Program Curriculum

Residency Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 5 year(s)

PGY-1

The PGY-1 year is designed to meet the requirements of the Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons and to prepare the applicant for the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examinations Part II. Upon acceptance into the Ophthalmology Residency Program, the PGY-1 resident is seconded to the department of medicine for training. During this time, PGY-1's attend our Friday morning grand rounds and resident teaching rounds. They have training opportunities in plastic surgery, ENT, and neurosurgery. They also do a mandatory rotation in pediatrics on the CTU. Prior to the conclusion of the PGY-1 year, residents start a 6 week basic science program in ophthalmology called the Toronto Ophthalmology Residency Introductory Course (TORIC). The program involves didactic lectures with slide presentations, wet labs and dissection sessions. This course is attended by ophthalmology residents from all across Canada as well as some international programs.

PGY-2 & 3 (Junior Residency)

During the junior residency, residents rotate through each of the 5 teaching hospitals in order to acquire a solid foundation in the basic science and clinical aspects of medical and surgical ophthalmology. PGY-2 residents complete 4 month rotations in general eye clinics which involve exposure to all areas of ophthalmology and allow development of core ophthalmic knowledge and skills. Residents in PGY-3 complete 2 month blocks of "vertical" medical ophthalmology rotations, including exposure to each of the subspecialty disciplines including: cornea/external ocular diseases, retina/vitreous, glaucoma, neuro ophthalmology & oculoplastics. They also complete a 4 month rotation in pediatric ophthalmology at the Hospital for Sick Children.

PGY-4 & 5 (Senior Residency)

Senior residents rotate through each of the 5 teaching hospitals. The emphasis here is on perfecting clinical skills in the general and subspecialty areas of ophthalmology and to provide a solid foundation in all aspects of surgical ophthalmology during this period of training. Residents in PGY-4 and 5 are primarily involved in surgical rotations.

We have created a "longitudinal" eight month rotation in cataract surgery at the Kensington Eye Institute (KEI). This rotation is "paired" with 8 months of placements at the four adult "base" hospitals (2 months each at Sunnybrook HSC, Toronto Western Hospital, Mt. Sinai Hospital & St. Michael's Hospital). Residents spend 1/2 of their time at KEI and the other 1/2 at the adult base hospitals. The remaining 4 months of the year occur at the Hospital for Sick Children focusing on pediatric eye surgery. Resident will still spend some surgical time at KEI while at HSC.

PGY-5 residents have a flexible year which is designed to begin emulating the transition to practice year which will be part of the new Royal College Competence by Design framework. Highlights of this year include involvement in a resident run "cataract clinic" providing all aspects of care to cataract surgery patients including pre and post operative management, and transition to a "senior back-up" on-call schedule. This year includes a longitudinal experience in glaucoma surgery at Mt. Sinai/KEI as well as considerable elective and Royal College study time.

Research

Resident research is actively promoted. By the PGY-3 level, a major prospective research project should be chosen and started. This project must be completed by the end of training and presented at the departmental annual "Resident Research Day" in June. They are also expected to complete one Quality Assurance (QA) project during the PGY4 year. Residents attend weekly research rounds, presented by local, national and international research scientists and receive lectures in critical appraisal of the research literature and clinical epidemiology. Residents are supported by the department to present their research at national and international meetings. Residents have protected time for their research endeavours .

Seminars

A dedicated academic half-day is committed on Friday morning for core resident lectures (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) given by local faculty and visiting professors.

City-wide visiting professors rounds are held on Friday morning (7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.) attracting world class lecturers to the University of Toronto.

In addition, there are journal clubs, oculoplastics rounds, small group teaching sessions, and a resident surgical teaching course using state-of-the-art equipment (including several Ziess microscopes, a Phacoemulsification and Vitrectomy unit).

Training Sites

Resources

The Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto provides a fully integrated, comprehensive postgraduate training program. Residents rotate through 5 fully affiliated teaching hospitals:

The Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network
Mount Sinai Hospital
St. Michael's Hospital
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
The Toronto Hospital for Sick Children

Much of the surgical teaching now occurs at the Kensington Eye Institute (KEI), which is also the location of the Friday morning grand rounds and academic 1/2 day. The Kensington Vision and Research Centre (KVRC) has recently opened to provide clinical care and research opportunities. PGY-5 residents run a cataract surgery clinic at the KVRC.

In addition, residents rotate through Princess Margaret Hospital, where they gain experience in the diagnosis and management of ocular oncology.

There are no mandatory rural rotations, but residents have considerable elective and selective time during their senior years and are encouraged to pursue community rotations and international electives.

Additional Information

The ratio of residents to faculty is 24 to 120.

The average patient load is 20.

The library for the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto has computer facilities with access to email and electronic journals.

The Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto is the oldest and one of the largest ophthalmology training programs in Canada. Our commitment is towards excellence in patient care, resident education and world-class basic science and clinical research.

On occasion, applicants to our program are asked to fill out surveys relating to ophthalmology and our admissions process. These surveys are voluntary and confidential. The admissions director uses the email addresses supplied by the applicants. If the applicant does not wish to participate please indicate that you do not wish to participate in these surveys.

Selection Criteria for Canadian Medical Graduates (CMG)

Selection Criteria for International Medical Graduates (IMG)