Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Program

Program Goals

The education of our residents is the main goal of the UBC Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Residency Training Program. Faculty throughout the province participates in teaching and research. Residents rotate through many various hospitals in the province and have elective rotations. Residents are given graduated responsibilities throughout their residency to reach the ultimate goal of becoming a competent Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgeon.

The goal of our training program is to produce fully trained and competent General Surgeons who are able to:

• Successfully pass the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada specialty examination in Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
• Able to practice at a consultant level in Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
• Have a superior knowledge of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery and other related disciplines
• Obtain exceptional clinical knowledge and operative skills
• Obtain proficiency in Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery procedures
• Become a medical expert and scholar. To act in a professional manner with excellent collaborator, health advocate and communicator skills
• Exhibit excellent leadership skills
• Have an excellent understanding of research methodology.

The first 2 years of the program, residents participate in the Surgical Foundations Program with all other surgical residents at UBC with weekly seminars, technical skills laboratory sessions, online case-based learning modules, Principles of Surgery examination review lectures and a series of formative assessments.

Clinical Rotations

The Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Residency Program has access to busy and high acuity surgical services at hospitals across British Columbia. A truly distributed program, our residents have a province wide presence and must rotate through rotations around the province.  

During the PGY1 and PGY2 years, resident rotations include: Adult and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, ICU, Trauma, General Surgery, CTU and Surgical Dermatology.  

During the PGY3, PGY4, and PGY5 years, subspecialty rotations include: paediatric otolaryngology, otology, neuro-otology, rhinology, sinonasal surgery including image-guided surgery, laryngology, head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstruction and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Innovative Rotations and Longitudinal Experiences

Quick Facts:

• There are opportunities for both Canadian wide and international electives. Rural Otolaryngology elective experience is also strongly encouraged.
• Travel to indigenous communities takes place with various faculty. Attendance is mandatory for at least a minimum of 1 visit in the senior residency years.
• Elective time / Experience with exposure to Indigenous Health is mandatory
• The ratio of residents to faculty is approximately 1:2
• Residents are provided with access to electronic medical resources.

Training Sites

Lower Mainland Hospitals

• Vancouver General Hospital
• St. Paul’s Hospital
• British Columbia’s Children’s Hospital
• Surrey Memorial Hospital

Provincial Hospitals

• Royal Inland Hospital
• Kelowna General Hospital
• (rural experiences, may include other rural hospitals)

Subspecialty based rotations allow focused learning in each of the main areas of Otolaryngology.

Program Highlights

If you are a medical student interested in this subspecialty, please visit the Otolaryngology/ENT Medical Student Interest Group page and watch this video to learn more about our residency program. For further information about our residency program, please visit our UBC OHNS website here.

The Surgical Foundations exam is a Royal College examination that takes place in the spring of PGY 2. Passing this exam is a pre-requisite for all surgical residents to take the final specialty training exam. The Surgical Foundations Program at UBC is a longitudinal series of seminars and workshops that take place in the first two years of residency training.

CRASH

The Surgical Competencies in Resuscitation and Stabilization of Hospital Patients (CRASH) Course is a 1-month modular curriculum that emphasizes key cognitive and technical competencies in caring for unstable patients. These include in-depth comprehension of essential scientific literature, critical appraisal skills, fluency in resuscitation algorithms in trauma and critical care, familiarity with technical aspects of resuscitation and effective communication and management skills in high intensity situations. The course takes place in Block 4 of PGY 1 for all surgical residents.

Canadian Medical Graduates

Canadian medical school graduates must apply through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). Details on how to apply through CaRMS can be found on the CaRMS website.

Internationally Sponsored Trainees

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC requires applicants to be proficient in the English language.

The Registration Committee may determine that an applicant has demonstrated English language proficiency if the following conditions are met:

• The primary language of medical education was English, and
• The primary language of patient care was English.

Applications received by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC on or before June 30, 2024, who have not met the above requirements will require one of: IELTS Academic examination, OET Medicine Examination or CELPIP General Examination for licensing (see criteria below).  As such, applicants must submit the proof of English language proficiency to CaRMS by the start of Ranking Period. Photocopies are acceptable.

