At the University of Calgary, residents in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) are supported during the successes and trials of residency training, empowered to pursue their professional interests, and trained to provide excellent care to the patients they serve. We recognize the unique privilege and responsibility of training the next generation of physiatrists, and are excited to continue to improve upon the training we provide.

To that end, the PM&R residency program successfully launched the Competence by Design (CBD) curriculum in July 2020. Our program has been actively planning, training, and preparing both staff and residents for this major shift in medical education. This includes leveraging electronic tools and platforms to facilitate more timely and specific feedback to the trainees and faculty.

The use of simulation as a teaching and educational tool is growing in medical education, and our program has been actively pursuing opportunities to implement its use. Simulation can be used to supplement the training our residents receive and is useful for addressing rare but important clinical situations, as well as improving interdisciplinary communication in a low-stakes environment. There are a number of PM&R faculty members who have attended the Royal College Module Simulation Scenario Development Training, and have successfully implemented interdisciplinary simulation training scenarios involving PM&R faculty, residents, nurses, hospitalists and Allied Health in partnership with the Advanced Technical Skills Simulation Laboratory (ATSSL) at the University of Calgary.

Since the residency program’s inception in 2004, our graduating PM&R residents have all successfully passed their Royal College Certification examinations. As well, all of our trainees who have challenged the licensing examination for EMG (electromyography) have been successful, which is a reflection of the strong partnership that Physiatry has with our neuromuscular colleagues and the excellent training that our residents receive.