• Collegial learning environment with outstanding clinical teachers strongly supportive of residents
• Wide-ranging and extensive outpatient experiences incorporating all the neurology subspecialties
• Longitudinal clinics to gain experience in long-term follow-up of patients with neurological disease
• Excellent exposure to general neurology through the Urgent Neurology Clinic as well as community electives
• Extensive involvement in acute stroke management, including tPA and interventional thrombectomy
• Very highly qualified faculty research mentors keen to supervise resident research projects
• Great opportunities for electives locally, nationally, and internationally
• Highly livable, affordable city with excellent cultural and recreational opportunities

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.

Neurology residency programs across Canada transitioned to Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) on July 1, 2020. The Neurology program at Western University adapted its curriculum to ensure achievement of the competencies and specialty requirements set out by the requirements of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and thus successfully transitioned to CBME.

A general outline of the 5-year program is below:

PGY-1

The PGY-1 year begins with 2-3 introductory blocks on the neurology home service for achievement of the Transition to Discipline stage requirements and to familiarize residents with the structure and function of the program, the neurology ward, and the hospital environment.   These first blocks also provide ample opportunity to become familiar with Clinical Neurosciences faculty, allied health, and fellow trainees.  In their first year, trainees gain appropriate exposure to disciplines relevant to the practice of neurology, including, but not limited to, internal medicine and its subspecialties, neurosurgery, emergency medicine, and psychiatry.

PGY-2

The Foundational year consists of further training in medicine subspecialties as well as an opportunity to experience rotations in physical medicine and rehabilitation, palliative care, and sleep medicine.  Second-year residents will participate in the Urgent Neurology Clinic rotation at Victoria Hospital–which offers an introduction to general neurology with the support of and under the direction of a more senior neurology resident–as well as subspecialty outpatient clinics.

PGY-3-4

The Core training years will include experience on the inpatient ward, the emergency department and the Urgent Neurology Clinic as well as subspecialty outpatient clinics. Western offers clinics in all the neurology subspecialties, and trainees will learn the approach to diagnosis and management of a broad spectrum of neurological conditions.  On the inpatient wards, trainees will learn the management of neurological emergencies, including stroke, and to develop investigative and treatment plans for patients with acute and chronic neurological disease.  During PGY-3 year, residents begin the Resident Longitudinal Clinic, where they will learn management of patients in a longitudinal fashion.  During the core training years, residents will also gain the required experience in pediatric neurology and neuropathology. Trainees may also be exposed to electroencephalography and electromyography and may develop or enhance interests in basic and clinical research.  Residents oversee monthly Quality Improvement Rounds, selecting cases that focus on system improvements, and analyzing cases with less than ideal outcomes.

PGY-5

The Transition to Practice year is structured such that the trainee assumes the role of junior attending in both the Urgent Neurology Clinic and the inpatient service.  Administrative, teaching and leadership skills are further developed through management of these services.  In their final year of training, residents customize outpatient experiences that meet their educational needs and interests.  Communication skills and counseling techniques continue to develop during this time and the resident prepares to transition to independent practice.

Research

Residents can opt for a Research block or blocks at any time during residency.  Early in training, residents meet with a faculty research coordinator and are encouraged to identify a research project in which they can participate during their PGY-2, 3, and 4 years, with the goal of presenting an abstract at a meeting and publishing a paper.  The annual CNS Research Day offers residents an opportunity to present their research in a collegial, encouraging environment.  Resident research is encouraged and supported through the expertise, supervision, and mentoring by faculty in Clinical Neurological Sciences at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University.

Academic Curriculum

Tuesday mornings offer residents a time-protected academic half-day that begins with CNS Grand Rounds and is followed by seminars that are carefully designed to cover the essential range of basic and clinical science required for neurological practice.  Seminars and workshops cover all the CanMEDS roles. The Medical Expert role is well-represented, with sessions in the diagnosis, investigation, and management of all major neurological diseases.  Residents participate in regular, interactive workshops designed to enhance their communication skills.  Evidence-based neurology sessions are held bi-monthly to enhance residents’ critical appraisal skills, an essential element of the CanMEDS communicator role. Neuroanatomy sessions, incorporating case-based, team-based learning, are held on a monthly basis.  Sessions on bioethics, practice management, interdisciplinary teamwork, and preventive medicine in the neurosciences round out the academic curriculum.  An approach of continuous quality improvement is taken with the curriculum, which evolves in response to changes in practice standards and based on resident experience/feedback.

The academic curriculum also includes regular subspecialty noon or morning rounds in epilepsy, movement disorders, stroke, neuromuscular disease, and neuroradiology.   Physical diagnosis rounds focusing on developing solid physical examination skills occur on a monthly basis.  Every effort is made to accommodate resident attendance at these rounds.

Assessment

Our robust system of assessment includes:

• biannual OSCEs
• biannual practice written examinations
• regular observed history and physicals
• formal in-training evaluations
• Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs)

In addition, Neurology at Western has a culture of frequent, in-the-moment feedback to residents from staff.

Program application language: English

All applications will be acknowledged via email.

Please direct questions about the application/interview process to Lisa Baker-Spiller