Residents play a pivotal role, alongside faculty, to improve and strengthen the program. Their opinions are highly valued, and we depend on resident involvement to keep the program evolving, and to maintain high morale and pride amongst the residents.

Supporting residents is a priority for our faculty who are always available for clinical, research, advocacy, and educational mentorship. The residents recognize the collegiality and close resident-faculty interaction as a major strength of the program. 

Training takes place at McMaster Children’s Hospital which serves a population of over two million people, the second largest catchment area in Ontario. All pediatric subspecialties are represented within the Department of Pediatrics, with a wide variety of expertise amongst faculty. Residents are exposed to a diverse spectrum of diseases from common problems encountered in general pediatrics, all subspecialties, and referrals from surrounding communities.

A unique undergraduate program at McMaster allows extensive involvement by pediatric residents. Many of our residents teach formal clinical skills to the undergraduate class and are acknowledged by students as outstanding teachers. Residents receive training and coaching to develop their skills as teachers and participate in a rotation in their senior years focused on teaching skills and medical education principles.

McMaster is home to many world experts in evidence-based medicine. Residents in the program receive outstanding formal training and critical appraisal skills through clinical teaching unit rounds, academic half day, journal clubs, subspecialty teaching rounds, morning resident teaching sessions and our unique longitudinal CanMEDS curriculum. Through clinical rotations, residents learn to use literature in daily management of patients, providing lifelong learning skills that make them better physicians.

Social accountability is emphasized within the program. McMaster was one of the first pediatric residency programs to initiate a unique social pediatrics rotation with well-established connections to community partners and advocacy programs.

McMaster has strong research faculty and is committed to promoting resident scholarly activities. The residency research committee helps facilitate resident research and scholarly projects and the annual McMaster child health research day. There is competitive funding available for resident projects through the Pediatric Residency Program and the postgraduate office. Protected time is available for research during the residency program. Funding for annual conferences and learning opportunities is also available.

The program is also known for its innovation and leadership in educational scholarship. Our social pediatrics rotation, unique transition to senior resident curriculum, wellness supports, and mentorship initiatives are all a result of resident-driven educational scholarship. Residents benefit from career counselling and transition to practice curriculum throughout all years of training, twice annual resident retreats including an overnight retreat, and multiple social and wellness activities throughout the year. We have a robust wellness curriculum with monthly ‘treats & talks sessions' facilitated by a resident affairs counsellor, a unique resident support network and resident council. Residents have multiple opportunities in the program to participate in teaching activities, scholarly projects, advocacy, committee work, leadership roles, curriculum development and resident selection.

All residents have elective time in core and transition to practice stages (second to fourth year). Many of our residents participate in global health experiences during these electives, with global health training opportunities and mentorship within the department and the university for all residents. There is also significant flexibility through integrated pediatrics blocks throughout senior years within the program, allowing residents to return to clinical areas for more experience and to explore unique supplementary clinical opportunities.

We feel it is essential for residents to be exposed to general consulting pediatric practice in the community setting, thus there are mandatory community rotations in the program. Hamilton has many smaller communities, within an hour of the city, with strong educational links to these communities allowing for valuable learning experiences. 

Residents receive an excellent foundation in pediatrics that will prepare them for any career. The structure of the four-year program facilitates graduated responsibility and flexibility in training. As with all pediatrics programs across Canada, McMaster will launch the competency based curriculum formally in July 2021 although multi-staged rollout has occurred over the past few years in transition. Our program provides ample elective and selective time allowing residents to address individual learning objectives and prepare themselves for their selected career choice.

Applications are processed through CaRMS. Please see details at the link below.

For information for transfer candidates, visit the McMaster PGME link below.

For more information, see the CaRMS R-1 match timeline at the link below. 

McMaster Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) provides an environment where learners can develop the skills to become expert physicians and leaders in health care.

For more information about McMaster PGME PGY-1 entry programs, visit the link below.

The McMaster PGME office provides a number of services and events that may be of interest to candidates:

• Resident Affairs
• Learner wellness resources
• Discover Hamilton resources and video
• Multiple events throughout the year

How do I meet with the program director and/or chief residents to learn more about the program or ask specific questions?

We host multiple information sessions about the program throughout the year. Please see our PGY-1 program descriptions on McMaster PGME site and attached flyer for updated details.

Question and answer sessions about the program are held with the program director and a chief resident on some Wednesdays from 12:30-1 p.m. throughout the year. Please see the events tab on this page for more information.

