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Our Residency Program
What is the overall culture like in the program?
Mac PM&R is pretty easy-going and flexible. Everyone has a voice. We can be serious when we need to, but also know how to have a bit of fun!
How do residents support each other and what is the camaraderie like?
Our residents support each other all the time. Whether it's academic, occupational, or personal, there is always someone who is happy to help.
How does call work for Mac PM&R?
We start covering rehab call in PGY2. We take home call shifts that run from Monday night to Friday morning for weekday call or Friday night to Monday morning for weekend call. We cover weeknights from 5pm-8am and weekends from 8am-8am. We are on call for all admitted rehab patients at the Regional Rehabilitation Centre and Juravinski Hospital for any ward issues that come up.
Can you describe a day in the life of a resident in your program?
Arrival to clinic or the wards typically starts between 8-9am. In clinic, we see outpatient consults and follow-ups throughout the day with staff, pertaining to their area of expertise. This may include stroke, spinal cord injuries, pediatrics, spasticity, sports medicine, EMG, or just general musculoskeletal clinics. On the wards, we round on patients, attend team or family meetings, and see new admissions or consults for the service we are on. The day typically ends around 4-5pm.
What steps does the program take to promote wellness and prevent burnout?
We have several retreats and wellness events throughout the year. We have a welcome BBQ for our first years in July of each year, a resident Christmas party, two staff-resident wellness socials during the year, and a department Christmas retreat. We also have a resident retreat in the winter where we rent out an accommodation and spend a weekend together!
What are off-service rotations like?
Off-service rotations include internal medicine, orthopaedic surgery, rheumatology, a medicine selective, a surgical selective, sports medicine, and chronic pain. Responsibilities vary between each rotation but build a strong foundation for when we return to physiatry in our second year.
Are there opportunities for exposure to subspecialties within PM&R?
The program necessitates we spend core time in all the core facets of physiatry including stroke, spinal cord injury, prosthetics and orthotics, musculoskeletal medicine, neuromuscular, pediatrics, and acquired brain injury.
We are lucky at McMaster to have all subspecialty areas of PM&R on-site including pediatric rehab, cardiac rehab, oncology rehab, and interventional pain. We have plenty of electives in senior years to explore subspecialty areas of interest.
What kinds of hands-on procedural training do residents receive?
Lots of our staff are doing ultrasound guided interventions. This exposure begins in first year and depending on your interest only increases from there. We even have staff doing fluoroscopic guided procedures that we receive exposure to during our first year and can get hands on experience with throughout our residency training.
How does the program help to prepare residents for the Royal College exam?
There are many regular academic sessions throughout the year that help with exam preparation. These include academic half days, case rounds, and journal clubs. We also have workshops such as our annual ultrasound teaching course in the anatomy lab, and our new annual ultrasound-guided spasticity day, where faculty guide residents through in depth ultrasound teaching. Faculty also hold mock OSCE sessions to help with OSCE preparation. We have also implemented new end of rotation examinations, which are purely formative to help residents identify areas of improvement with regard to examination taking.
What recent improvements or innovations have been made to the program?
Improvements are constantly being made to the program through our regular Resident Progress Committee (RPC) meetings where a representative from each year can bring up any concerns or suggestions they have in terms of the program. This has led to many great discussions regarding adding or removing certain rotations, changing call schedules, and even implementing a new welcome gift for our incoming first years!
Professional Development
How accessible are faculty and mentors for teaching, feedback, and research?
Many faculty are open to teaching and feedback when opportunities arise. Clinical time can be incredibly busy at times, but our faculty tend to be able to find time for both formal and/or informal teaching throughout the day.
What are the research opportunities available to residents?
Each resident is required to complete one research project from start to finish. Otherwise, residents can be involved in as much or as little research as they wish. Research topics include our core subspecialties, medical education, pain, musculoskeletal modalities, QI, and much more.
How does the program support residents who are interested in academic medicine or pursuing fellowship training?
Many of our current and previous residents have pursued fellowship training. Our generous elective blocks permit residents to really explore these subspecialties and see if fellowship training would be a good option for any given resident.
What mentorship and supports exist for research projects or academic development?
We have a new incoming post-doctoral fellow who will be helping residents with their research projects. Otherwise, staff are always involved in a number of research projects at a time and are happy to have resident involvement.
What kind of career guidance or mentorship does the program provide?
The program boasts an academic coaching program, where each resident is paired either with a senior resident or a staff member depending on the level of training, and meet regularly to check in on progress in residency and address any concerns a resident might have academically, professionally, or personally. Informal mentorship is common and these connections can form organically with staff you get along with!
Living in Hamilton
What kinds of activities and amenities are available outside of work (restaurants, outdoor activities, cultural events, etc.)?
Hamilton is filled with a ton of restaurants that can suit anybody's palate! The Tiger Cats and Forge FC always have games going on during their seasons. There are lots of different street arts and music festivals downtown throughout the summers as well! If none of those fit your fancy, there are plenty of surrounding cities along the Golden Horseshoe that you can get to easily for day or weekend trips.
How affordable is it to live in Hamilton on a resident’s salary?
There are plenty of rental options are in Hamilton both downtown and up the mountain, Burlington, Ancaster, and Dundas that are affordable on a resident salary. Most residents do have some savings left over at the end of the month.
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