> Home > Teaching Programs > Postgraduate Medical Education (Residency Program)

Postgraduate Medical Education (Residency Program)

Program Description

Resources

Through an integrated program of clinical placements and academic seminars, the UBC Psychiatry Residency Program is designed to achieve the goals of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the University of British Columbia.

The Department of Psychiatry currently offers training throughout its distributed residency programs. The following positions are available through CaRMS:

Vancouver Program (12 positions, including 2 IMG positions and 2 Research positions)
Fraser Health Greater Vancouver Program (6 positions)

Vancouver Island Program (3 positions)
Prince George Program (1 position)

All programs are administered through the UBC Department of Psychiatry. The standards and training requirements are uniform across all distributed sites. Allocation for the PGY1 year can be in Vancouver or Victoria—in the absence of volunteers for the Victoria site Residents are randomly selected by the Postgraduate Associate Deans’ office. Currently the Victoria placement is for one year.

General Hospitals

Vancouver Hospital (VGH)
St. Paul's Hospital (SPH)
Richmond Hospital (RH)
Peace Arch Hospital (PAH)
BC Children's Hospital (BCCH)
Lion's Gate Hospital (LGH)
Mount St. Joseph's Hospital (MSJH)
Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH)
Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH)
University of British Columbia Hospital (UBCH)
Royal Jubilee Hospital, Victoria (RJH)
University Hospital of Northern BC, Prince George (UHNBC)

Rural Sites

Duncan
Comox
Nanaimo
Penticton
Prince George
Vernon
Nelson/Trail
Kamloops

Special Training Sites

The Vancouver Community Mental Health System (VCMHS) is comprised of community-based, multi-disciplinary mental health teams catering to the needs of clients suffering from chronic mental illness.
BC Children's Hospital is the tertiary care pediatric hospital for the Province of British Columbia.
Forensic Services is affiliated with the Forensic Psychiatric Services Commission and provides extensive clinical experience in the assessment and treatment of adults in conflict with the law, including the opportunity to participate in intensive treatment of sexual offenders. Residents may choose to do their Chronic Care rotation at FPI. There are also opportunities for Outreach placements and research.
Specialized Geriatric Psychiatric Services are offered through MSJH, VGH, RH, RCH and PAH.
Outreach Community Placement provides training in general community psychiatry in suburban areas outside of Vancouver, designated rural sites in the province and outreach facilities providing consultation to outlying areas in the province on a regular basis.
The Psychiatric Assessment Unit (PAU) in the VGH is unique in Canada. Between 200-300 acute patients are assessed monthly. Supervision is provided by several clinical supervisors. There is a mandatory 3-month rotation for all Residents at this unit.
Clinical investigation units dedicated to research, evaluation and clinical service are well established in Mood Disorders at UBCH and in Schizophrenia/Psychosis at VGH.
The Neuropsychiatry Unit at UBCH evaluates and treats disorders of mood, behaviour, cognition and intellect produced by disturbances in brain structure and function. A fundamental goal is the understanding of how the brain mediates mental problems.
The Reproductive Psychiatry Program, based both at BC Women's Hospital and SPH, evaluates and treats women with psychiatric problems associated with their reproductive years.
The Sleep Disorders Program is a multidisciplinary program based at UBCH with inpatient/outpatient programs involved in the assessment and evaluation of sleep disorders.
The Division of Sexual Medicine provides clinical services to patients with sexual dysfunctions and gender dysphoria through the BC Centre for Sexual Medicine at VGH. The Sexual Medicine Consultation Clinic is part of VCMHS and provides consultation services to both patients with severe mental illness and their therapists. Both sites also provide opportunities for education and research.
SPH offers residency training opportunities in the assessment and management of patients with Chronic Pain and HIV-related psychiatric illnesses.
The Eating Disorders Clinic at SPH evaluates and treats disorders associated with eating through inpatient/outpatient and outreach programs.
Hillside Centre in Kamloops provides specialized tertiary services for adult and geriatric patient from the southern and northern interior of BC, while the neuropsychiatry program there provides specialized services for the province, as part of the BC Neuropsychiatry program linked with the UBC site. South Hills provides tertiary psychosocial rehabilitation and sub-acute stabilization for people from throughout IHA with severe, refractory illness in a community setting.
In the unique setting of Vancouver's multicultural society, the Multicultural Psychiatry Program emphasizes: an academic and research base combined with service at ambulatory and inpatient levels; the acquisition of skills through electives; and the sensitization of all staff to these areas through active liaison and teaching at all levels.
Riverview Hospital is dedicated to the care of patients suffering from chronic mental illness with research and rehabilitation facilities.