Program information sessions and ask a resident sessions are held from November through January in anticipation of CaRMS applications.

Please see the calendars at the links below for additional information. 

How do I apply for an elective within the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster?

All medical student and international postgraduate electives are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For medical students interested in electives, more information is available at the link below. All applications must be submitted through the AFMC student portal.

For all postgraduate learners interested in electives, more information is available at the link below. Learners will schedule the electives directly with the department/division and register with the postgraduate office.

I am an International Medical Graduate. How can I participate in an observership within McMaster pediatrics?

For more information about observerships, visit the McMaster PGME website at the link below.

Learn more about the divisions within the Department of Pediatrics at the link below.

Do you accept applications from international applicants?

Yes, we accept up to three international applicants each year who have funding source/sponsorship.
The deadline for sponsorship agencies to forward applications to our PGME office is August 31, 2021.

More information is available on the McMaster PGME website under international applicants at the link below.

How many residents do you accept each year?

We typically have 10-13 residents from various streams start with us as PGY-1s each year:

• Five Canadian Medical Graduates 
• One Waterloo stream 
• One clinician investigator program stream 
• Three International Medical Graduates
• Up to three sponsored international candidates

Transition to discipline ~3 blocks

A multi-week orientation 'boot camp' provides residents with multiple learning opportunities and a supported transition to residency including:

• Orientation to program, clinical environment, and McMaster University
• Clinical orientation and opportunity to practice pediatric history-taking & physical examination skills
• Recognition and management of common pediatric emergencies
• Teaching skills curriculum
• Opportunities to network and get to know peers, other residents and faculty in relaxed, collegial setting
• Neonatal resuscitation program (NRP)
• Pediatric advanced life support program (PALS)
• Clinical rotations during this stage of training include:
  • Clinical teaching unit (CTU) at McMaster Children's Hospital
  • Community pediatrics in local community hospital
  • Pediatric emergency medicine 
  • An introduction to a pediatric subspecialty - clinics and some inpatients
  • Weekend daytime call shifts on CTU

Foundations of training ~10 blocks

This stage of training includes clinical rotations in the following areas:

• Clinical teaching unit (CTU) at McMaster Children's Hospital
• Level II nursery at St Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton
• Community pediatrics, in local community hospital, with focus on level II nursery care
• Pediatric emergency medicine 
• Pediatric subspecialties including outpatient clinics and inpatients
• Pediatric neurology 
• Pediatric rheumatology 
• Pediatric infectious diseases 
• Pediatric hematology/oncology 
• Pediatric general surgery 
• Social pediatrics with focus on structural/social determinants of health and advocacy skill development
• Junior night float in two-week blocks
• Curriculum and educational opportunities include:
• Research/scholarly project boot camp – research methodology and development of a proposal for a scholarly project
• Teaching skills workshop
• Neonatal procedural skills workshop
• Communication skills workshop
• Critical appraisal, quality improvement and patient safety curriculum 
• Simulation training focused on procedural and clinical skills

Core of discipline ~30 blocks

This is a senior resident stage with increasing patient care and teaching responsibility as senior resident on the general pediatric ward and providing consultation to the emergency room, as well as integration of critical care exposure. This is a time to consolidate the trainee's general pediatric experience with opportunity for more subspecialty rotations as well as generous elective and integrated pediatric time, planned in collaboration with the resident's academic coach to meet individual learning goals.

Clinical rotations during this stage of training include:

• Pediatric critical care medicine 
• Neonatal intensive care unit (level III nursery) 
• Pediatric emergency medicine 
• Clinical teaching unit (CTU) in senior resident role 
• Community pediatrics in local community hospital including rural/remote opportunities
• Anesthesia 
• Pediatric mental health 
• Pediatric subspecialties
• Adolescent medicine 
• Pediatric cardiology 
• Developmental pediatrics 
• Pediatric endocrinology 
• Pediatric gastroenterology 
• Pediatric nephrology 
• Pediatric respirology 
• Child maltreatment 
• Genetics/metabolics 
• Clinical allergy/immunology 
• Senior night float in two-week blocks in both CTU and subspecialty/critical care
• Electives 
• Integrated pediatrics - selective opportunities planned in collaboration with resident's academic coach to meet individual learning goals
• Learning and other clinical activities throughout this stage of training:
• Mentorship and support for completion of scholarly project
• Resident continuity clinic in academic pediatric medicine or community pediatrics setting
• Teaching skills and multiple opportunities to engage in teaching junior learners and peers
• Clinical and procedural skills workshops
• Simulation training focused on procedural and clinical skills

