Welcome to General Surgery Residency at Queen’s University!

Our program is proud of a supportive and collegial teaching environment, especially amongst the residents, that helps foster a sense of community while providing a rigorous academic and technical curriculum. We aim to train competent general surgeons prepared for any career path from community practice to advanced subspecialty training. Our residents develop into well-rounded and resourceful clinicians who also have experience in emerging modern treatment paradigms and operative skillsets. Our program is dynamic and its development is resident-driven. We are also proud of our strong alumni connection with our trainees practicing in throughout Canada and beyond. We are a small center program with large center opportunities, and the occasional group brunch!

Program Information

Program Director's Message

Welcome to the General Surgery residency program at Queen's University. The strength of this program is derived from the exemplary fourteen faculty members in Kingston, seven faculty members in Oshawa, and eighteen surgical residents. The program is based principally out of Kingston General Hospital and Hotel Dieu Hospital, which are members of the Southeastern Ontario Health Sciences Centre. Lakeridge Health (Oshawa General Hospital) is now a formal component of our program with two clinical teaching units in General Surgery. We have recently also implemented a trauma surgery rotation at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

The Division of General Surgery covers a broad range of general surgical subspecialty disciplines including colorectal, hepatobiliary, thoracic, bariatric, pediatric surgery, and surgical oncology. Additionally we boast the largest robotic colorectal surgical program in the country and the earliest mandatory endoscopy curriculum out of all the accredited programs in the country.

For more information about General Surgery at Queen's University, please do not hesitate to contact Cynthia MacIntosh, or check out our instagram (@queensgeneralsurgery). We look forward to hearing from you!


Sarah Jones, MD, PhD, FRCSC Program Director, General Surgery	David Robertson, MD, FRCSC Assistant Program Director, General Surgery

Admission & CaRMS Information

Applications to the General Surgery Postgraduate Education Program must be made through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). Interested applicants are encouraged to visit their website. This site contains valuable information not only on current Application Information but also Iteration Timetables, Match Statistics, as well as a detailed description of the service CaRMS provides.

To obtain more information on Admissions to Postgraduate Medical Education, including Eligibility Criteria and information on Electives, please visit the Postgraduate Medical Education website.

*All Visa-Trainee applicants must apply through the Queen's University Postgraduate Medical Education Office and must have funding through a sponsorship agreement between Queen's University and your funding agency or institution. Please note these applications have a deadline of July 31st, the year prior to the start of the Residency Training Program.

Please note that Visa-Trainee applications which are not submitted through the Queen's University Postgraduate Medical Education Office will not be accepted*

We abide by the PGME equitable applicant selection guidelines. Please see this link: Applicant Selection

Overview of General Surgery

Transition to Discipline (PGY1, 3 months)

The first two weeks of PGY 1 are a surgical foundations bootcamp whereby residents are given a mix of didactic lectures and skills labs to facilitate a smooth transition to residency. PGY 1 residents are not assigned overnight call for the first two weeks of their residency.

After bootcamp, residents continue to have weekly Surgical Foundations protected academic time every Wednesday afternoon. The Surgical Foundations program (PGY 1 and 2 years) includes residents from general surgery, orthopedic surgery, urology and OB/GYN. It consists of a small group of residents, making for a close working relationship.

For the first 3 months of PGY1, we have all our new residents assigned to our various General Surgery CTU Teams. During this time, residents also complete their ATLS training. General surgery rotations for all years are divided amongst 5 clinical teaching units; CTU 1: Colorectal, CTU 2: Hepatobiliary, CTU 3: Oncology and Pediatric Surgery, CTU 4: Acute Care Surgery, CTU 6: Foregut and Bariatric Surgery.

Surgical Foundations (PGY 1 to PGY 2-3, 18-24 months)

Over PGY 1 and 2, residents will have the following blocks in no particular order; two blocks of vascular surgery, two blocks of ICU, two blocks of endoscopy, two blocks of thoracics, one block of ER, one block of plastic surgery and a split bock between anesthesia and radiology. The remaining blocks are General Surgery blocks, with two blocks completed at the Oshawa Lakeridge health site.

PGY 2 residents complete their Surgical Foundations exam in the fall. They are given one week of additional educational leave to facilitate studying and are exempt from call the 10 days before their exam.

About halfway through PGY 2, residents are transitioned into the senior resident role while on call as they are integrated into the night float system. Because of the small-medium program size, residents enjoy a significant amount of patient responsibility, care experience, and operative experience very early in their residency, tailored to the strengths of each residents.

Core of Discipline & Transition to Practice (PGY 3-5, Remainder of Residency)

During the PGY 3 year, residents will spend time in gastroenterology (one block), as well as general surgery (12 blocks, Kingston). Most residents also enjoy a community surgical experience in Napanee, which is 40min outside of Kingston, in either PGY 3 or PGY 4.

The PGY 4 year includes three or four elective blocks depending on the individual resident’s circumstances and interests, seven general surgery blocks in Kingston, and a one block trauma rotation at St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto.

The PGY 5 year is split between the CTU services on general surgery, once again tailored to each specific resident to allow for EPA completion. During the PGY 5 years, residents also participate in senior clinics and senior ORs where they are expected to run the clinic and ORs independently with minimal staff intervention, to simulate a day in their independent practice.

On Call Duties

Junior Call: This is in-house call and is typically covered by PGY 1&2s. Junior residents receive pages from the floor and carry the General Surgery trauma pager. There are no more than one in four nights of call scheduled, with post-call day relief of duties in accordance with the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO).

