The University of Saskatchewan Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation is a provincial program that provides a flexibile opportunity to take advantage of the best training opportunities in Saskatoon and Regina as well as some opportunities to experience one or more regional centres.

We have integrated support for research with access to research scientists in both cities. We have strong working relationships with neurosciences, rheumatology and orthopedics. Both centres have established services in the core rehabilitation areas of stroke, spinal cord injury, brain injury and amputation.

In Regina at Wascana Rehabilitation Centre, we have all core rehabilitation services at one site including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services, prosthetics and orthotics, specialized seating, and services for children with such diagnoses as cerebral palsy and spina bifida. At Saskatoon City Hospital there are inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services, in addition to two community physiatrists with a mix of musculoskeletal and electrodiagnostic medicine. There is the opportunity to work with off site pediatric subspecialists as well as teams managing cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other neuromuscular diseases in addition to orthotics and prosthetics. As there is currently no certified pediatric physiatrist in Saskatchewan, we have an affiliation agreement in place with the University of Calgary where we require and support one block of pediatric rehabilitation.

Our two tertiary rehabilitation centres in Saskatoon and Regina serve a provincial population of just over one million. We feel the single program distributed between both cities offers the best of flexibility, personalized attention and practical experience. There is excellent support from the College of Medicine to support this distributed model. We have a strong focus on neurological and musculoskeletal anatomy reinforced by five half days per year in the College of Medicine anatomy lab guided by an anatomist and physiatrist. We are building our expertise for integrating ultrasound into chemodenervation and musculoskeletal procedures. We have also initiated optional EMG and ultrasound teaching rounds in addition to our regular academic teaching program.

Can I contact a resident in the program to ask some questions?

Yes, please email our chief residents –

Claire Tardif (claire.tardif@usask.ca) or

Andrea Kwan (andrea.kwan@usask.ca) — if you have any questions.

Which city will I be based out of? Saskatoon or Regina?

• Currently all positions are based out of Saskatoon. In the past, we have changed a resident’s geographic training base to Regina on a case by case basis.
  
• All residents spend time in both cities, with funding support available for travel and accommodations in the opposite site to your geographic base.
  

Will I be a CBD resident?

• All residents since July 2020 are in the CBD stream with a curriculum designed to follow the Royal College guidelines.
  
• All current residents are evaluated using the positive aspects of the CBD training philosophy including regular feedback and coaching, and review/recommendations provided by the Competence Committee.
  

What’s different or new about your program?

We have made several changes in the last couple of years including bi-weekly optional EMG rounds, a patient safety and quality improvement course integrated into our academic teaching curriculum, and 5 sessions of applied ultrasound and anatomy focused on a specific body region.

What about research?

• We have a research associate who is responsible for overseeing the research curriculum along with a faculty member with an interest in research.
  
• We have 10-12 critical appraisal sessions per year, 4 journal surveillance sessions, a patient safety and quality improvement curriculum, an annual PM&R research half day including resident research award, and quarterly Quality Improvement (formerly Morbidity and Mortality) rounds.
  
• All residents are required to complete a scholarly project during their training with the support of the research associate, faculty members, and/or research scientists.