Quick Facts

There are opportunities to pursue interprovincial or international electives
Opportunity and funding for two trips to rural communities in BC to provide Outreach care (PGY2-5)
Fellowships available in Forensics; Geriatrics; Neuropsychiatry and Mood Disorders

Curriculum

Academic Curriculum

Academic seminars are held for a full day each Thursday for the Residents at the PGY2, PGY3, and PGY4 training levels. The academic day for PGY1 Residents is provided monthly at the home program. Residents are excused from their clinical responsibilities for the day to attend an integrated series of seminars covering all aspects of psychiatry. PGY5 Residents have a flexible self-study program. The academic program is designed to meet the standards of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

The Curriculum for the PGY2 Residents is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to General Adult Psychiatry. It is preceded by a two month seminar series covering Emergency Psychiatry. The PGY3 curriculum is designed to cover in depth common psychiatric syndromes and special areas such as Child Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. The PGY4 curriculum is designed to provide residents with in depth knowledge of major clinical syndromes and special areas in psychiatry including Consultation-Liaison, Schizophrenia, Forensic Psychiatry, Reproductive Psychiatry, etc.

A comprehensive psychotherapy curriculum covering all validated treatment modalities runs on Thursday afternoons; in the PGY2 year this covers basic psychotherapy skills and increases in complexity and diversity in the PGY3 and PGY4 years.

Clinical Curriculum

The following rotations are mandated by the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada:

PGY1 - Basic Clinical Training (12 months)
PGY2 - General Adult Psychiatry (12 months)
PGY3 - Child & Family Psychiatry (6 months)
PGY3 - Geriatric Psychiatry (6 months)
PGY4 - Consultation-Liaison (3 to 6 months)
PGY4 - Chronic Care (3 to 6 months)
PGY4 - Collaborative/Shared Care (2 to 3 months)
PGY5 - Selectives (6 months, no less than 3 months per rotation)
PGY5 - Electives (6 months, no less than 2 months per rotation)

Concurrent & Longitudinal

Occurring within the sixty months of residency, training will include:
a) One year of supervised treatment of patients (and their families) with a severe and persistent psychotic and/or severe and persistent bipolar illness for one half-day per week, which must be documented and evaluated separately from other rotations. This is scheduled in the PGY2 year.
b) Training in empirically supported psychotherapeutic approaches. This must involve no less than 32 weeks or 8 months of the PGY2-5 experience. The psychotherapies may focus on children and adolescents, adults, the elderly, families and groups. Training in empirically supported psychotherapeutic approaches must be documented and evaluated separately from other rotations.

PGY1

Training occurs at one of three sites: SPH, RCH or RJH/Greater Victoria Hospital Society (GVHS). Assignments to these sites are made by the UBC Psychiatry Postgraduate Education office based on ballots filled out by the Resident (each is asked to rank all three sites in order of preference). There is coordination between the PGY1 Training Directors at each hospital site and the Residency Program Directors. PGY1 Residents from all sites will spend one Thursday a month at the home program.