• IELTS Academic – Minimum score of 7 in each component.
• IELTS scores are valid for a period of 2 years from the date taken.
• OET Medicine Examination – Minimum grade of B in each component.
• OET results are valid for a period of 2 years from the date taken.
• CELPIP General Examination – Minimum score of 9 in each component.
• CELPIP results are valid for a period of two years from the date taken.

Please note that results from these three examinations cannot be mixed. Candidates must meet all of the criteria in either the IELTS, OET or CELPIP examination.

Applicants are advised to review the College of Physicians and Surgeons English Language Proficiency Requirements here. An internationally-sponsored medical trainee is a physician who is not a Canadian citizen or a Canadian permanent resident and whose tuition and salary are funded by a sponsoring agency in their home country. A postgraduate training agreement must be in place between UBC and the international sponsoring agency before PGME can process an application. Details on how to apply can be found on the PGME website.

Academic Half Day

A protected academic half-day each week is included throughout the Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery residency program. The academic half days are structured on a subspecialty basis, and are rotated on a two-year cycle. Grand rounds, individual hospital-based rounds and BC Cancer Agency Head and Neck Oncology rounds are conducted weekly. Thyroid conference is held monthly at the BC Cancer Agency. Journal club is held during the academic year and incorporated into the academic half-day program. Clinic days with visiting professors are held 1-2 times yearly. A sinus surgery course is held annually, either at UBC or at The University of Manitoba on a rotating basis and is open to R2 or R3 residents. A temporal bone laboratory is available and residents attend bi-weekly temporal bone dissection sessions with supervision by a staff otologist, fellow or both. All senior residents are supported for travel to the American Academy of Otolaryngology annual meeting and the Halifax Review Course. The Annual National Temporal Bone Course that will commence in April 2024 for R3 residents is an additional opportunity for learning.

Events

• Annual W.B. & M.H. Chung Research Day
• Airway Day
• PJ Doyle Resident Research Day
• Residents Sports Day and Graduation/Alumni Dinner
• Residents are supported in attending various courses and conferences throughout their residency. See “Academic Half Day” for more information

PGY1-5/Stage of Training Outline

This residency program is for 5 years. Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

CBME (Competency-Based Medical Education) has commenced across Canada for all Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Programs.  Full details regarding CBME are available at the following Royal College website

Although CBME is no longer time based it is projected that the majority of residents will complete residency in a 5 year period. The program curriculum as noted below continues to be broken down into the PGY1-2 and PGY 3-5 years although it is recognized that the completion of EPAs (Entrustable Professional Activities) and milestones is not time based.

The Otolaryngology Training Program at the University of British Columbia is a broadly based program encompassing two major adult teaching hospitals, a large community hospital, rural hospital electives, and the sole pediatric specialist hospital for the province. All areas of Otolaryngology are covered at UBC and include paediatric otolaryngology, otology, neuro-otology, rhinology, sinonasal surgery including image-guided surgery, laryngology, head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstruction and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.  The goal of the program is to develop skills and knowledge to allow the trainee suitable for a practice of general otolaryngology in the community as well as provide a basis for advancement to further training in subspecialty programs (Fellowship training) or to pursue an academic career.

PGY-1 & 2

Residents will spend approximately 6 or 7 Blocks on General Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and 6 or 7 Blocks on Core Surgery Rotations, which include Adult and Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, ICU, Trauma, General Surgery, CTU and Surgical Dermatology in each of the first 2 years of the program. These rotations usually are 4 weeks in duration while the OtlHNS rotations can be 8 weeks.

Residents attend a series of Core Surgery seminars, which, in addition to the rotations described above, are intended to prepare residents for the Foundations of Surgery examination. A one-month Crash program for all surgical residents also takes place that reviews Surgical Competencies in Resuscitation and Stabilization of Hospital Patients.  Please visit this website for more details.

PGY-3 to 5

Third through fifth years of Residency are now undertaken in preceptor-based blocks of subspecialty areas and includes: paediatric otolaryngology, otology, neuro-otology, rhinology, sinonasal surgery including image-guided surgery, laryngology, head and neck oncology and microvascular reconstruction and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.   The block system (13 blocks per year) is utilized at UBC and rotations ideally range from 2 to 4 months involving the various specialties. One-month blocks may occur due to scheduling issues and rural rotations are also one month in length. In the final year of residency, rotations are selected depending on what the resident will be doing after graduation i.e. General otolaryngology or sub-specialty fellowship training. All residents will be provided with support to attend the SSO Annual Symposium.

