Emergency Medicine (CCFP-EM)

Program Director
Dr. Neil Collins
Foothills Medical Centre
1403 - 29 Street NW
Calgary  AB  T2N 2T9
Phone: (403) 944-1635
Fax: (403) 944-2419
e-mail: judy.mackay@albertahealthservices.ca

Prerequisite
Candidates applying to the Emergency Medicine-CCFP program must have completed two years of training in family medicine.

Program Outline
The University of Calgary CFPC-EM program adheres to the standards and meets the objectives of the CFPC, as outlined in the "Red Book". The program is based at the Foothills Medical Centre, however residents receive their training at four hospitals in Calgary, and also at regional hospitals in Banff and Lethbridge.

The year is comprised of 13 four-week blocks:

Emergency Medicine	7 blocks
ICU	1 block
CCU	1 block
Anesthesia	1 block
Radiology/Toxicology	1 block
Elective	2 blocks

The 28 weeks of emergency medicine include eight weeks of pediatric emergency medicine at the Alberta Children's Hospital and four weeks at the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital, where orthopedics in the E.D. is stressed. The Lethbridge Regional Hospital offers excellent teaching in a regional centre, and is an optional rotation for those residents who see themselves practicing in such a setting.

Pre-hospital care, including Calgary EMS and air medical transport with STARS, is incorporated with the Emergency Medicine rotations in the last two blocks of the year.

Seminars and Rounds
Formal teaching occurs every Thursday, when RCPS and CFPC residents attend rounds together. In addition to four hours of rounds on the university-wide protected academic half-day,
there are Thursday morning departmental academic rounds with the staff. All residents attend these rounds unless on ICU or CCU rotations.

Residents are expected to present at one Journal Club during their year. This is held monthly on a Thursday evening, over supper. Two or three relevant papers are discussed in a structured format, as well as a brief overview of a research or statistical topic. Every January both groups of emergency residents and the staff take a weekend off to meet in the mountains, relax, reflect and discuss issues concerning their programs and medical education.

Research
An academic/research project is an integral part of the program. This project may be a small clinical trial, contribution to ongoing research, a quality improvement study, a case report with literature review, or a survey. All projects are presented in April at Research Day, which is shared with the Calgary RCPSC program and the University of Alberta emergency medicine residency programs.

Resources
The Calgary Health Region Department of Emergency Medicine has approximately 60 emergency physicians, all of whom hold RCPS, CFPC and/or ABEM qualifications. Within this group are three certified toxicologists and numerous physicians qualified in Family Medicine and Pediatrics. The group also has several physicians who are responsible for, and have special expertise in, research, air medical transport, and pre-hospital care. Residents are paired with staff who are enthusiastic and committed to teaching in a preceptor-based model.

Strengths of the Program

• The CFPC-EM and RCPS programs at the University of Calgary are closely connected, giving a group of approximately 12 residents who learn together and teach each other in a non-competitive, collegial environment.

• Clinical Emergency Medicine rotations are preceptor-based with qualified, enthusiastic staff in high volume, high acuity departments.

• The resident's role in all of the emergency department rotations (and most of the other rotations) is that of learner, not service provider.

• Toxicology. The Poison and Drug Information Centre (PADIS) for Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan is located at the Foothills Medical Centre. We are fortunate in having four board-certified toxicologists who are excellent teachers and are formally involved in the emergency medicine program.

• Pre-hospital care. Both of the medical directors for STARS air ambulance and Calgary EMS are CHR staff physicians. They are preceptors for residents on their pre-hospital care rotations, teach clinically, and participate in the rounds schedule.

• ICU. This rotation has its own rounds component, and excellent clinical teaching in addition to the volume and acuity of patients typical of a tertiary care hospital.

• Pediatric Emergency Medicine. The Alberta Children's Hospital offers excellent clinical teaching and weekly HPS with dedicated pediatric emergency physicians.

Selection Criteria
Applicants are strongly recommended to have:

• at least one reference from an emergency physician
• demonstrated an interest in emergency medicine
• completed a quality ICU rotation.