Transition to practice stage ~7 blocks

Clinical rotations include:

• Clinical teaching unit (CTU) at McMaster Children's Hospital - in role of junior attending
• Quality of life and advanced care team (pediatric palliative care)
• Pediatric complex care
• Neonatal intensive care unit (level III nursery) and level II nursery
• Community pediatrics in local community hospital
• Senior night float in two-week blocks in both CTU and subspecialty/critical care
• Electives
• Integrated pediatrics - selective opportunities planned in collaboration with resident's academic coach to meet individual learning goals
• Learning and other clinical activities throughout this stage of training:
• Resident continuity clinic in academic pediatric medicine or community pediatrics setting
• Teaching skills and multiple opportunities to engage in teaching junior learners and peers
• Patient safety/quality improvement curriculum
• Formal curriculum to support transition to practice including: practice management, financial aspects and billing, mentorship

For more details of objectives of training, please visit the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada website at the link below.

Specialty Training Requirements

• Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) 
• Required training experiences (RTEs)
• Competencies

The primary training sites for the McMaster Pediatric Residency Program are:

• McMaster Children's Hospital - for most rotations
• St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton (level II nursery)
• Ron Joyce Children's Health Centre (developmental pediatrics and mental health)
• Community sites (Brampton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Niagara, Burlington, Oakville, Brantford)

More about our training sites:

McMaster Children's Hospital provides primary, secondary and tertiary care to the local community and the region. Most rotations are done at McMaster Children's Hospital, the children's hospital with the second largest population catchment in Ontario, serving 2.3 million people. There is a very busy emergency department and general pediatrics wards where common problems are seen in significant volumes. In addition, all pediatric subspecialties exist at McMaster Children's Hospital which ensure excellent learning opportunities from patient volume and variety. 

A level II nursery rotation is done at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, also located in Hamilton. This nursery is staffed by academic general pediatricians who have experience facilitating excellent learning opportunities for residents, allowing for emerging independence in senior rotations.

Developmental pediatrics along with mental health services are located nearby at Ron Joyce Children's Health Centre, a newly built state-of-the-art building in 2015 offering the unique co-location of multiple programs and healthcare teams.

Rotations in consultative pediatrics with community pediatricians in outlying communities are an integral part of the program. Funding allows us to offer greater community experiences to all residents in the program. We have strong educational alliances with multiple communities including: Kitchener-Waterloo, Brampton, Brantford, St. Catharines/Niagara, Oakville, Burlington, Orillia and Owen Sound.

All teaching sites in the program outside of the McMaster Children's Hospital are linked by interactive videoconferencing facilities.

Clinician Investigator Program (CIP)

What is the Clinician Investigator Program and what are its Goals?

The Clinician Investigator Program is a Royal College Accredited Program, which is designed to encourage and facilitate research training among physicians. In McMaster Pediatrics core training program, there is a unique opportunity to apply with direct entry to a PGY1 position through CaRMS. 

Trainees without a pre-existing PhD must be enrolled in a Graduate Program (either M.Sc. or PhD). Within the Faculty of Health Sciences, the most likely programs for physician trainees include:

• Health Research Methodology (https://healthsci.mcmaster.ca/hei-hrm),
• Medical Sciences (https://fhs.mcmaster.ca/medsci/),
• Neurosciences (https://gs.mcmaster.ca/program/neuroscience/),
• Global Health (https://gs.mcmaster.ca/program/global-health/),
• e-Health (https://ehealth.mcmaster.ca)

Physician trainees with a PhD can also enter the CIP as part of a Postdoctoral Fellowship.

The requirement for CIP is that at least 24 months are spent in research training (80% research time with a maximum of 20% clinical time)

What are the advantages of CIP training? 

• A total of 24 months of research-focused funded time (80% protected time)
• Individualized mentorship
• Post graduate degree (MSc, PhD)
• Academic sessions (~1/month) addressing broad research skills (e.g., writing grants and papers, finances, research ethics, career planning)
• Royal College certification of CIP training

How do I apply to the Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) - McMaster Pediatrics? 

