Curriculum

At Vancouver General Hospital, areas of special emphasis include bone marrow and solid organ transplantation, travel and tropical medicine, neurosurgery and neurology, burns, multiple trauma, tuberculosis, and spinal cord injury.

At St. Paul’s Hospital, the trainees’ objectives emphasize HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular surgery and cardiology, cystic fibrosis, and infections in injection drug users. A dedicated ward called the Urban Health Infection Unit includes HIV/AIDS patients and also patients with addictions issues plus infections at St. Paul’s Hospital and it provides a valuable elective opportunity for training.

Acute and chronic community-acquired infections, nosocomial and medical device-associated infections, and surgical infections are seen at both sites.

Additional sites and areas of specialization include:

Infections Related to Obstetrics and Gynecology:

  • training at the BC Women’s Hospital and the Oak Tree Clinic
  • includes HIV infection in women, youth and children

Pediatric Infectious Disease:

  • two 4-week blocks at BC Children’s Hospital
  • participate in both inpatient consultation service and outpatient clinics

Ambulatory Care:

  • occurs throughout the training program
  • ID  specialty residents have a longitudinal clinic, focusing on all aspects of general ID
  • additional elective ambulatory care experience – includes full-time one 4-week block in TB or sexually transmitted infections (STI) at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC),  a full-time one-month rotation at the Oak Tree Clinic for women and families with HIV, and outpatient management of viral hepatitis

Hospital Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC):

  • one 4-week block in the clinical and laboratory aspects of infection control
  • complete a project addressing a current IPAC issue
  • participate in the investigation of an outbreak
  • attend monthly Infection Control Unit meetings for 1 year (except while on the inpatient consultation service)
  • attend daily infection control meetings while on the Pediatric service
  • At St.Paul’s and VGH, and BC Children’s Hospital

Medical Microbiology:

  • initial three 4-week  blocks with hands-on experience and knowledge in general bacteriology, mycology, virology, molecular  diagnostics and parasitology
  • a dedicated infection control and antimicrobial stewardship block
  • two 4-week blocks of  microbiology  spent at SPH or another site in advanced microbiology and virology
  • a block of public health in a municipal or regional agency with an emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention at Vancouver Coastal Health

Research:

  • an area of emphasis in the UBC program
  • training in clinical epidemiology features design and interpretation of research studies, evaluation of investigative and diagnostic methods, data analysis and basic statistical skills
  • develop critical appraisal skills at weekly Journal Club
  • spend elective rotations in clinical or basic science research under Committee supervision
  • submit for presentation at least one abstract at a major meeting, and submit a manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal

Infectious Diseases Academic Half-Day:

  • every Thursday afternoon with adult ID, pediatric ID, and medical microbiology residents; subspecialty residents are excused from clinical duties at this time
  • a two-year program of weekly topics designed to ensure coverage of the basic and clinical sciences relevant to the specialty
  • Academic half day content is presented by both faculty and trainees
  • write practice examinations every six months, prep for the Royal College ID examination

     EXAMPLE TRAINING SCHEDULE

Program Year Blocks
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
1 ID Consult Service UHIU ID Consult Service Path 722 Microbiology Course ID Consult Service ASP IPAC Tx ID Community ID Ambulatory HIV Research
2 Elective/Research ID Consult Service Public Health Elective/Selective Pediatric ID Junior Attending Micro Junior Attending

UHIU: Urban Health Infection Unit

ASP: Antimicrobial Stewardship Program

IPAC: Infection Prevention and Control

Tx ID: Transplant Infectious Diseases