Please consult the following document for more information about the enrichment year:
Enrichment year 2010 [.doc]
Activities during this year include three months of Otolaryngology electives, six months of supervised intensive research, and three months of clinical rotations.
Goals and objectives
The main objective of the research components of this program is to show residents the principles of good basic research and to promote high quality research in otolaryngology. This will be done by implementing, in part, the following:
- Selecting an appropriate new research area for personal-professional development
- Reviewing research literature to identify knowledge gaps, both in the field and personal
- Preparing research grant proposals, including associated research ethics elements
- Understanding the communication, time-management and collaboration needs of successful research
- Implementing a research study (self-organization; responding to, and doing, supervision; improving collaboration, communication and time management of self and others)
- Improving research communication skills (oral/written reports; PowerPoint presentations; conference and journal papers; posters)
- Extending and applying research results to future research, clinical applications, and public health issues
In addition to the research involvement, the resident will maintain certain clinical exposure and obligations. This will include mandatory duties, as well as elective opportunities. The resident must be present at grand rounds, hospital rounds, academic half days, journal clubs, and special seminars. The resident on-call schedule will be part of the enrichment year. Residents may also be required to substitute for clinical rotations of other residents on vacation.
Residents will avail themselves to certain mandatory pedagogical experiences. These will include anatomy (as a demonstrator) during the head and neck portion, as well as epidemiology and biostatistics.
The Enrichment year offers residents an exceptional opportunity to refine, and to begin to teach all of the CanMEDS competencies. In particular, residents are integrated into a year of scholarly activities, which almost always require extensive collaboration with colleagues, basic scientists, epidemiologists, clinicians, and support staff. Their interactions throughout the year require skilful professional behaviour and good communicator skills. Attendance at academic activities and following a reading plan further enhance Enrichment-year residents as medical experts. Residents with a strong academic background, and who are strongly motivated, may request to enter the Double-Program Master of Science in Otolaryngology Degree in their Enrichment year. This is contingent on producing a strong research proposal during the preceding year, following the McGill guidelines for a Master's degree, and completion of a thesis. Requests for entry into the Master's Double-program degree are considered on an individual basis by the Research Committee and decided during the year prior to the start of the Enrichment year.
Program outline
Selection of projects and supervisors
Projects may be selected from laboratories listed in the residency-training manual, or from projects described in an annual Grand Rounds session, "On-going research." Joint supervision by both a basic scientist and a clinician is required.
Enrichment-year activities
The sequence of activities during the Enrichment year will be as follows:
- July – September:
- 3 months of electives (designated rotations in)
- 1 month of facial cosmetics;
- 1 month of audiology/vestibular;
- 1 month of Community Practise.
- October- March: 6 months of intensive research activities
- April – June: 3 months of clinical rotations
Research activities will include:
- Six months of supervised intensive clinical and-or basic-science research
- Attendance at Research Topics seminars with Dr. Segal
- An epidemiology or Statistics course, approved by Research Committee
- Presentation at Resident Research Day and/or at a national or international Scientific Meeting
- A Progress seminar near the end of the 6-month block of research activities
Year-round activities include:
- All departmental academic activities (lectures, rounds, Journal Club, exams, etc.)
- On-call rotations
- Covering for vacationing residents, if required when no other residents are available
- Continuation of research activities, as appropriate
- One session of Head & Neck Demonstration