• During the CaRMS PGY1 process, interested applicants apply to both streams (Pediatrics – Hamilton and also Pediatrics – CIP) through CaRMS, with suggestion to use separate personal letters and potentially reference letters for each program.
• If invited for an interview in both streams, they will have two separate interviews.

o   First, the applicants are interviewed in the same manner as all other applicants by the Pediatric Residency Program including multiple mini interviews.

o   Second, they are interviewed specifically for the CIP Program by Dr. Rahul Chanchlani, another faculty, and any current pediatric CIP CaRMS trainees.

Is it possible to decide to do CIP later in my residency?

• YES – all Pediatric trainees can consider entrance to CIP following their entry to Pediatrics training!
• Entrance into the CIP program may be during, or upon completion, of specialty and subspecialty residencies and/or fellowship programs.
• Prior to applying to the CIP Program, applicants applying from within a Pediatric Specialty, Subspecialty or Fellowship must meet with the CIP Pediatric Program Representative (Dr. Chanchlani).

• Funding arrangements for those who are NOT in the dedicated CaRMS PGY1 entry position need to be worked out with applications for funding support, prior to submitting application to CIP. The learner is expected to actively seek funding sources. Potential funding sources include McMaster CIP MOH funds, outside sources (e.g. CIHR or other funding agency awards).  See details below in ‘Process for securing funding support for Pediatrics CIP candidates’

How can I arrange my CIP time?

• Participation in CIP requires a total of 24 months with at least 80% of time dedicated to research and enrollment in a thesis-based graduate program (unless the trainee has a PhD)
• There are two options for organizing this time:
• Fractionated route (Recommended): This will involve participating in CIP for 4 months in each of PGY2, PGY3, PGY4 of general pediatric clinical training, followed by 12 months of continuous CIP time in your PGY5 year.  This option is fully funded through the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC).  This will involve the resident applying for graduate program in late PGY1 for a start in January of PGY2. The resident would pursue enrolment in graduate work as a part-time student.

OR 

• Continuous route (requires additional funding support): This involves two years typically taken together, either following completion of your four years of general pediatric clinical training, or after completion of 2 years of subspecialty training.  This option requires seeking additional funding support for the second year of CIP training (1 year is provided through the Ministry of Health, CIP stream).

Does this affect my Pediatric residency training?

• With the fractionated route, you would complete 4 months of CIP training during each of your PGY2, PGY3 and PGY4 years that would displace your elective, some selective and possibly select subspecialty rotations. You will still work on progression through Transition to Discipline, Foundations, Core, Transition to Practice stages during your clinical time.
• With the continuous route, your general pediatric clinical training would remain unchanged - you would progress through Transition to Discipline, Foundation, Core and Transition to Practice stages during your clinical time before entering CIP.
• All Pediatric residents are involved in a scholarly project – your project during your clinical years could afford you an opportunity to begin to identify your area of research focus for CIP

Will I still do clinical work during my CIP time, and what can that look like?

• During your CIP time, there is a commitment of 80% of your time to your research endeavors. This allows 20% of your time to be committed to clinical work. The type of clinical work will depend on your clinical and research interests, as well as progression through your clinical training requirements.

How does CIP affect subspecialty match, and when would I apply to CaRMS?

• If you decide to do your CIP training prior to subspecialty training, you would apply to subspecialty training through CaRMS in the year prior to commencement of subspecialty training.

Funding Support for Pediatric CIP Candidates 

• For candidates accepted through the CaRMS process as a Pediatric Resident in the CIP stream*, one year (12 months) in which they decide to complete their CIP has guaranteed funding from the McMaster CIP Program.  McMaster’s CIP program has agreed that individuals accepted into the Peds-CIP stream in the CaRMS match will be guaranteed one of the six CIP-MOHLTC funded positions. 

• For all other applicants (Specialty, Subspecialty, Fellowship) they must apply for one of 6 MOHLTC CIP spots per year for the whole Faculty of Health Sciences (https://pgme.mcmaster.ca/discover/enhanced-training/cip-working-page/cip-prospective-trainees/). If successful, then one year of funding is guaranteed by the CIP Program.

Fractionated route (12 months integrated into PGY2 to 4, then 12 months following completion of core clinical training)

• For candidates who complete the fractionated route for 12 months of their CIP (ie. 4 months in each of PGY2, PGY3, and PGY4), this is integrated into their residency program and also fully funded by MOHLTC.

Continuous route (24 months of CIP following completion of core clinical training)

• For residents who choose this route, once accepted into the CIP program they must meet with the CIP Program Pediatric Representative as soon as possible to begin to plan for their second year of funding.

