Program Overview

---

Palliative Care Enhanced Skills Residency

The Palliative Care Enhanced Skills Residency is a one-year educational experience in palliative care medicine. Established in 1999, it is one of the first programs to have been accredited by the Conjoint Committee of the Canadian College of Family Physicians and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Program Overview

Palliative care is one of the most sensitive aspects of family medicine. Through this program, residents learn how to work with patients and other practitioners to provide a comfortable, dignified end-of-life experience. The program provides a comprehensive understanding of palliative care experiences in various settings, including dedicated care units and home care consultations.

Core Competency Rotations

The program is delivered through rotations in different areas of palliative care, comprising a core set of competencies and electives for deeper study into areas of interest. The core rotations include:

• Tertiary level palliative care (8 weeks)
• Rotation with the Riverview Health Centre Palliative Care Unit (8 weeks)
• Medical oncology (2 weeks)
• Radiation oncology (2 weeks)
• Rotation with the Community Consults and Home Visit team (8 weeks)
• Rotation with the Hospital Consult Service at the Health Sciences Centre (4 weeks)
• Rotation with the Pediatric Palliative Team (4 weeks)
• Rotation with the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) Team (2 weeks)

The final four-week period is a Senior Rotation, during which the resident acts as a junior attending physician on the SBGH Palliative Care Unit.

Elective Rotations

The program includes 10 weeks of elective time in an area of study of the resident's choosing. Areas of study include:

• Interventional anesthesiology
• Psychiatry
• Psychosocial oncology
• Bereavement counselling
• Other areas related to the delivery of palliative care medicine

Four weeks of vacation can be distributed throughout the training year. Residents may also have the opportunity to participate in:

• Horizontal exposure in CancerCare, Manitoba's Pain and Symptom Clinic
• Up to one half-day clinic a week in their area of certification
• Rural experience under the supervision of a rural palliative care practitioner

Scholarly Activities

In addition to rotations and practical experience, training is delivered through traditional academic training. Scholarly activities include:

• Attending weekly multidisciplinary team meetings on ward-based rotations and the Academic Half-Day
• Palliative care rounds with an interdisciplinary focus
• Grand rounds in internal medicine, family medicine, medical oncology, and radiation oncology
• Ethics rounds
• Palliative care conferences
• Journal club presented by attendees

Accreditation

The program is accredited by:

• The College of Family Physicians of Canada
• Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Expected Duration

The expected duration of the program is 1 year.

Department

The program is part of the Department of Family Medicine.

CaRMS Match

The program participates in the FM/ES (Family Medicine/Enhanced Skills Match) through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS).