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Dr. Gavin Beck

Program Director

Karen Bader

Program Administrator
Application Details

Canadian Medical Graduates

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Program Highlights

The University of Saskatchewan General Surgery program has an intake of 4 Canadian Medical Graduates per year. Please follow our description and guidelines for application in the CaRMS website. Applicants must that the CASPer test and meet the requirements of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan.

 

Goals of our Program

The goal of our training program is to produce fully trained and competent General Surgeons who are able to:

  • Successfully pass the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Specialty Examination in General Surgery
  • Able to practice at a consultant level in General Surgery
  • Demonstrate superior knowledge of General Surgery and other related disciplines
  • Demonstrate exceptional clinical knowledge and operative skills
  • Competently integrate the CanMEDS Intrinsic roles (medical expert, communicator, collaborator, leader, health advocate, scholar, professional) into their practice of General Surgery
  • Exhibit excellent leadership skills
  • Demonstrate excellent understanding of research methodology and research experience
  • Demonstrate competitive edge when applying for Fellowship training positions

 

Distributive Learning

The College of Medicine, while physically located in Saskatoon, is a provincial resource in attitude and in practice. Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Saskatchewan takes seriously its role in supporting quality health care to all people in the province. This means training physicians to meet the needs of, not only urban populations, but also those of rural. In so doing, the College of Medicine has developed, and continues to develop, rotations in Regina, Prince Albert, North Battleford, Moose Jaw as well as other communities. These rotations are designed to provide educational experiences to enhance the resident’s knowledge and skills, and take maximum advantage of unique educational opportunities in a diversity of communities. All postgraduate programs are expected to develop and incorporate into their curriculum, rotations in communities other than Saskatoon. The manner in which each program does this is not strictly prescribed by the College of Medicine — but is determined by the Residency Program Committee, taking into consideration the needs of their residents, and the excellent opportunities available in other locations. These rotations continue to evolve as we seek to build stronger and better programs.

Extensive support is available for out of town rotations. The exact nature of this support varies with location and program. The communities involved, individual programs, the College of Medicine, and the Ministry of Health work collaboratively to ensure residents are not financially disadvantaged by the need to relocate.

For residents assigned to short term rotations in Regina, fully furnished private apartments are available (laundry facilities, wi-fi, cable TV) and are located in close proximity to the Regina General Hospital. Residents who bring their children with them for the duration of their rotation, will be housed in family-friendly multi-bedroom apartments.

While all residents are strongly encouraged to take advantage of educational experiences in other communities to ensure a well rounded education, the amount and format of such time is determined by the program committee. Royal College Specialty residents are expected to complete a minimum 10% — 20% of their training in Regina.

Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 5 years.

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

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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 University of Saskatchewan - General Surgery - Saskatoon.
Saskatchewan
Gross annual PGY-1 Salary
$61,635
Gross annual PGY-2 Salary
$67,217
Gross annual PGY-3 Salary
$72,794*
Gross annual PGY-4 Salary
$78,348*
Gross annual PGY-5 Salary
$83,860*
Gross annual PGY-6 Salary
$89,359*
Educational Leave
Minimum 7 days with pay, 12 Maximum
Annual Vacation
4 weeks
Meal Allowance
n/a
Frequency of Calls
1:4 in-house (if in excess of 1:4 paid $196/period from 1700-0800 weekdays and $249 from 0800-0800 weekends)*
1:3 out-of-house
Maternity Leave / Paternity
In conformity with Sask. Labour Standards Act – 17 weeks max maternity leave and up to 35 weeks parental leave.
5 paid days paternity (can split the 35 weeks parental leave with mother as desired.)
Supplemental Maternity Leave Benefits
15 weeks topped to 90% pay when eligible for Employment Insurance
Provincial Health Insurance
Yes, if registered with Sask. Health
Extended Health Insurance
Blue Cross family coverage, if registered with a Provincial Health Plan
CMPA Dues Paid
100%
Dental Plan
100%
Statutory and Floating Holidays
1.5 times pay or 1/2 pay & day off for stats, plus 6 extra paid days off at Christmas
Long-Term Disability Insurance
Paid premium cost for Disability Insurance
Life Insurance
Paid premium, >$100,000 coverage
Sick Leave
1.25 days per month to maximum 75 days
Provincial Dues (% of salary)
1%
Employee Assistance Program
Two programs available through SMA and University of Saskatchewan
On-Call Stipends
Home Light: per duty period: $72 weekday; $83 weekend
In House: per duty period: $166 weekday; $191 weekend
ICU/CCU: per duty period: $166 weekday; $191 weekend

Updated August 24, 2022

*Effective January 1, 2021

Term of Collective Agreement – visit http://www.residentdoctorssk.ca/contract/current-collective-agreement for contract details.

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Explore Location

Bridge in the foreground of the city
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city straddling the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan, Canada. North along the riverside Meewasin Trail is Wanuskewin Heritage Park, with exhibitions exploring indigenous culture. On the trail’s southern stretch, native wildlife inhabit the prairie grasslands of Beaver Creek Conservation Area. East of the river, the Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo has manicured gardens and a children’s zoo.

Resident Experience

Megan Spafford
PGY2
In your opinion, what are the highlights of your program?
The biggest highlight in our program is the group of people here in both Saskatoon and Regina. The staff are supportive and friendly and as you progress through residency, they begin to treat you as junior-staff in order to prepare you for practice. We are lucky to have our program span across two separate cities, both with tertiary care centers and excellent surgeons that are eager to teach. Regina is an amazing experience as you are one of few residents there at any given time and that gives you an incredible amount of hands-on experience and autonomy.
The best part I have found is that you truly hit the ground running. Within the first few days you will be in the OR assisting, seeing consults, and learning how to manage sick patients. The experience is excellent.
As a smaller program, you get to work with all your fellow residents on various rotations and on-call. You spend A LOT of time with your colleagues. Everyone is supportive of each other and of each other’s success both inside and outside of the hospital. As a JR resident, I depend on my SR residents to teach me and to support me, and I have learned so much from all of them and have always felt very supported. There is not a single person within my program who I would even have to think twice about calling for help.
Balance is very important as a resident! Being from Saskatoon, I am fortunate to have my friends and family nearby to see and hang out with in my spare time. I spend my weekends off at the lake (which are abundant in Saskatchewan!) and I love to be active. There are great gyms, running paths, golf courses and tennis courts everywhere in the city which make for good fun on your days off.
We have events to help us all get together outside of work such as softball games, BBQs, and now with COVID putting a damper on a lot of in-person activities we have even done a virtual soup making day. Apart from that, the comradery amongst residents is so important. They are your support system and teachers and friends. We are also lucky to have very supportive staff who are always willing to help and eager to aid us in our success.
Going from 2nd to 3rd year residency is a HUGE step. This is when we transition from JR to SR in our program. I am really looking forward to the added responsibility and the chance to lead a team – not to mention even more operating!