For a list of our current residents, please visit our program website here

Trainees are expected to become involved in a research project in each year of their training in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. There are opportunities for research in basic science as well as a broad range of clinical research. Multi-year projects of a more substantial nature are encouraged. Residents are encouraged to submit their research to national and international meetings, and are supported to travel to meetings if their research is accepted for presentation.

Several residents over the last 12 years have also taken time away from the residency program to pursue a Masters degree in various areas. Each resident who requests such a leave first discusses this proposal with the Program Director and if deemed potentially appropriate it is brought to the RPC for discussion and final decision-making.

All residents present annually at the P. J. Doyle Research Day, held in the Spring, and are expected to submit research to the Wally Chung Surgical Research Day at UBC, usually held in the fall.

Clinical Investigator Program

The UBC Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) is an opportunity for UBC residents to pursue Master, PhD or postgraduate studies through a RCPSC accredited program. CIP is a fully funded two-year program that allows UBC residents the unique opportunity to gain research experience in world-class research facilities both locally and internationally. Residents at all stages of their residency training can apply to the program by the November 1^st deadline each year. For more information about the program and application process, visit the UBC CIP website.

The Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Program is a community of learners, faculty and staff who share responsibility for creating and maintaining a positive, inclusive, learning and work environment where all participants are valued and treated with respect. There is a Resident Counselling and Peer Support Office committed to ensuring resident wellbeing as well as resources to report Learner Mistreatment. 

Resources

• Inclusivity in the Learning Environment
• Gender Bias in the Learning Environment
• Student Mistreatment Video
• Building Safe and Supportive Learning Environments

PGME Policies, Procedures, Systems and Resources

• PGME Policies & Procedures
• Resident Resources
• Resident Insider
• Resident as Teachers
• Transition into Practice Program
• Resident Management System
• Competency Based Medical Education
• Entrada
• One45
• Mistreatment Help
• Resident Reimbursements

Program Policies & Guidelines

• Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Resident Safety Policy
• Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Supervision Policy
• Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Adopted PGME Resident Wellness Policy
• Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Fatigue Risk Management Policy

• Royal College Surgical Foundations Exam (R2): Occurs in October
• Provincial NITE exam (R2-R4): Occurs in March
• RCPSC Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Written Exam (R5): Occurs in September
• RCPSC Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Oral Exam (R5): Occurs in November

Co-Creating Mutual Goals

Direct Observation and Feedback in a Clinical Setting

Probing Clinical Reasoning through Collaborative Questioning

Reflection and Feedback Conversations

Competency by Design (CBD): Resident Training & Assessment

Direct Observation Videos for Assessment

Building Safe and Supportive Learning Environments

Out of Province Residents

All postgraduate electives arranged for any training location within the province of British Columbia by Out of Province Medical Residents must be processed through the UBC PGME Dean’s Office.

Eligibility

• Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents currently enrolled in a recognized Family Practice or Specialty (Royal College) training program in Canada, OR
• Canadian Citizens currently enrolled in a recognized Family Practice or Specialty training program in the USA.

Process and Application

• Applicants must arrange their own postgraduate resident electives directly with an individual faculty member. Please check the Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Division faculty list
• Once the elective dates have been confirmed by faculty, applicants will need to work with the PGME Dean’s Office on the application and licensing. Please check Postgraduate Visiting Electives for information on application process and timeline, and required documents and administrative fee.

International Postgraduate Trainees

Currently, postgraduate electives by International Postgraduate Trainees are offered only to the potential applicants to the program under the Internationally Sponsored Trainee stream. All requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Eligibility

• Citizens of other countries enrolled in a recognized Family Practice or Specialty training who are pursuing further clinical or research training in their own specialty, but who have not yet completed sufficient training that would allow them to be listed (registered) as a specialist in their home country.

Process and Application Please check International Postgraduate Trainee for information on process and timeline, administrative fee, credentials verification, English language proficiency requirements, immigration/work permit documentation and more.