• As soon as a research supervisor is identified, planning for the second year of funding should be approached as a priority and is a joint responsibility of CIP Resident and their research supervisor. Dr. Chanchlani as CIP program representative in Pediatrics is available as a resource.

Funding resources primarily consist of the following:

1. Internal/External Research Grants/Fellowships/Awards
2. Funding from research supervisors

Tuition and other PGME funding support:

McMaster’s Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) office, provides the following financial assistance to all trainees:  

• Reimbursement of 50% of a domestic student’s Graduate Tuition Fees, or the equivalent (if these are not covered from another source); maximum of 2 years for a MSc and 4 years for a PhD.  
• Research related expenses of up to $1,500 per year to attend approved research related conferences or to cover other research-related costs (e.g., software licenses, open access publication).

Kitchener-Waterloo – Coming soon

Gulf State – Coming soon

Multiple grants and funding opportunities are available to residents throughout their training to support their scholarly projects

Purpose

The purpose of the research awards is to support costs related to pediatric residents’ research projects (including quality assurance projects). Two grants up to a maximum of $5,000 each will be awarded in each competition. There are two competitions each year. Funds can be used to support the involvement of a research assistant/student, supplies/office expenses, incentives/travel costs for research participants or other budgeted costs. Resident salary and travel to scientific conferences cannot be supported by these funds.

Source of Funding

The McMaster pediatric resident research awards are sponsored by the McMaster pediatric postgraduate education program. The research awards are dependent on the availability of pediatric postgraduate education program funding.

Administration of the Fund

The fund will be administered through the McMaster pediatric postgraduate education office. All requests will be peer reviewed by a review committee consisting of three individuals: two faculty members of the Division of General Pediatrics on the pediatric postgraduate committee, and the research member of the pediatric postgraduate committee (faculty).

Application Procedure

Application form and instructions can be found here. 

At the completion of the award, the resident receiving the award will also be expected to present their findings at the McMaster community pediatrics update conference or similar forum. In addition, they are required to submit an "end of grant" report  (found here) to the pediatric research committee within two months of completion of the study. Upon termination of the study, or if the funds have not been accessed for two years, all remaining monies should be returned to the pediatric postgraduate education fund.

Guidelines for Applications

Applications will be favoured which most closely meet the following criteria:

• Awards will be based on the scientific excellence exhibited by the research.
• Applicants must clearly state the question to be addressed.
• Applicants must identify a faculty research mentor who has agreed to help with the research project as evidenced by an accompanying letter of support.
• Awards will be limited to projects whose lead investigator is a PGY-1, PGY-2, or PGY-3 with the McMaster pediatric postgraduate program.
• Support is available for personnel or operating costs, but not conference registration or travel costs. Funds can be used to supplement other available funding sources.
• Each project will be considered for only one award. However, previous awardees can reapply if they are initiating another project.
• The committee will only consider one submission per principal applicant for each competition.

Requirements for Submission

Please submit appropriate application form (found above under 'application procedure') along with the required documentation outlined in the application form to Sandeep Raha at rahas@mcmaster.ca. Please indicate resident research grant and include the primary investigator’s name. All applications should be submitted electronically, time stamped no later than 4 p.m. on April 15 or November 15. Documentation required for this application include:

• Completed application form including budget
• Project proposal/outline
• Any additional appendices
• Current CV of principal investigator
• Role description for each co-investigator 
• Letter of support from faculty research mentor

Deadline

The current application deadline is 4 p.m. on June 15, 2020.

The St. Louis Family Fund is a trust fund specifically to support residents to attend the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR) annual meeting. The average amount awarded is $1,000 per year but open for additional awards. The purpose of the funds is to cover the eligible expenses per the University travel policy, e.g. registration fee, transportation, accommodations and food per diem.

Conditions

• The applicant must submit an abstract to the SPR for consideration
• The applicant must be a current pediatric resident in their R1-R4 year
• The project must be performed in part or in full at McMaster Children’s Hospital
• The application must be approved by the research supervisor
• Publication(s) supported by this fund will acknowledge this contribution

Application process

• All of the following must be submitted to the pediatric postgraduate program:
  • Abstract (no more than 250 words)
  • Budget justification
  • Letter of support from the research supervisor
  • Previous funding received for current project (Total amount(s), source(s), and funding dates)

Deadline for applications: March 1 annually

The successful applicant and accompanying application will be forwarded to Ken MacFarland, the administrator for this fund on behalf of the Department of Pediatrics, by March 15 of each year.