Subspecialty Residency Program

Training Requirements

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

As of 2019, all new residents will be trained using the principles of Competency by Design (CBD). There are designated Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA) for Nephrology that will need to be completed and reviewed by the Competence Committee for Pediatric Nephrology for a resident to successfully complete their training program. The EPAs will be taught progressively through training and are designed so that the resident will demonstrate graded levels of responsibility as their clinical skills, competence, and experience develop.

During the two-year training period Pediatric Nephrology Subspecialty Residents will complete a minimum of:

• Six inpatient pediatric nephrology blocks
• Six pediatric dialysis blocks
• Six pediatric transplant blocks
• One block of adult transplantation
• One block of adult dialysis

Throughout the two-year training period, the resident will manage their own patients as part of the weekly resident continuity clinic. The pediatric transplantation service cares for children who have undergone both deceased donor and living related donor transplantation so that all aspects of transplantation and long-term follow-up can be acquired during the inpatient and transplant blocks. The pediatric dialysis service offers both chronic hemodialysis and chronic peritoneal dialysis so that comprehensive training in all aspects of dialysis will be obtained. Our dialysis program also provides other extracorporeal treatments that are prescribed and managed by pediatric nephrology, these include red blood cell pheresis, white blood cell pheresis, and plasma exchange. In collaboration with the pediatric ICU, continuous renal replacement therapy is also prescribed and managed by the pediatric nephrology service.

A renal pathology elective and a pediatric urology elective are strongly encouraged to be taken during the two-year training period. With the expertise of our faculty, we can also offer specialized electives in nephrology research and in quality assurance. There are also possibilities to take epidemiology and biostatistics courses that are offered in May and June each year at McGill University.

Electives / Observerships

The Division of Nephrology offers:

• Electives to medical students, core general pediatrics residents, pediatric nephrology subspecialty residents, and adult nephrology residents. Ideally, a minimum of four weeks in an elective is preferred, but shorter durations can be discussed.
• Observerships on a case by case basis for a minimum of four weeks duration. Individuals considering an observership must present specific objectives for the observership in order to be considered.

Please contact peds.admin2 [at] mcgill.ca (Belina Preziosi), Administrative and Student Affairs Coordinator.

Training Sites

• Montreal Children's Hospital
• Royal Victoria Hospital
• Jewish General Hospital
• Montreal General Hospital

Educational Opportunities

Our Pediatric Nephrology Residents have their academic half-day with the adult nephrology residents and the two-year training program covers all topics listed in the curriculum of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for nephrology. As part of the academic half-day, there is an annual nephrology examination that is held at the SIM center.

There are designated educational funds for Pediatric Nephrology Residents to attend conferences such as the American Society of Nephrology meeting, the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology meeting, the Dialysis meeting and the American Society of Transplant meeting. We can offer specialized electives to provide training in quality assurance and in nephrology research because of the expertise of our faculty.

For residents potentially interested in a research career, we offer a combined clinical and research training program similar to the model of training offered in U.S. programs. Residents who select this option receive both comprehensive training in clinical nephrology and in-depth research training. Individuals interested in this option may pursue either fundamental research in the lab of one of our faculty or may pursue graduate studies in Epidemiology under the supervision of one of our faculty. Residents interested in epidemiology training are encouraged to apply for the MSc program in Epidemiology at McGill University—one of the world’s best epidemiology graduate programs.