. Innovations at this campus include a YMCA complete with a wellness kitchen to help you maintain important work-life balance.
Outpatient Clinics experiences occur at each of the major hospital sites as well as the Richmond Road Diagnostic and Treatment Centre. Some clinics occur in the community settings in Calgary as well as in Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Yellowknife, as well as in underserviced areas.
The Province of Alberta has made large investments in tele-education and tele-health technologies. For example, each of the adult sites has computerized patient care systems wherein all diagnostic imaging (and interpretations) as well as laboratory results are available for viewing on-line.
The University of Calgary has numerous on-line journals. In addition, the University is part of the Canadian National Site Licensing Project (CNSLP). All online journals, MD consult, as well as the CNSLP can be accessed through the Internet at any of the teaching sites free of charge. There is a tutorial on accessing electronic journals during the first week to ensure all the residents are familiar with this source of information.
The Internal Medicine Residency Program draws upon faculty from the Departments of Medicine, Cardiac Sciences, Critical Care Medicine, and Clinical Neurosciences. We strive to provide the highest quality of medical education. The Office of Faculty Development provides our faculty with many opportunities to develop and enhance their skills as medical educators.
The Department of Medicine alone has approximately 450 teaching faculty which is in addition to those in Cardiology, Critical Care, and Clinical Neurosciences. The University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine offers Royal College accredited residency programs in nearly all medical subspecialties including: Cardiology, Critical Care Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Gastroenterology, General Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, Hematology, Infectious Diseases, Palliative Medicine, Nephrology, Medical Oncology, Respirology, Rheumatology and Toxicology.
The Program was fully accredited during the most recent review (2016) and had a successful internal review (2019).
The Program adheres to the Specialty Training Requirements described by the Royal College. General Internal Medicine experiences include those on medical teaching units, consultation, and outpatient clinics. Subspecialties are well represented and include both inpatient and outpatient clinic experiences.
We have purchased Ultrasound machines and have developed a Procedural Certification Program for the use of ultrasound in Internal Medicine. The Program has invested heavily in simulation equipment and is proud to have numerous patient simulators at three of the training hospitals.
In 2011-12, the Senior Medical Resident Night Call program was established with a view to reduce resident fatigue, improve patient safety and quality of care, and provide a better learning experience on the Medical Teaching Units. Senior residents on the teaching teams carry out 12 hour call shifts, as opposed to 26 hours shifts.
The Program is well supported with one Program Director, four Associate Program Directors, three Assistant Program Directors, five Administrative Assistants, and the tremendous support of the Chair of the Department of Medicine. Academic Half-day is protected for all residents on medical rotations and we place a high value on resident well-being.
The Internal Medicine Residency Program is happy to provide $500 of conference funding each year for each resident. Additional funding is available and can be applied for through the Post Graduate Medical Education Office for residents presenting their research at academic meetings and conferences.
The City of Calgary has a population of 1.64 million and offers a wide range of recreational and cultural facilities that include theatre, a terrific Philharmonic Orchestra, opera, ballet, and frequent concerts and performances by internationally renowned artists. Calgary has an impressive restaurant and dining scene, with restaurants like Pigeonhole, Model Milk and Ten Foot Henry voted among the best in Canada.
Calgary is friendly, culturally diverse and is surrounded by natural beauty. There are many art galleries, festivals and markets; there is fantastic shopping, an excellent zoo and for 10 days each year we host the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. The city has an extensive system of parks, golf courses and bicycle paths and with the Rocky Mountains only an hour away, it is easy to escape for a day of downhill or cross country skiing, hiking, climbing, canoeing and kayaking. The sunny climate, Chinooks in the winter and our proximity to the Rockies make the city a wonderful place in which to live.
The program’s social calendar includes a Welcome BBQ, Sports Day, Annual Fall Awards Dinner, Resident Research Day and the Annual Resident Retreat.
The program has a collegial philosophy that is mutually supportive. Residents participate actively in the success and evolution of the program in a variety of ways including the elected resident representatives to the Residency Program Committee, involvement in the numerous subcommittees (MTU, Curriculum, Research, Wellness and CBME), regular Town Halls and a yearly educational retreat. There is an “open door” approach that characterizes the faculty and the program administrative staff.
We believe our two greatest strengths have been the dedication of our teaching faculty as well as the tremendous contributions and hard work of our trainees.
Applicants are welcome to email the lead Program Administrator, Ms. Stacey Dickinson (stacey.dickinson@ahs.ca) or the Chief Medical Residents (calgarychiefs@gmail.com) regarding specific questions.
The Professional Association of Residents of Alberta (PARA) website includes a copy of the current resident contract. Applicants are encouraged to review this document.
We wish every applicant the very best and look forward to receiving your materials and hopefully meeting with you.
Best wishes,
Paul Gibson, Program Director
For the 2022 CaRMS match we will have 30 Canadian Medical Graduate (CMG) and 5 Alberta International Medical Graduate (AIMG) positions available. We typically interview ~220 applicants. We will keep an interview “waitlist” and contact applicants who have applied but were not granted an interview in the event interview spots become available.
We discourage you from selecting Internal Medicine as a “back-up” as this limits our ability to interview serious candidates and we would ask that you be respectful of those who have Internal Medicine as a top choice.
Alberta | |
|---|---|
Pay Level 1 | $58,934 |
Pay Level 2 | $65,232 |
Pay Level 3 | $70,259 |
Pay Level 4 | $75,291 |
Pay Level 5 | $81,584 |
Pay Level 6 | $86,615 |
Pay Level 7 | $93,577 |
Pay Level 8 | $101,114 |
Educational Leave | 14 days paid leave |
Annual Vacation | 4 weeks/yr |
Call Stipends | Weekday in-house – $118.02 Weekend in-house / holiday – $178.72 Weekday home call – $59.01 Weekend home call / holiday – $89.35 |
Frequency of Calls | In-house call: 7/28. 2/4 weekend call. Home call: 9/28. 2/4 weekend call **A Resident scheduled on Home call but who is required to work more than four hours in hospital during the call period, of which more than one full hour is past 12:00 a.m. and before 6:00 a.m., or more than six (6) hours in hospital during the call period, shall be remunerated at the rate for In-House call.$100 per day for each scheduled weekend day of patient rounds when not on-call |
Practice Stipend | $1,500 |
Extended Health Insurance | 75% premium paid
$1000 per year Flexible Spending Account*
|
Provincial Dues (% of salary) | .95% |
Dental Plan | 75% premium paid |
CMPA Dues Paid | $1,500 |
Life Insurance | 100% towards $150,000 coverage |
Life Support Course Costs (Program Approved) | 100% paid |
Long-Term Disability Insurance | 100% paid for 75% gross income |
Statutory Holidays | Paid days. Additional days off are given if resident works the day before and part of a named holiday. |
Parental Leave | 2 weeks leave with full pay and benefits;
52 weeks (inclusive of Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leaves) – unpaid leave
|
Sick leave | Up to 3 months or to end contract paid leave, whichever occurs first |
Maternity Leave | 18 weeks total (17 weeks paid to match 90% of salary when combined with EI) |
Updated September 2024
Resident Physicians shall advance to the next pay level upon completion of twelve (12) months of service at each level. (PARA Agreement – Article 35)
*Terms of Agreement January 2022 – June 2024
https://www.para-ab.ca/agreement/
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The program information on this website is in the language that the program is offered in.
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