Geriatric Medicine Residency At a Glance
After three years of Core Internal Medicine training, the subspecialty training in Geriatric Medicine is a two-year program, approved by the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada.
PGY-4
The first year of residency is comprised of the following:
- 4 weeks on an Ambulatory care rotation, primarily in Geriatric medicine as well as Continence Clinic
- 4 weeks on the University of Alberta Hospital (UAH) Acute Care of the Elderly (ACE) inpatient unit
- 4 weeks at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) on the ACE Unit and on the inpatient consultation team
- 4 weeks on the UAH inpatient Geriatric consultation team
- 4 weeks on the Geriatric Rehabilitation Unit at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital (GRH)
- 4 weeks in Geriatric Psychiatry at the GRH, managing voluntary older adults with mood/behavioural disorders
- 4 weeks at Villa Caritas, a Geriatric Psychiatry service that deals with patients with behavioural problems that require inpatient assessment and treatment
- 4 weeks for Research
- 16 weeks of Electives
- Weekly longitudinal outpatient clinic at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic (KEC) or GRH with a single Geriatrician preceptor
Annually, residents have:
- 4 weeks of vacation time
- Additional days off as per the Resident Physician Agreement with the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA)
- Funding is available for residents to attend a conference annually during their residency.
PGY-5
The second year of residency is comprised of the following:
- 4 weeks on the inpatient ACE unit at the UAH as a junior attending physician
- 4 weeks on the inpatient Geriatric consultation team at the UAH as a junior attending physician
- 4 weeks on the inpatient ACE and consultation teams at the RAH as a junior attending physician
- 4 weeks on a Palliative care rotation, including inpatient consultations, outpatient clinics and time spent on the Tertiary Palliative Care Unit
- 20 weeks of Electives
- 4 weeks for Research (this can be increased depending on the scope of the project)
- 4 weeks of Ambulatory care
- 4 weeks of Home Living, assessing patients in their homes
- Weekly longitudinal outpatient clinic at the KEC or GRH
Annually, residents have:
- 4 weeks of vacation time
- Additional days off as per the Resident Physician Agreement with the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA)
- Funding is available for residents to attend a conference annually during their residency.
Academic Half-days
An academic half-day is organized every Tuesday afternoon to provide structured educational activities, including
- Geriatric Grand Rounds
- Interactive sessions on selected geriatric syndromes
- Journal club
- Clinical skills teaching
- Presentations by the Geriatric Medicine resident, the Care of the Elderly resident and rotating Internal Medicine residents.
Teaching Hospitals
University of Alberta Hospital (UAH)
The University of Alberta Hospital, situated in the Walter Mackenzie Health Centre (WMC), is the main teaching site for the University of Alberta. The WMC also contains the Mazankowski Heart Institute and the Stollery Children's Hospital. UAH is the centre of a health-care hub, surrounded by the Kaye Edmonton Clinic, Zeidler Ledcor Centre, Dianne and Irving Kipnes Health Research Academy, Cross Cancer Institute, Clinical Sciences Building and the Katz Group/Rexall Centre. Every building is connected by a pedway, which is especially helpful during winter. It has an open-concept design, maximizing resident exposure to sunlight. The WMC also has four coffee shops as well as a 24-hour Tim Hortons. The Clinical Sciences Building (CSB) houses the Geriatric Medicine Division Office on the first floor.
Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH)
The Royal Alexandra Hospital offers in-patient acute care for older adults, including geriatric consultation service and a care unit for acute medical conditions and related functional decline.
Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital (GRH)
The Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital offers a wide range of Geriatric cognitive services to help people recover from injuries and illnesses:
Grey Nuns Community Hospital
The Grey Nuns Community Hospital is located in south Edmonton, approximately 20 minutes by car from the University of Alberta Hospital. Residents are required to do one rotation in the first year on the Geriatric Outpatient - Medicine unit.
Misericordia Community Hospital
The Misericordia Community Hospital is located in west Edmonton. Residents may select a rotation at the MIS for an elective.
- Geriatric Health Services In-patient Services
- Geriatric Outpatient - Medicine
Kaye Edmonton Clinic (KEC)
The Kaye Edmonton Clinic is home to nearly 100 specialized outpatient clinics, conveniently located under one roof. Together, multi-disciplinary teams provide services including diagnosis, consultation, treatment and rehabilitation services. Located in the KEC is the Senior's Clinic where most Geriatricians hold weekly clinics.