Geriatric Psychiatry Subspecialty Residency Training Program
Important Dates:
Application Deadline:
Notification of Interview:
Applicant Interviews:
Letters of Offer Sent Out:
Monday September 14, 2015
Thursday October 1, 2015
Monday October 19, 2015
Friday November 13, 2015
Deadline to receive responses to Letters of Offer: Friday, November 20, 2015
The Division of Geriatric Psychiatry Subspecialty Program at McMaster University, in keeping
with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada requirements, consists of two
years of training in geriatric psychiatry and related areas. The intent is for residents to enter this
program as a PGY5 and complete training with a PGY6 year. Residents are asked to apply in the
year prior to their anticipated entry.
The Department of Psychiatry is calling for Applications to the Geriatric Subspecialty Program
for entry beginning July 2016. Residents entering their PGY 4 or 5 year in July 2015 are eligible
to apply.
One year of eligible rotations should be completed during PGY-5 in a recognized Psychiatry
Residency program in Canada and the resident must be eligible to write the RCPSC (Royal
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada) examination in general psychiatry at the end of
their PGY-5 year.
Complete details on training requirements can be found on the Royal College of Physicians and
Surgeons of Canada Website under Geriatric Psychiatry
Applications for the Geriatric Subspecialty Program are due Monday September 14, 2015.
The Division offers an extraordinary breadth and depth of clinical experiences with excellent,
dedicated supervisors and teachers. Training will occur primarily within the St Joseph’s
Healthcare setting, with additional experiences in Hamilton Health Sciences, Community and
Long-term care settings, and affiliated teaching sites in Waterloo and Niagara regions. We are
affiliated with McMaster’s Institute of Geroscience Research.
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Please refer to the list of requirements below. For consideration of enrolment in this program,
please submit the documents listed below by mail, to the attention of:
Dr Karen Saperson, Program Director
Geriatric Psychiatry Subspecialty
St Josephs Healthcare Hamilton, West 5th Campus
100-West 5th Street, Room B354
Hamilton, ON L8N 1K7
For further information about subspecialty training in Geriatric Psychiatry, please contact Sheila
Murphy, Program Assistant, Geriatric Psychiatry Subspecialty. murphy4@mcmaster.ca
Please include the following:
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A letter of Intent
Completed Application for Postgraduate Training Form
ITERs for completed eligible rotations in PGY-4
Three Letters of Reference (one from current program director and at least one a from
Geriatric Psychiatry supervisor)
An updated C.V.
All application information must be received by September 14, 2015. Late applications will be
considered on a case-by-case basis.
All eligible applicants will have their file reviewed by the Geriatric Psychiatry Residency Program
Committee. A short list of applicants will be selected and invited for interviews to occur on
October 19, 2015. The Residency Program committee will inform applicants of the results of
the selection process on November 13, 2015 ; candidates are expected to respond to offers by
November 20, 2015.
Minimum Training Requirements
The Geriatric Psychiatry residency training is twenty-four (24) months.
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Twelve (12) months of the training requirements in section 1 and 2 below is to be
completed during fulfillment of the primary certification requirements in a Royal
College-approved program in Psychiatry in the PGY-5 level or higher.
Twelve (12) months will be completed in the McMaster University Geriatric Psychiatry
Program at the PGY-6 level.
Minimum requirements in each area are indicated below in bold.
Rotation choices should be discussed with the McMaster University Geriatric Psychiatry
Residency Program Director and must be approved by the local Residency Program Director to
ensure you are fulfilling your local program requirements.
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TRAINING REQUIREMENTS
Royal College Information by Discipline
1. Clinical training: Eighteen (18) to twenty-one (21) months total, including:
1.1 Core Geriatric Psychiatry: At least twelve (12) months with a minimum of two months (2) or
equivalent in each of the following settings:
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Inpatient (includes inpatient work on psychiatric units or consultation to other inpatient
settings)
Ambulatory care (includes outpatient clinics or day hospital settings)
Outreach visits at a patient’s place of residence (must include a long-term care
component)
Each of these components may be organized in a longitudinal fashion, and must allow the
resident to provide both consultations and ongoing care. There must be supervision by a
psychiatrist with appropriate Geriatric Psychiatry expertise and knowledge.
This does not include the 6-month mandatory Psychiatry Residency core experience in
Geriatric Psychiatry in the PGY2/3 year.
1.2 Expertise with the medical problems commonly associated with psychiatric presentations in
older adults: At least three (3) months. Rotations should be selected according to the individual
resident’s career goals and prior experience, and may include any of the following:
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Geriatric Medicine clinics, day hospital or inpatient unit
Movement disorders / neurology
Stroke prevention clinic
Palliative care
Neuroimaging
Medical care in a long term care home
1.3 Electives related to the practice of Geriatric Psychiatry: Up to three (3) months. These are
intended to augment the learning obtained in the core clinical rotations to ensure all the
educational objectives are met. Rotations must have a clear geriatric focus and will be
individualized to the experience and goals of the resident with the approval of the program
director. Suitable rotations include:
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Addictions psychiatry
Psychotherapy
Community/ shared care psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Forensic Psychiatry
Bioethics in psychiatry
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Consultation-liaison psychiatry
Clinical psychiatric research
Late life Mood disorders and ECT
Emergency or urgent care
2. Advanced training and/or scholarly activities: Three (3) to six (6) months:
2.1 This will be related to Geriatric Psychiatry, as attested by the Program Director, in one or
more of the areas outlined below. This may be completed in distinct blocks or integrated
horizontally over the course of subspecialty training and must be completed by the end of the
residency. Each subspecialty trainee will be expected to develop skills in one of the following
areas in greater depth, to at least Advanced level competency, as defined in the Objective
Training Requirements in Geriatric Psychiatry. All PGY6 residents at McMaster will be required
to participate in the department’s annual leadership training program.
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Education: Advanced level competency may include the development and evaluation of
a new educational program, or formal graduate studies in health professional education.
Research: Advanced level of competency in this area will undertake a research project,
and the training program will be expected to assist the resident in acquiring the
necessary skills.
Leadership, Service Development and Administration: Advanced level competency may
include a critical evaluation and review of an existing model of service delivery,
undertaking and documenting a new service development or capacity enhancement
project, or graduate-level studies in Health Administration
Other: Trainees may elect to develop advanced level competency in other areas such as
advocacy, according to individual career goals, subject to approval by the Program
Director.
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