Hematological Pathology Residency Training Program
Hematological Pathology is a four-year program, meeting the specialty training requirements of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The University of Ottawa has one dedicated CARMS match position for Hematological Pathology each year. Teaching rounds are in English, but many of the technical staff are fluently bilingual in English and French. Opportunities are available for the trainee to assist in hematology laboratory sessions for the first year medical students, which are also conducted in both English and French.
Hematological Pathology Resources
The Ottawa Hospital is a tertiary teaching institution, composed of three campuses: the General, Civic and Riverside. Taken together, the active treatment hospitals (General and Civic) have 1380 beds in total. The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, includes a busy bone marrow transplant service.
Approximately 1300 CBCs and 500 routine coagulation assays are done daily at the Ottawa Hospital. Approximately 1000 bone marrow examinations and 1800 flow cytometric immunophenotypings for leukemia or lymphoma are performed each year. An investigative hematology laboratory, a new regional laboratory facility, the Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA) located at the General campus, offers specialized hematological testing using state-of-the-art techniques, including, but not limited to, protein electrophoresis and Western blotting, thromboelastogram assessment, high-performance liquid chromatography, and electron microscopy.
The tissue typing/DNA laboratory at the General Campus is an ASHI-accredited facility, which provides laboratory support for the renal and stem cell transplant programs. Blood bank facilities are present at all three campuses, using automated solid phase technology and electronic cross-matching. Specialized antibody investigation capabilities are based at EORLA.
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is a 150-bed pediatric hospital, with an active hematology/oncology department, serving the needs of eastern Ontario. Approximately 275 bone marrow examinations are performed each year. CHEO has excellent cytogenetic and molecular laboratories.
As the capital of Canada, Ottawa provides unique opportunities in hematological pathology training, with the regional and head offices of the Canadian Blood Services, and other health-related government offices situated in the city. The resident has the opportunity of rotating through these locations during training.
The resident has access to electronic medical records. There is an active academic day each Monday with residents and faculty presenting during the academic year. There is access to abundant clinical material. There are many opportunities for research, including the annual Departmental Research Day, where residents present their work. More information about the Hematological Pathology residency program is available on this website.