Frequently Asked Questions

The medical residency program’s capacity is 2-3 per year, often with a foreign medical graduate seeking training in Canada occupying one of the positions. Our current cycle is as follows for the PGY1s starting on the associated dates:

• 7/1/2017 3 residents
• 7/1/2018: 3 residents
• 7/1/2019: 2 residents
• 7/1/2020: 2 residents
• 7/1/2021: 2 resident positions available

As a comprehensive radiation oncology residency, our residents are able to complete all requirements without the need for outside rotations except for Paediatric Radiation Oncology in Toronto and a mandatory community Radiation Oncology rotation done beyond UOttawa and The Ottawa Hospital.  Residents may choose to participate in enrichment rotations outside of UOttawa if they wish, pending training program committee review and approval.

Yes, all residents are matched with formal program designated mentors which they are involved with choosing early in their training.

Our faculty are highly invested in education, so they’re available to help!

The Professional Association of Residents of Ontario is the official representative voice for Ontario’s doctors in training.

PARO’s priority is to advocate on behalf of its members, addressing professional and educational concerns in order to optimize the training and working experience of Ontario’s newest doctors thus ensuring that patients receive the best possible medical care. Salary and benefits can be found in the link below.

Click here for PARO Website

We are like all Radiation Oncology programs across the country transitioning to Competency by Design as the method of training in 2019.  This system relies on frequent and immediate feedback to help trainees focus their needs during training. 

Royal College Competence by Design information

During residency, teaching is a priority.  Wednesday afternoons are protected time with a structured educational program. 

TOHCC rounds-

Radiation Medicine Case Rounds - Wednesday 8:00 - 9:00 am

AHD schedules Wednesday from 1:00 - 4:30 pm

Physics Radiation Medicine Rounds Wednesday from 12:00 - 1:00 pm

As the sole provider of cancer care services to a population of about 1.3 million people in Eastern Ontario there are many opportunities for learning in our program.  Our centre is well equipped with nine VMAT capable linear accelerators, two Tomotherapy units, a Cyberknife, an orthovoltage unit, three large bore CT simulators, a MRI simulator as well as a HDR brachytherapy program with a dedicated OR. This equipment is located across two cancer centres at opposite ends of the city.  A Gammapod unit for dedicated stereotactic breast treatments is being commissioned. There is a robust interaction between the different disciplines in Radiation Medicine including Oncology, Therapy and Medical Physics.  A comprehensive clinical trials program exists in the cancer centre.   

Research is a program requirement with a dedicated program subcommittee mandated to help residents link to appropriate research opportunities across the university community including Radiation Medicine. In 2019, the program added a mandatory research block in the third year of resident training. As well residents have 5 additional blocks they can use for research or electives.

Residents are typically active within the educational program associated with the training program.  In the academic half day teams of junior and senior residents prepare the treatment planning course presentations together fostering graded learning and mentoring.  They are also involved with presentations at the weekly case rounds that are part of the academic half day as well as occasional journal club presentations during Wednesday morning Radiation Medicine Program Rounds.  They are numerous multidisciplinary disease-based rounds where residents may attend and participate as well.  Each year, the program accepts medical students from year 1 – 4 for electives, with those in year 3 and 4 given a radiation oncology teach by one of our senior residents.

Though this may vary based on how many residents are available during a given year, our call schedule is typically 4 – 5 calls per 4-week block.

The curriculum has been designed to produce well-rounded academic radiation oncologists. To achieve this, the program is comprised of four segments: general medicine and surgery, practice of oncology and radiation oncology, clinical /laboratory research, and basic sciences as it pertains to radiation oncology (radiobiology and radiation physics).

1^st year of training

The trainee will undergo a 2-month Boot camp in Radiation Oncology. The Transition to Discipline stage, focuses on introducing residents to the specialty of Radiation Oncology, providing a comprehensive orientation to the setting in which they will work, and assessing their incoming knowledge and skills. Residents will develop a familiarity with the tools, techniques, and principles that underlie radiation oncology practice, preparing them for providing basic elements of care under supervision, including performing and documenting a history and physical exam and completing a patient handover.

Residents will take part in a 2-week boot camp consisting of lectures and time in outpatient clinics followed by a further 6 weeks in outpatient clinics with various preceptors.

As they enter the Foundations to Discipline, they spend the remainder of their first year in approved basic clinical training. The purpose of the training is to introduce and expose the trainee to independent responsibility for decisions involving clinical judgment skills, the further development of an effective, and mature physician-patient relationship, and the achievement of competence in broad range of primary medical practice.

2^nd and 3^rd Year of Training

The resident will enter the Core of Discipline stage during their 2nd year. The 2nd and 3rd year of training will be comprised of a combination of rotations through outpatient radiation oncology, inpatient radiation oncology, medical oncology, and subspecialties related to oncology. During these two years, the trainee will, by training in all facets of cancer care, learn to become a well-rounded physician-oncologist, and not solely one who delivers radiotherapy.

At the end of their 3rd year, the trainee will have a grasp of the respective roles of the radiation oncologist, the medical oncologist, the oncologic surgeon, and the other specialists who treat cancer patients. It is with through this wide breadth of training that the resident becomes an oncologist who not only treats cancers with radiation, but is able to handle all the clinical scenarios associated with the diagnosis of cancer, and is able to provide consultation on how a particular cancer should be managed, from diagnosis to end of life care.

4^th and 5^th year of training

During the final two years of the training, the resident will spend concentrated time focused on the practice of radiation oncology. The resident will transition to Transition to Practice as they focus on acquiring the specialized knowledge, skills, and techniques that are unique to radiation oncology. The training is comprised of a series of rotations with staff radiation oncologists, all of whom have their own specific areas of practice and expertise. At the end of PGY-5, the resident will have rotated through all the disease sites that are treated at our centre. Additionally, in order to ensure adequate exposure to pediatric oncology, there will be a 4 week rotation outside of Ottawa, which is usually at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.

What type of reimbursement for books and educational supplies is offered?

The program allocates funding each year for the purchase of new resources as well as the purchase of 5 licences of e-anatomy for residents to share. Residents receive an allocation of $2500 for the duration of their residency, for courses or conferences of their choice, with PD approval. This fund can be used anytime during the five-year residency and is not limited to a single event (it may be used for more than one course/conference, up to the allocated dollar limit)

The program provides funding to support residents presenting their research projects at conference(s) up to $2000.00 if held outside Canada and $1500.00 if held inside Canada.  Priority is based on Seniority of resident as well as the availability of funds.

We are the sole provider of cancer care services to patients in Eastern Ontario including the Nation’s Capital.  We also provide cancer care services to the patients to the Qikiqtani region in eastern Nunavut.

Please check out our Alumni section of the website.