Rotations differ between the training sites and include three blocks of Internal Medicine or Family Medicine or a combination, one block of Pediatrics, two blocks of Neurology to include one block of neuroimaging, one block of Emergency Medicine, one block of Emergency Psychiatry and two blocks of Psychiatry. The remaining three blocks can be taken as electives or selectives.

PGY2 and 3 (Junior Residency)

PGY2: Training consists of twelve months of Adult Psychiatry in an inpatient/outpatient rotation and occurs at one of the following hospitals: VGH, RH, SPH, RCH, SMH and PAH.

PGY3: Training consists of six months of Child & Family Psychiatry at on of three hospitals: BCCH, RH and SMH and six months of Geriatric Psychiatry at one of the following hospitals: MSJ, VGH, RH, RCH, LGH and PAH.

PGY4 and 5 (Senior Residency)

During this period the resident assumes more leadership in the education and supervision of junior colleagues while consolidating and further developing career track interest through electives and selectives including research.

PGY4: Training consists of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry; Collaborative/Shared Care and Chronic Care Psychiatry.

PGY5: Training consists of six months each of Selectives and Electives. Selectives are limited to child & adolescent psychiatry; geriatric psychiatry; forensic psychiatry; psychosomatic medicine; psychiatric research; the psychotherapies; addictions; developmental disabilities and psychiatry in rural and/or remote locations. Electives should involve any aspect of training relevant to contemporary psychiatric practice, including research approved by the residency training committee. Electives may consist of an approved rotation in internal medicine, neurology or other branch of medicine relevant to psychiatry.

Electives/Selectives

A wide variety of selectives/electives are offered along with flexibility in splitting these electives and/or arranging new ones. There are opportunities to spend all/part of the elective year in an approved residency program anywhere in North America or abroad:

Mood Disorders Program
Child Psychiatry
Chronic Pain
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Consultation/Liaison
Eating Disorders
Forensic
Gender Dysphoria Clinic
Geriatric
Group Psychotherapy
Neuropsychiatry
Psychotherapy OPD
Reproductive Psychiatry
Research
Sexual Medicine
Sleep Disorders
Multicultural Psychiatry
Personality Disorders
Student Health Services

Research

Emphasis is placed on research throughout the program and is encouraged by the following measures:

With the help of the Director of Research, Dr. William Honer, Residents are encouraged to be involved from the onset of their training. Dr. Honer facilitates liaison between Residents and specific research mentors, to become involved with new and ongoing research projects, writing up cases, and literature reviews.
Residents may apply for ½ day per week for research after their PGY2 year.
Annual Research Day: the department awards prizes for the best clinical and basic science papers submitted by residents.
Any resident may elect to do six or twelve months on a research project in their elective year.
Opportunities for research exist in all areas.

Research Track

The program offers a formal Research Track. This differs from the program description above in the following ways:

PGY1: the placement is in SPH. During the PGY1 year, the research track residents have a one month research elective. With the assistance of the Director of Research, the resident identifies a mentor, and plans a research project.

PGY2: one day per week research time. Clinical training is a combination of inpatient and outpatient.

PGY3: one day per week research time. Clinical training is in Child Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. Shared Care requirements are completed by the end of this year. During this year the resident has the option to enrol in a MSc program in Clinical Neuroscience.

PGY4: one day per week research for 9 months, 3 days per week for 3 months. Clinical training is in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, and in Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (inpatient and outpatient). By the end of this year the longitudinal requirements for Psychotherapy Training are complete.

PGY5: four days per week research. Clinical training is one day per week in outpatient clinics. By the end of this year the longitudinal requirement for Severe and Persistent Mental Illness is complete. The resident may complete an MSc in Clinical Neuroscience by graduation, or may switch to the PhD program and continue research training as a PGY6 and PGY7 through the Royal College Clinical Investigator Program.

Clinical training placements for Research Track Residents will be crafted to allow integration with research.

Application

The University of British Columbia

Postgraduate Medical Education (Residency Program)

Program Description Resources