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Faculty of Health Sciences

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Resident Academic Events

Throughout the year, you are given the opportunity to participate in a variety of events.

Residents attending a social event

R.T. Weaver Scientific Day

The R.T. Weaver Scientific Day provides an opportunity for our graduate students and our residents to present their recently completed research. The event is attended by our department faculty from inside and outside of Hamilton, our reproductive biology graduate students and our residents. All residents will have the opportunity to present their research project prior to graduation.

The annual R.T. Weaver Scientific Day was established in 1974 by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology to honour the first academic obstetrician in Hamilton and chief of obstetrics and gynecology at the Henderson Hospital. Dr. Weaver’s leadership pre-dated and facilitated the establishment of the McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences.

Learn more about the R.T. Weaver Departmental Research Day.

Resident Journal Club

The resident journal club provides the opportunity for our residents to critically appraise and present recent literature in obstetrics and gynecology to faculty and peers for further learning and discussion. Journal clubs occur four times throughout the year. We aim to host two journal clubs each year off-site in the evening to allow for a more relaxed, social atmosphere, while still discussing key concepts related to critical appraisal and research methodology.

Dinner & a Guideline

Approximately three times a year, you will gather with your peers to review an updated The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) guideline. The program affords funding to provide food for you all to enjoy a fun evening together while advancing your knowledge on hot topics.

Centre for Minimal Access Surgery (CMAS) Movie Night

To help consolidate learning that occurs during hands-on CMAS lab teaching sessions, you will be challenged to create a sock puppet laparoscopically over the course of the year. You will film various aspects of your creation and then show your movie to your peers during our movie night extravaganza. You bring your creativity and the program will take care of the pizza and snacks, along with prizes for the winning creations!

Practice OSCES (Objective Structured Clinical Examination)

The program officially schedules four OSCEs per year (two junior and two senior level). These OSCEs attempt to cover all of the CanMEDS domains. They serve many purposes, including identification of knowledge gaps, development of the skill of performing an OSCE and ensuring awareness of the importance of all of the CanMEDS domains. The OSCE results are not used as part of your formal evaluations, although they are reviewed by the program director so that any opportunities for improvement can be identified and discussed.

Aside from these regularly-scheduled OSCE sessions, there are a number of less formal OSCE sessions facilitated by faculty and fellows in the department with the aim to support residents writing their Royal College exam.

Personal Progress Index (PPI)

Consisting of 120 multiple choice questions, you will complete this mock exam approximately three times per year. This allows residents to track their knowledge and progress through the program over their five years and practice answering multiple choice questions like those on the written part of the Royal College exam.

Academic Professionals in Obstetrics and Gynaecology (APOG) Exam

You will write the APOG exam yearly in November. Results are sent to the resident and program director to assist with identifying knowledge gaps and areas for improvement.

CMAS Sessions

Throughout the year there are regularly scheduled academic sessions addressing the development of surgical skills related to minimal access surgery. These sessions involve didactic sessions, hands on experience at the CMAS and participation in pig labs led by the experts within our department.

Academic Half-Day (AHD)

In PGY1&2, you will attend the surgical foundations teaching sessions weekly on Wednesday mornings. Additionally, you will attend “swing days,” which are reserved as time within the obstetrics and gynecology program. This enables junior residents to receive teaching from their home program, including both didactic and hands-on sessions.

The AHD for the PGY3-PGY5 residents in obstetrics and gynecology is every Wednesday afternoon. These cover a variety of topics based upon the Royal College objectives. PGY2 residents attend this half-day once a month. Following completion of the surgical foundations program, PGY2 attend all sessions.

Grand Rounds & Site-based Education Rounds

The department holds grand rounds monthly. Leading experts from various departments, both within and outside of McMaster, are invited to speak regarding their area of expertise. Each hospital site also holds weekly education rounds that are widely attended. You are required to contribute to the presentations at these educational rounds during the course of your residency.

Evaluations

Residents complete entrustable professional activities (EPA) evaluations on their rotations as a part of competency-based education. Each rotation is evaluated at the midway point and at the end by the rotation coordinator. Evaluations are also completed after each call shift and all are collated into bi-annual feedback with the program director.