Emergency Medicine

This residency program is for 1 year(s)

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

Overview

The University of Alberta Family Medicine-Emergency Medicine (FM-EM) Program began in July of 1993 and has since graduated over 140 residents who now work throughout Canada. Since its inception, the program has been designed to produce physicians who are able to work in any emergency department, from rural to quaternary care.

One of the keys to success in Edmonton is the large number of learners. The FM-EM residents work and learn alongside the RCPS Emergency Medicine and Pediatric Emergency Medicine programs in a collegial environment that gives them a larger pool of colleagues to work and attend rounds with. This tightly knit group shares in the many dedicated faculty members with expertise in Evidence Based Medicine, EMS Systems, Disaster Medicine, Medical Education, Pediatric and Adult Trauma, Clinical Research and Health Administration, Emergency Department Ultrasound, and Human Patient Simulation. With this dedicated faculty, the University of Alberta formed Canada's fourth Department of Emergency Medicine in 2004.

Simulation has become a big feature in our program with a summer Bootcamp in the first 2-3 months which features a lot of Simulation training and hands-on procedural training. Also, the ultrasound training has been adapted to cover the EDE 1 material and by the end of the year, you will be CPoCUS IP eligible should you choose to take the CPoCUS exam. All residents will also do a CCU senior rotation towards the end of their year. There are ECG rounds each month. It is encouraged to have a current certification in ACLS, ATLS, NRP and PALS done before starting the year as they are mandatory for certain rotations. Residents are also encouraged to complete their CPoCUS IP certification prior to entry into the program as it is a busy year and having this certification allows the resident to integrate their IP knowledge during the year.

The year is intense, but residents are provided great academic support and flexibility to meet their learning needs. The program is centred in Edmonton, and most rotations occur at the two tertiary care hospitals - the Royal Alexandra, and the University. Additionally, all residents spend time in a community hospital in Edmonton, and two months in our regional centres (Lethbridge and/or Red Deer). We have also incorporated a guided selective for all residents which allows them to choose between General Surgery, Orthopedics, or a regional Emergency Medicine rotation. Priority is given to General Surgery or Orthopedics if neither of those rotations were done during the FM year. For residents who have done both General Surgery and Orthopedics - they can choose amongst any of the selective options.

The FM-EM program is a very structured year. Despite this, the program retains flexibility and self-directed learners flourish in Edmonton. There is a comprehensive academic program including monthly Core Content Rounds where you get exams to test your recall of reading assignments from the last month and prepare you for the certification exam.

 Leadership 

Dr. Navdeep Dhaliwal Dr. Dhaliwal is a full time Emergency Physician at the Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton, and is also the program director of the CFPC-EM residency program. His postgraduate residency training was done through the University of Alberta where he initially started as the co-chief resident in the CFPC-EM program and worked his way through as the Assistant Program director. He was lucky to have experienced the acute trauma environment of Detroit during his medical school education - where his initial love of Emergency Medicine was established. Dr. Dhaliwal is originally from Osoyoos, British Columbia. In his spare time he can be found training Taekwondo with his family, playing with his children, or travelling.

Dr. Michael Lai Michael is a full time Emergency Physician at the Grey Nuns Hospital. He is currently enjoying his new role as assistant program director of the CFPC-EM residency program. Michael completed his medical school training and family medicine residency at the University of Alberta, and completed his emergency medicine training at the University of Manitoba. He is originally from Calgary where he completed his Bachelors of Science. Outside of clinical work, Michael enjoys playing hockey, spending time outdoors golfing, and playing volleyball.

 R-3 Rotations

EM Program FAQs

Click here to download the EM Program FAQ sheet

Quick Facts

• The combined Emergency Medicine resident groups at the University of Alberta boasts nearly 40 residents between the FM-EM, Peds EM and RCPS EM residents.
• There is opportunity for horizontal time in Family Medicine throughout the academic year if desired.
• Each resident has access to a wellness mentor to assist with the personal and academic demands of the year.
• We have high-fidelity Human Patient Simulators with an extensive curriculum built into the year.
• An annual residents retreat is held in Jasper, Alberta.
• There is a Disaster Medicine Curriculum involving learning modules.
• Each resident is assigned an academic advisor with whom they also do horizontal EM shifts throughout the year and meet every four months to review their academic progress to date.

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