Emergency Medicine

Welcome to the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at the University of Alberta.

 

EACH SHIFT IS
1 - ON - 1 WITH STAFF

 

EMERGENCY MEDICINE  IS NOT SERVICE-BASED: YOU ARE THERE TO LEARN

 

OUR RESIDENTS RECEIVE 2-3 EPA'S PER DAY

 

How to Apply

RCPSC Program

The RCPSC Emergency Medicine program only accepts applications through the Canadian Resident Matching Service. See the CaRMS website for eligibility and timelines.

There are 7 positions available.

 

Candidates shall be evaluated on the basis of:

  • Academic records, with attention paid to proficiency in subjects related to the discipline of emergency medicine.
  • Three reference letters. Additional letters are accepted.
  • A personal letter
  • Interviews

Specifically, the evaluation process shall assess the following:

  • Leadership in college or medical school
  • Commitment to the discipline of emergency medicine
  • Creativity in life adjustments and achievement of educational goals
  • Human relations skills
  • Motivation and persistence
  • Commitment to affect change
  • Decision-making ability and maturity under stress
  • Likelihood of making a significant contribution to emergency medicine.
To set up resident electives please contact the program administrator at emergpg@ualberta.ca

Program Org Chart

Contact Us

David Ha | BSc, MD, FRCPC
Program Director

Joanne Norum | MD, FRCPC
Associate Program Director

Yang Li | MD, MPH, FRCPC
Associate Program Director

Jenni Marshall
Program Administrator
Email: emergpg@ualberta.ca

Our Lead Residents
Email: rcpsem@ualberta.ca 


Dr. David Ha

Dr. David Ha | BSc, MD, FRCPC
Program Director

Photo credit: Dr. Grace Connors
Welcome to Our Program

Emergency Medicine is intense, challenging, and rewarding, all at the same time.

Welcome to the University of Alberta’s Royal College Emergency Medicine Residency Program! Thank you for visiting our website and for your interest in the program. 

Emergency Medicine continues to be a discipline with opportunities for growth and excellence. We want to continue our goal of being one of the premier training grounds for emergency medicine in the country. Our program’s top mandate is to give you the resources you need to become the emergency physician you want to be and to become leaders in any niche of emergency medicine you want to call your own. We want you to leave the residency knowing that you have the skills and experiences not only to run any department in the country or around the world, but also with the confidence that you will have the abilities to effect change locally, nationally or internationally. 

Our program is blessed with a huge catchment area, several high-level tertiary and community emergency departments as well as outstanding teachers who will work to provide you with the foundation needed to become an elite emergency physician. And most importantly, we have an absolutely dynamic, collegial and fun-loving resident group, whose support, encouragement and camaraderie will be essential in making these five years of learning and development some of the most impactful and enjoyable of your career. 

We encourage you to explore our website and ask any member of our team questions that you may have. We are definitely excited at the prospect of continuing to add the next generation of emergency medicine leaders to our team!


Our Program

We are a fully accredited program that follows the guidelines set out by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

  • Our catchment area is from Red Deer to the far north.
  • You work with staff one - on - one.
  • Innovative curriculum tailored to each stage of training.
Group Photo

Program Highlights

highlight-card-coloursartboard-7.jpg

Our catchment area is from Red Deer to the far north.

...

You work with staff one - on - one.

...

Innovative curriculum tailored to each stage of training.


Residency at a Glance

Learn about each year of the program with an overview of each year.

Year 1 (Transition to Discipline/Foundations)
24 weeks - Emergency Medicine
4 weeks - Pediatric Emergency Medicine
4 weeks - Anesthesia
4 weeks - Internal Medicine
4 weeks - CCU
4 weeks - Obstetrics and Gynaecology
4 weeks - General Surgery
4 weeks - Vacation
Year 2 (Core)
20 weeks - Emergency Medicine
4 weeks - Pediatric Emergency Medicine
4 weeks - Psychiatry
4 weeks - Point of Care Ultrasound
4 weeks - Plastic Surgery
2 weeks - Sports Medicine
2 weeks - Pediatric Anesthesia
2 weeks - Neurosurgery
2 weeks - Neurology
4 weeks - Elective
4 weeks - Vacation
Year 3 (Core)
20 weeks - Emergency Medicine
4 weeks - Pediatric Emergency Medicine
4 weeks - Emergency Medical Services
12 weeks - Critical Care 
4 weeks - Pediatric Critical Care
4 weeks - Elective
4 weeks - Vacation
Year 4 (Core)
4 weeks - Emergency Medicine
4 weeks - Pediatric Emergency Medicine
8 weeks - Elective
4 weeks - Vacation
Year 5 (Transition to Practice)
24 weeks - Area of Concentrated Interest
20 weeks - Emergency Medicine
4 weeks - Pediatric Emergency Medicine
4 weeks - Vacation

Teaching Hospitals

The Department of Emergency Medicine at University of Alberta provides a postgraduate training program in the specialty of Emergency Medicine, accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Emergency Medicine is a 5 year Competence by Design program at multiple sites throughout the Edmonton area.


