Research and Residency
Research is considered to be an integral part of the residency program. There is a mandatory research project that must be completed by the end of residency. The research project is seen as a vehicle around which skills in literature review, critical assessment, research methodology, statistics, writing, and time management are developed.
Curriculum on research related topics occurs throughout the four years of the program. Various blocks of time have been allocated to research during the PGY-2 and PGY-3 curricula. Wednesday half days can be designated to research projects during the fourth and fifth years of residency.
The Department has a number of resources available for development of research interests. There are three faculty advisors who are available to help residents in the early development of their research interests. Residents are then put in contact with faculty mentor/supervisors, usually in an area related to the resident’s research interest. The faculty member provides ongoing support.
Residents are also provided with time to discuss their research in a peer group through regular research forums conducted by the Research Section within the Department. Residents are able to apply for limited funding up to $10,000 in competition with others from the Department of Psychiatry. They will also have access to funds from the Kilpatrick Endowment to a maximum of $1,500 per year for workshop and conference travel and textbook purchases. Residents are also eligible for research funding from the QEII Research Fund. There is also a dedicated research fund for residents, supporting up to $2,500 per resident.
Residents presenting their work at regional, national, or international conferences can access additional financial travel support and are allowed three additional days of conference leave.
Residents are also able to take advantage of the clinical research fellowships through the Department.
Residents have access to secretarial support for preparation of grant applications, manuscripts, and other office support as required.
Research Day and Awards: Research Section co-ordinates an annual Research Day, where medical students, residents, fellows, faculty members, and allied mental health professionals share the results of their recent research and invited experts give presentations on "state-of-the-art" research topics. Awards are presented for the top resident presentation and poster. Winners advance to a Faculty of Medicine Research Day.
Learning Resources
New residents are oriented to the Medical School's Kellogg Library. This library has an extensive collection of medical text and journals, many of them on-line, as well as access to computers for literature searching.
Well equipped libraries exist at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, the IWK Health Centre, and The Nova Scotia Hospital with access to specialty textbooks, journals, reference materials, and internet resources. The Atlantic Health Sciences Centre in Saint John also has an extensive medical library.
The Department holds an on-line access licence for the standard Psychiatry textbook (Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry by Kaplan and Sadock), which is accessible to all residents and staff around the clock, from both in-house and off-site locations.
The Education Office has two computer workstations with internet access dedicated for residents' use which allows searching of medical literature and opportunities to access online e-journals through the Dalhousie library facilities. There are dedicated residents rooms in The Nova Scotia Hospital and QEII equipped with computers and internet access.
Vacation and Conference Leave
Each resident has four weeks (or 20 week days) of vacation and five week days of Conference Leave per year. Residents are required to split up their vacation by taking two weeks out of the first six months and the last six months, with no more than five days of vacation taken as individual days. In cases of extraordinary circumstances, whereby a resident cannot use or needs to organize vacation days, the resident must apply to the program director in writing for approval.
Preparation for Qualifying Exams
In PGY-2, residents are permitted to use their five days of Conference Leave for "study leave" to prepare for the LMCC Part II.
In PGY-5 year, the program allows the following leave to allow for travel and attendance at the following courses and to prepare our residents
for the RCPSC oral and written qualifying exams. This time can only be used as outlined below:
- Ottawa Review Course (up to five days)
- Interviewing Skills Review Course (up to five days)
- Exam Preparation (up to five calendar days prior to either the written
or oral exam. e.g. You may take two days before oral and three days before written for a total of five days OR you may take five days before the written exam)
Dalhousie Psychiatric Resident's Association (DPRA)
All Residents are members of DPRA. The Association meets once a month on Wednesdays. The meeting is informal and restricted to Residents. We extend invitations to the meeting, at times, to non-members who wish to discuss a subject that is of interest to the residents.
Professional Association of Residents in the Maritime Provinces (PARI-MP)
Established in 1969, the Professional Association of Residents in the Maritime Provinces (PARI-MP) represents the interests of approximately 450 resident physicians training at Dalhousie University. These residents work in hospitals and health centres throughout Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
PARI-MP is a non-profit, volunteer organization, run by a Board of Directors made up of residents. The PARI-MP staff consists of an Executive Director, Administrative Assistant, Communications Coordinator, Benefits Coordinator, and Recruitment Coordinator. PARI-MP staff manage the day-to-day activities of the Association and provide the Board with support and guidance.
In addition to negotiating the Collective Agreement and improving working conditions, PARI-MP works constantly to improve the well-being of its members. Some of our larger well-being initiatives include our quarterly newsletter, PARIscope, monthly social, recreational and family functions, information seminars, a family physician list for residents new to the Maritimes, and an annual bursary program.
PARI-MP works with a number of organizations to advocate on residents; behalf. We have open communication with the teaching hospitals, Dalhousie University, the Maritime Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, the Maritime Medical Societies, the Maritime Departments of Health, as well as numerous committees and boards across the healthcare spectrum.
PARI-MP is a member organization of the Canadian Association of Interns and Residents (CAIR). Through CAIR, we work with residents' organizations across Canada to address issues on a national level.
For more information about PARI-MP, visit:
http://www.parimp.ca/
5991 Spring Garden Rd, Suite 460
Halifax, NS B3H 1Y6
Phone: (902) 404-3595
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