Subspecialty Residency Program

Training Requirements

The Pediatric Rheumatology Subspecialty Residency Program follows the training requirements set by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

Description of curriculum:

The Pediatric Rheumatology Subspecialty Residency Program is a two-year program which consists of 26 blocks (4 weeks) of which six of these blocks can consist of either research or selective blocks.

In the first year, the resident has nine blocks of in/outpatient rotation, three blocks of outpatient rotation and one block of research.

In the second year, the program consists of six blocks of in/outpatient rotation, one block of outpatient rotation, one block of adult rotation, two block of research and three blocks of selective.

Electives

Pediatric Rheumatology (at external site)

Pediatric Allergy & Immunology

Outpatient Clinical Rotation that is customized to trainees interests. Includes multiple specialized outpatient clinics, e.g. Pediatric Sports Medicine Clinic; Pediatric Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Clinic; Pediatric Immunodeficiency Clinic; Pediatric Uveitis Clinic; Pediatric Bone Health Clinic; Pediatric Chronic Pain Team Clinic; Adult Lupus and Vasculitis Clinic; Capillaroscopy clinic; Transition Clinic; Adult Ultrasound Clinic; etc.

Training Sites

Montreal Children's Hospital
McGill University Health Centre
Jewish General Hospital
Community clinics:
The Children's Clinic
Pediatric Sports Medicine Clinic
Outreach Clinic in Val D'Or

Unique Training Opportunities

Trainees have the opportunity to attend collaborative clinics such as the Combined Rheumatology-Orthopedic Clinic that provides specialized and complex orthopedic care to patients with rheumatic diseases; the Connective Tissue Diseases-Dermatology clinic which is a consultative clinic with Dermatology; the Rheumatology Ultrasound Clinic that provides ultrasound evaluation and intervention by a Rheumatologist with expertise in this field; and a transition clinic with involvement of the physicians from the Adult Lupus/Vasculitis clinic of the McGill University Health Centre.

The resident also attends the Pediatric Rheumatology Continuity Clinic where they follow their own patients longitudinally. This clinic is an excellent vehicle to assess the growth of the resident as they gain independence in delivering clinical care over time.

There are a multitude of weekly academic activities that the residents are expected to attend. The Academic Half-Day curriculum includes comprehensive musculoskeletal examination teaching by one faculty member; and a radiology curriculum taught by one faculty member with an interest in this field. The Academic Half Day has lectures that cover the spectrum of the CanMEDS roles given by a mixture of lecturers including the Pediatric Rheumatology faculty, Pediatric Rheumatology residents and invited speakers.

Every summer, trainees attend the Introduction to Rheumatology Course organized conjointly by McGill University and the University of Montreal rheumatology teams. Every year, they attend the resident program organized by the Canadian Rheumatology Association which supplements the academic curriculum. In addition, trainees are encouraged and supported to attend several rheumatology conferences.

The McGill Program has access to the Simulation Centre for academic teaching. The resource is utilized for Communication teaching sessions.

The Division of Pediatric Rheumatology has a joint injection program with access to general anaesthesia and a MSK interventional radiologist. This program allows the trainees to have opportunities to practice joint aspirations and injections in a controlled setting under rheumatology supervision. The joint injection program also has access to ultrasound-guided joint, bursae and tendon sheath injections when required.