 

University of Alberta Hospital

The UofA Hospital is the main tertiary care centre for Northern Alberta and is situated on the campus of the University of Alberta. The hospital is a major transplantation centre and a designated trauma centre. The department sees over 73,000 patients per year. The Emergency Department deals with many high acuity patients with complicated medical illnesses and a wide variety of trauma.

University of Alberta Hospital

Stollery Children's Hospital

Pediatric Emergency Medicine rotations are carried out at the Stollery Children's Hospital at the University of Alberta. This department receives approximately 20,000 visits per year. These numbers have continued to grow per annum since opening September 27th, 2000.

Stollery Children's Hospital

Royal Alexandra Hospital

The Royal Alexandra Hospital is a large tertiary care centre serving the urban centre of Edmonton seeing over 66,000 patients per year. It is a designated trauma centre and has a high volume, high acuity emergency department.

Royal Alexandra Hospital

Grey Nuns, Misericordia, Strathcona, & Sturgeon Community Hospitals

The Grey Nuns, Misericordia, Strathcona, and Sturgeon Hospitals are community hospitals with active emergency departments. Residents rotate through these community hospitals as both junior and senior learners. The Grey Nuns receives 55,000 visits per year, Misericordia 46,000 visits per year, the Strathcona receives 36,176 visits per year, and the Sturgeon 46,000 visits per year.

Grey Nuns

Misericordia

Strathcona

Sturgeon

Northeast Health Centre

The Northeast Health Centre (NEHC) is a free standing Emergency Department serving as an ambulatory care facility. Residents rotate through the NEHC as part of their rotations at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

Northeast Health Centre

Westview Health Centre

 

WestView Health Centre in Stony Plain, Alberta, 30 km west of Edmonton, provides acute care for patients located in the immediate western vicinity of Edmonton.

Westview Health Centre

UAH and STARS helicopter

Frequently Asked Questions

What is your residency program’s orientation and focus?
  • Our program is very focused on preparing you to be a competent consultant emergency physician. Academic Day, journal club, various rounds, clinical learning, direct observation in the emergency department, and specific exam preparation in our final year of training allow us every opportunity for success on our Royal College certification exam.
  • The CanMEDS competencies are an essential part of our evaluation scheme, ensuring that we become complete physicians. Our goal is to produce leaders in the field of emergency medicine at all levels including our own city, the country and also internationally.
What is the availability of experiences in subspecialty areas during training?
  • As one can imagine, EM residents spend a great deal of their clinical time gaining skills and knowledge in various “off-service” rotations. Currently we do rotations in surgical subspecialties including orthopedics, plastic surgery and neurosurgery. Medical subspecialties rotations include critical care and cardiology. Emergency subspecialty rotations include EMS (emergency medical services), Trauma, and Toxicology.

  • With our extensive elective time residents have spent time in other subspecialties including: research, medical education, air medical transport, infectious diseases, neurology, pulmonology, the STI Clinic, rural emergency medicine, wilderness medicine, and ophthalmology to name a few. Of course we also spend significant time in other off service rotations not traditionally considered subspecialties including general surgery, medicine and obstetrics.
Are there sufficient elective opportunities during training to explore your special interests?

Residents will complete an Area of Specialist Leadership during their residency.In recent years, areas of focus have included (but are not limited to):

  • Critical Care Medicine
  • Ethics
  • Geriatric Emergency Medicine
  • Sports Medicine
  • Simulation
  • Medical Education
  • Informatics
  • Air Transport
  • Disaster Medicine
  • ED Ultrasound
  • Toxicology
  • Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  • Refugee Health
  • Inner City Health
  • Trauma
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Master’s degrees in Business, Public Health & Epidemiology, Education
  • Prehospital and Transport Medicine (formerly EMS)
What is the on-call schedule during each year of residency?

Residents generally do call during the first 3 years of residency when we do the majority of our off service rotations. Call requirements are outlined in the PARA contract. More information may be obtained on the PARA website www.para-ab.ca.

Is there active and/or required research in your residency program?
  • The Department of Emergency Medicine is actively involved in EM research at local, national, and international levels. Current areas of research include ED Overcrowding, Health outcomes, Acute Asthma/COPD care, Pediatric CT Head Rules, prehospital care, air medical transport, and medical education (pretty much every area of EM you can think of!).

