Welcome to Queen’s University’s Residency training Program in Geriatric Psychiatry!
The Residency Program in Geriatric Psychiatry is approved by the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada. Training will be carried out at five sites in the Kingston area, each of which has a site director to help facilitate the residents’ learning activities. The division of Geriatric Psychiatry is comprised of a very strong faculty complement with a national reputation for excellence in research and pioneering development in the field of Geriatric Psychiatry. Our faculty is actively involved in our national organization, the Canadian Academy of Geriatric Psychiatry (CAGP) as well as the CAGP online review course. Several of our residents have been supported by our faculty in research projects and have been recipients of the CAGP trainee awards. Our faculty members also play an active role in the Royal College Geriatric Psychiatry Specialty Committee.
Our program is also notable as the first Geriatric Psychiatry program in the country to have implemented a competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum and training program. This officially commenced July 1, 2018 although elements were in place prior to the official date as well.
In July 2021 all Geriatric Psychiatry programs were transitioned to Competence by Design (CBD), the Royal College framework of CBME. At Queen’s, we piloted the Royal College Geriatric Psychiatry EPAs in the 2020 academic year which has allowed us to trouble shoot any challenges with the online educational platform, refine assessments, strategically design the rotation schedule in order to best achieve the EPAs, as well as incorporate resident input. Each resident is assigned an academic advisor who meets with the resident regularly to monitor progress, review their electronic portfolio and mentor the resident to ensure their success in CBD.
The program director has an open door policy in addition to formally meeting with the residents on a regularly-scheduled basis. There is an emphasis on resident wellness and safety, which is a topic discussed at each RPC and individually with residents as well.
A rich curriculum has been developed using the CBD framework that incorporates the new Royal College accreditation standards, Geriatric Psychiatry Clinical Training experiences, as well as CanMEDs roles at a subspecialist level. Faculty from various departments and divisions facilitate academic sessions, and the Geriatric Psychiatry faculty members participate actively in these sessions as well, leading to rich academic discussions.
Some of the other strengths of our program include the opportunity for the residents to work with richly collaborative multidisciplinary teams across different clinical settings; exposure to outreach visits in both urban and rural settings; and a close collaboration with our acute care hospitals, which also includes the Behaviour Supports Transition Unit. The Division of Geriatric Psychiatry also has close ties and regular educational events with our Geriatric Medicine colleagues which lays a fertile ground for collaboration in education and research. Our division is academically orientated and there are numerous opportunities for the residents to engage in research in diverse areas including educational and clinical research, as well as several teaching opportunities at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. Training is tailored to suit the residents’ learning objectives, with protected time to meet the residents’ educational needs in addition to their clinical activities within the framework of the Royal College training requirements. Academic time is also protected on off-service rotations. The residents also have access to a budget for educational resources and conferences.
IMG applicants accepted into programs in Ontario have return of service (ROS) requirements mandated by the ministry. Please refer to the following link for details: www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/hhrsd/physicians/ros.aspx#IMG
For further information about the Geriatric Psychiatry residency program, please contact the Program Director, Dr. Maria Hussain, at hussainm@providencecare.ca