Information For Residents

 

RESIDENT SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY PROJECT

Residents entering PGY1 after July 1, 2015, must complete a scholarly activity project before completing their PGY5 year. More information can be found on the Scholarly Activity Project page.

 

WHAT IS SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY?

Scholarly activity is defined as creative work that is peer reviewed and publicly disseminated. Scholarly activity includes the discovery of new knowledge, the development of new technologies or methods, and the integration of knowledge leading to new understanding. The CanMEDs framework includes the following definition: “As scholars, psychiatrists demonstrate a lifelong commitment to reflective learning, as well as the creation, dissemination, application and translation of medical knowledge.”

Scholarly activity includes a spectrum of activity from critical appraisal through quality assurance and chart review studies to prospective studies and experimental research.

 

LEARN ABOUT AND ENGAGE IN SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY

There are several opportunities for residents to learn about and engage in scholarly activity within the residency program. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Academic Day (seminars in critical appraisal, statistics, research methodology)
  • Grand Rounds presentations
  • Department of Psychiatry Research Day
  • Various Journal Clubs, including the resident-organized journal club and the BrainTalks lecture series.
  • Half-day research longitudinal elective (PGY-2 to PGY-4)
  • Research electives which are 3-12 months (PGY-4 and PGY-5; also 1 month elective available in PGY-1)
  • The Resident Research Track is a program for residents with interest in an academic career. The Resident Research Track incorporates dedicated research time within the residency in order to develop clinician-investigators. There is a separate CaRMS match for the Research Track.

RESIDENT RESEARCH FAQs

 

I DON'T HAVE ANY RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. HOW DO I GET STARTED?

  1. Ask your clinical supervisor for suggestions.
  2. Talk to Dr. Erin Michalak, Associate Program Director, Scholarly Activity

HOW DO I FIND A RESEARCH SUPERVISOR?

  1. Check the Research Supervisor page.
  2. Check out the Resources page for research centres and faculty lists.
  3. Ask your clinical supervisor for suggestions.
  4. Talk to Dr. Erin Michalak, Associate Program Director, Scholarly Activity, or Dr. Anthony Bailey, Director of the Research Track.

HOW MUCH TIME DOES IT TAKE TO DO RESEARCH?

How much time do you have? Seriously, it all depends on the complexity of the project and your own priorities and time commitments. Writing a review paper can be done during a clinical rotation over a period of several weeks to months. Analyzing existing data will take longer, and conducting a new study would usually involve at least several months of time. Those of us who do research always spend some time on it outside of the usual work hours, but there are also research electives and the longitudinal research half-day electives for residents to carve out some time during their rotations for research.

WHAT KINDS OF RESEARCH CAN I DO?

  1. Case report and a systematic review.
  2. Systematic reviews of the literature.
  3. Quality assurance studies (e.g., chart reviews).
  4. Surveys.
  5. Analyzing data from a current study.
  6. Clinical trials (these are the most ambitious and challenging studies).
  7. Other types of studies.

HOW DO I FUND MY RESEARCH ?

Currently we do not have specific funds available for resident research projects. Usually research funds would need to come from the research supervisor's lab or research program. Check out the links to several funding agencies listed in the Resources page - there may be some grant competitions available to residents.

IS RESEARCH MANDATORY IN RESIDENCY?

Residents entering PGY1 after July 1, 2015, will be required to complete a scholarly activity project by the end of PGY5. For more information, check out the Scholarly Activity Project page.

WHAT RESEARCH AWARDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR RESIDENTS?

There are a number of research and academic awards available for residents engaged in scholarly activity. Check out the Resident Research Projects and Awards page for more info.

WHAT IS THE RESIDENT RESEARCH TRACK?

It is a special track for residents with previous research experience and a clear interest in pursuing an academic career in psychiatry. See the Resident Research Track page.

CAN I SWITCH OVER TO THE RESIDENT RESEARCH TRACK?

There is an opportunity for PGY1 residents to switch to the Research Track. If you are interested, contact Dr. Anthony Bailey, Director of the Research Track.

However, you do not need to be in the Research Track to engage in research as a resident. Explore some of these research opportunities available to you.