  • It is expected that each resident will complete a scholarly project. This project is defined as the production and dissemination of a scholarly project suitable for dissemination at a national or international level. Examples of projects include systematic reviews, prospective surveys, chart reviews, case control studies, educational modules, and quality assurance projects.
Briefly describe a typical day.
Arrive at a shift, take handover from the doctor going home, noting all the things that need to be completed.Start seeing patients, see the sickest first and frequently reassess them as you are taking care of the less acute patients. See the trauma patient, do a shoulder reduction, assess the short of breath 85-year old, suture a laceration, arrange for a patient with MI to go to the cath lab, decide if someone is suicidal, eat when you can. Breathe. Shift is over in 8 hours, stay an extra hour or two to clean up.
Specifically, how able is your specialty to accommodate family life?
Shift work has its bonuses and drawbacks. While you may have to work 2 out of 4 weekends and some holidays, you have days off during the week. During these times you may pick-up your child from school, do your banking business or just about anything nobody else has time for. With shift work, it is common for staff to “stack” 4 or 5 together in order to take an extended number of days off. Further, staff are usually able to trade shifts easily to accommodate various circumstances. One of the best things about shift work is that when you leave the hospital no one calls or pages you and your free time is pretty much yours.
Is resident wellness prioritized in your program?
The University of Alberta Emergency Medicine program makes a dedicated effort to encourage resident wellness. Trainee wellbeing is a priority through both formal and informal wellness activities. We are very lucky to have several staff in the city with a special interest in resident wellness who have developed a curriculum that is formally integrated into our academic full-days. We also have staff wellness mentors who are available for anything from a check-in, to a “heart-to-heart” or a breakfast after a long night shift. We also have dedicated time for group resident wellness activities — sometimes it’s lunch before a dog walk, or sometimes we hit the rock climbing gym, an escape room, or laser tag. One of my favourite events each year is our annual Program Retreat. Each February in Jasper or Kananaskis, we all get together to review our program, have resident wellness sessions, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Informally, I cannot say enough about the support provided by my co-residents. When we are aren’t at work, chances are you’ll find a bunch of us hanging out together around the city or going on a trip together (pre-COVID!). Without exception, our Program Directors, staff, and administrators are so understanding of the demands of residency and genuinely want us to be well throughout our training.

Resident Testimonials

We asked our residents what they like about Edmonton, their highlights of the program, and one piece of advice for applicants about the interview process. Here is what a few of them had to say.

Group photo

 

Group Photo

 

Group Photo

 

Simulation

 

STARS

 

Mountains

 

Group Halloween

What are the highlights of the program for you?

Absolutely number one is our PD, Dave, our staff, and the amazing resident group we have! It is the most supportive and fun environment which makes it a dream job for your next 5 years. The clinical exposure is also top-notch with unparalleled acuity, complexity, and breadth of responsibility where we do all of our own procedures. But at the end of the day, the best highlights are all the fun we have with staff and our resident group!
I am from Saskatchewan, and as an out of province resident I felt immediately welcomed into the program by residents and staff. The acuity and volume of resuscitations in Edmonton is incredible. The staff are always excited to have resident learners and go out of their way to teach you. Also, as a young female physician, I have loved training in Edmonton where there are more than a proportionate amount of FRCPC female staff to look up to!
The administrative/leadership team is incredible, and we are lucky to have such a dedicated group of staff involved in the program. The clinical exposure we get in Edmonton is spectacular - we have one of the largest catchment areas in Canada, plus we're one of the biggest pediatric hospitals, so we get to see weird and wonderful clinical cases all the time. It is amazing to look forward to going to work every day.
Our program is flexible and supports residents in any endeavour. In 2023, a group of residents went to Cape Town, South Africa for the renowned trauma elective. Our Program Director was so supportive and helped us to make it happen. Photo attached of our cohort in the Tygerberg Trauma Emergency Department in Cape Town, South Africa.

What do you like about Edmonton?

I had the opportunity to live in a few other major Canadian cities before settling in Edmonton - the cost of living is comparably low, the commutes are very reasonable, the city is appreciably diverse/cosmopolitan, and there's a community here that's seemingly built for everyone. I moved here for medical school and never left!
Edmonton is a big city that feels small. Edmonton boasts a community that helps people feel at home and find their place, and there is truly something for everyone, whether you enjoy outdoor activity, art, theatre, music, food, drinks, festivals, or anything in between. A perfect day for me in Edmonton looks like a coffee walk in the River Valley with a friend or a run along the river, followed by trying any of the incredible restaurant options and finishing up with Made by Marcus Ice Cream or a hang at one of our brewery patios!
The recent Stanley Cup parades are probably number one but also the amazing summers where there's always a festival going on (Folk Fest is a must!), fantastic river valley system for the bikers and runners out there, fantastic restaurant and brewery scene for my type of people, and how easy it is to get around so you don't spend all day after work in your car!
Edmonton's food and drink scene is seriously unbeatable! I have lived here for three years and am still trying something new every time I go out! Everyone says this, but it is absolutely true, the river valley is incredible! Within 5 minutes, you do not even feel like you are in a city anymore!

What is one piece of advice you want to share with applicants about the interview process, starting with the U of A, or residency in general?

Reach out to us for a chat! We love to get to know interested medical students and give you a sneak peak into what our residency program is like!

Just be yourself! There is no single type of personality construct that fits well in emergency medicine - as long as you work hard and care about the work that you do, all the pieces will fall into place.
Residency is an important time when you'll be going through some ups and downs not just from a career perspective but perhaps even from a personal standpoint. We are more than happy to get to know you and share our experiences and perspectives as you navigate through CARMS finding the right fit for you!

CaRMS is a really tough process, so I would encourage all applicants to give yourself grace and remember that the format/algorithm is never going to fully capture what makes you a unique and incredible person. You are so much more than this process! Wherever you can, try to be open and honest about what your passions are and what aspects of our program will help you bring those passions to life.