Clinical

The University of Ottawa, Department of Emergency Medicine (DEM) is one of Canada’s largest emergency training programs and a world leader in emergency medical education and research. The Clinical Emergency Medicine Fellowship is a unique program offered by the DEM to provide clinical post-graduate medical education for international fellows who have completed their emergency residency training. The fellowship is one year in duration and is a requirement for fellowship applicants from non-ACGME accredited emergency residency programs before they can be formally admitted into one of the DEM sub-specialized emergency fellowship training programs.   

Fellows are awarded an Educational Medical Licence by The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and work clinically as emergency physicians at The University of Ottawa teaching hospitals. The fellow is at all times under the supervision of a board-certified staff emergency physician. The goals of the fellowship are to expose fellows to the practice of emergency medicine at world class quaternary teaching hospitals and achieve the clinical emergency medicine competencies as set by The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

Requirements:

• Must be a graduate of internationally recognized emergency medicine residency program
• Personal letter of interest
• Curriculum Vitae
• Three (3) letters of reference
• Medical Degree from accredited institution
• English Proficiency Test
• Funding source acceptable to the University of Ottawa

Consideration for a fellowship position is competitive. Eligible applicants will be offered an opportunity to interview. A formal offer for a fellowship position will be sent to the successful candidates following the interview process.

At the commencement of the fellowship program, there will be an orientation, evaluation, and adjustment period, which will ordinarily be from 4 to 8 weeks in length called the Pre-Entry Assessment Program (PEAP). This is mandated by The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), before a fellowship license can be awarded. During this time the Fellow will receive additional instruction, will be assessed on their basic clinical knowledge, skills and attitudes, and will receive support as they adjust to practice in the Canadian medical system. Upon successful completion of this orientation and adjustment period, the trainee will be assigned to the fellowship in a regular capacity.

Pre-Entry Assessment Program (PEAP)

The PEAP is an assessment process that evaluates international medical graduates to determine whether they can function at the level of their Canadian counterparts. The majority of PEAP candidates are on a Visa and are expected to return to their country of origin following completion of postgraduate training. The PEAP process allows for appropriate, supervised clinical activity.

The PEAP may be of four to eight weeks in duration. The objective is to provide assessment of the candidate’s clinical skills, knowledge and judgment in the discipline of emergency medicine. In addition to providing an assessment of whether the candidate is:

• Competent to practice medicine
• Has the ability to practice with decency, integrity and honesty and in accordance with the law 
• Has sufficient knowledge, skill and judgment to engage in the kind of medical practice authorized by an educational medical license.  
• Can communicate effectively and displays an appropriately professional attitude

If a candidate is unsuccessful in the PEAP, they are not permitted to enter another PEAP in the same discipline in Ontario. An unsuccessful PEAP result will be communicated to all Ontario medical schools. The candidate will not be permitted to progress with their fellowship training.

Before the candidate begins his or her PEAP, he or she must have received an Educational Certificate for PEAP from the CPSO. Upon successful completion of the PEAP, the CPSO will automatically convert the educational certificate for PEAP into a full certificate of registration for Postgraduate Education.

Suitable candidates are required to apply through the Fellowship Application Form.

Contact

Mike Rubin, MD FACEP FAAEM
Clinical Emergency Medicine Fellowship Director

Lisa Lance,
Program Coordinator

Michael Rubin, MD FACEP FAAEM

Dr. Rubin joined the Emergency Medicine faculty at The Ottawa Hospital in 2014. He holds a teaching appointment at The University of Ottawa Medical School as well as an adjunct faculty position at the Harvard Disaster Medicine Fellowship.

After graduating from the emergency medicine residency at New York Medical College, Dr. Rubin completed a fellowship in Disaster Medicine at Harvard Medical School followed by an additional fellowship in Emergency Ultrasonography at The University of Ottawa.

In 2018, he took on the role of Clinical Fellowship Director for the Department of Emergency Medicine and is focused on ensuring fellows receive excellent training tailored to their clinical objectives and academic needs.

Dr. Rubin’s academic interests include point of care ultrasonography, disaster management and multimodal analgesia. He currently serves as the Chair of the Emergency Department Pain Management Committee and is involved with policy creation, education and quality improvement initiatives to ensure that emergency departmental prescribing practices are safe and effective.

Clinical Emergency Fellows are typically scheduled to work 14 shifts per month depending on the academic block. In addition, they are expected to attend weekly Grand Rounds, academic half day, simulation sessions as well as monthly M&M round, Journal Club and their dedicated fellow rounds. Fellows typically begin their training on July 1^st so that they can participate in the departmental academic orientation programme which includes an intensive ultrasound course, procedure course, sessions at the simulation center and hospital onboarding. Given the time constraints associated with obtaining visas and licensing it is not uncommon for fellows to begin their training off cycle.

There is flexibility to tailor the fellowship to the fellow’s individual interests and academic goals. Fellows have the opportunities to select from multiple elective rotations including:

• Point of Care Ultrasonography
• Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
• Intensive Care
• Toxicology
• Pediatric Emergency Medicine
• Medical Simulation
• Trauma
• Disaster Medicine

While working shifts in the emergency department, the fellow will be paired directly with emergency board certified academic attending physicians. Depending on the shift, they may also be expected to oversee junior residents and medical students.

There is no mandated research project for Clinical Emergency Fellows, but they are encouraged to get involved with ongoing research, QI or begin working on a project related to their intended second year of sub-specialized fellowship training. Fellows are expected to give multiple presentations over the course of their training and have teaching opportunities across all levels of medical education.

Current

• Dr. Aida Darweish (July 2020)
• Dr. Leo Carroll

Alumni 2019

• Dr. Abdullah Al Thunayan
• Dr. Fahad Al Hajjaj*

Alumni 2018

• Dr. Sawsan Hanafi

Alumni 2017

• Dr. Ibahim Alzubaidi