Senior Call: This is home call, covered by late PGY2s and other senior residents. There is a night float system whereby the residents covering ACS are paired for each both, and they each complete 2 weeks of daytime coverage and 2 weeks of night float (Sunday-Thursday). Residents covering night float do not stay the following day to participate in day-time coverage. This system allows for fewer post-call days interrupting clinical activities for senior residents. Over the weekend, call is covered by other senior residents who are not on night float, but with a significantly decreased call burden.

Senior residents accept consults, review consults with the junior resident and liase with the staff on-call. Though they do not carry the trauma pager, senior residents generally attend any traumas unless there is a simultaneous OR running. Some nights on senior call, residents are also assigned Trauma Team Captain call, in which case they are responsible for running traumas and coordinating further care.

Academic Program

Each Wednesday morning the division holds an Academic Half Day, consisting of a 4-hour block in the morning. Residents are protected from clinical duties at this time and will not be paged, the on-call staff are responsible for ward pages & traumas. There are no elective clinics or endoscopies on Wednesday mornings to minimize conflicts.

The academic schedule includes:

General Surgery Rounds presented by the resident
Interesting cases presented by the resident
Professor Rounds presented by the attending staff
Resident research updates twice a year
Trauma Rounds occur once per month on a Wednesday morning
QI Rounds
Laparoscopic/Endoscopic and technical skill simulation 2-4 sessions/year
Open & Laparoscopic wet labs twice per year

Board examination preparation includes the following for all residents every year of the program:

Quarterly mock oral exams
Biannual Mock Written
Yearly CAGS exam

We also host an Journal Club occurs once per month in the evening. This is a social gathering as well as the opportunity to teach critical appraisal.

Research Opportunities

The Division of General Surgery is actively involved in both clinical and basic science research by both Faculty and Staff. Residents are expected to complete and present at least one research project during their residency. The projects are to be presented at the Annual Department of Surgery Resident Research Day. It is a full day of presentations with a visiting professor and a reception provided in the evening.

There are substantial monetary awards for best papers:
• Best General Surgery Paper ($1,000)
• Best Poster ($500)

In addition, the Division supports the research initiatives of its residents in several ways, one of which is the funding when presenting peer reviewed research projects. We also provide financial support that approximately covers attendence of one educational meeting in the PGY 1 and 2 years, one to two meetings per year in years three and four, and two meetings in the fifth year.

Protected time of one half day per week is available to each resident, to organize individual projects and to carry out some of the data collection. This protected time is made available upon request by the resident, after discussion with the Program Director. With special requests, these half days can be saved and taken as 1 or 2 week blocks. Alternatively, all elective time may be consolidated and used as Research time.

If residents wish to pursue a graduate degree, the program will work with them to accomodate this as possible. The clinical investigators program is supported by the division, and we have had a number of residents take a break in their surgical training to complete degrees at institutions including Harvard, Oxford and the London School of Tropical Medicine.

Life in Kingston

Get to know Kingston

The City of Kingston, situated on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Peoples, is located on the shores of Lake Ontario at the mouth of the St Lawrence and Cataraqui Rivers. It is one of the most historic cities in Canada and is home to approximately 150,000 people who live in the greater Kingston area.

Kingston offers residents and visitors alike an eclectic experience of new and old. Century-old limestone buildings are commonplace; our historic downtown features elegant architecture and the oldest market in the province. Fort Henry and the Rideau Canal have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world-famous Thousand Islands start here. More than 50 national and provincial parks, conservation areas, and historic sites are within a half-hour drive and we boast not only the best freshwater sailing in the world but also some of Ontario’s best diving opportunities.

The city of Kingston continues to be recognized for its high quality of life, offering an urban lifestyle with the comforts of a small town. Almost half of the population commutes less than 6km each day and 12% either walk or bike to work, making it the most walkable city in Ontario.

Cultural opportunities abound as the city boasts 22 museums and galleries, a symphony orchestra, and an active music scene. The downtown has been named as one of Canada’s most vibrant, with more than 100 restaurants, 200 specialty stores, and 400 commercial businesses.

Canada’s Best Small City

Kingston is consistently ranked as one of Canada’s best places to live thanks to its high quality of life. It has also been named as one of the country’s best places to live and work for young professionals due to its entertainment attractions, abundant green space, air quality, and affordable housing. The cost of living and housing in Kingston is substantially less than in larger metropolitan centres, directly benefiting postgraduate residents who choose to live and work here. The city boasts more PhDs per capita than anywhere else in Canada, was named the best Canadian city for women by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and ranked one of the world's best university towns by the BBC. We hope you too will soon call Kingston home.

Resident Life in Kingston

The City of Kingston is one of the primary centres for healthcare in Eastern Ontario. The city’s residents have some of the best access to healthcare in Canada as Kingston ranks second in doctors per 1000 people. In addition, more than 8% of the city’s population are health care professionals, one of the highest percentages in Canada. This large community of health professionals is supportive, collaborative, and easy to access. Our residents also benefit from special arrangements with several family physician practices to take on residents as patients and for those residents with children, the city offers a wide variety of high-quality schools and daycares.

The lifestyle that is possible in Kingston is considered to be one of the strengths of coming to Queen’s for our programs. The City boasts more restaurants per capita than any other city in Canada and many are located in the downtown core, just a short walk from either hospital. There's an active farm-to-table scene, with farmer's markets in the city and a close connection to Frontenac County producers. Major events and festivals are held throughout the year, in addition to an award-winning 6,000-seat downtown arena.

Our residents are a close-knit group and take advantage of Kingston’s many social and recreational opportunities. They enjoy spending time with each other outside of the hospital whether it’s dining out, playing sports, or taking part in recreational activities. The smaller size of our programs helps us to actively foster this collegiality.

Policies

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