Vancouver Island

The Victoria hospitals are located on the traditional and unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) speaking peoples, who include the Esquimalt, Songhees, and W̱SÁNEĆ nations.

The home of UBC’s Royal College Emergency Medicine residency program on Vancouver Island is in beautiful Victoria, BC.

Program Highlights

■ Two full-spectrum emergency departments that combined see more than 125,000 patients per year
■ Recently renovated simulation centre with two high fidelity simulations per month, as well as “in situ” scenarios done in the trauma bay with multidisciplinary teams
■ Low staff-to-learner ratio on Emergency Medicine and off-service rotations, which affords access to multiple learning opportunities and independence early in training
■ Support and access to training opportunities at the other UBC training sites – while you’re based in Victoria, you have the whole province available to support your training
■ Dedicated POCUS block in R1 and radiology/ultrasound block in R3
■ Trauma Team Leader call opportunities for our residents throughout their 5 years of training
■ Regular oral exams with staff physicians to help residents prepare for the Royal College exam. This includes graduated involvement throughout residency building to vigorous preparation for senior residents in the spring of their exam year
■ Local supper club, at which we discuss journal articles (sometimes referred to as “Journal Club”)
■ Annual Island resident retreat: sailing in Tofino, camping on Rathtrevor beach, houseboating on Cowichan Lake, and hiking on Saltspring Island are just some of the things we have done!
■ Monthly resident family dinners
■ Cookies when you least expect them
■ Multiple teaching opportunities with residents and medical students through the UBC Island Medical Program

For more information, please refer to our program description on the CaRMS website.

Staff Physicians

As of 2024, the Victoria Emergency Physicians Society comprises 55 staff physicians, with a near-equal mixture of FRCP and CCFP(EM) training.  All physicians cover both primary hospital sites and all participate in the training of our residents.  The group has a broad range of niche and subspecialty expertise including critical care, POCUS, pre-hospital and flight medicine, geriatrics, palliative care, addictions, sports medicine, and expedition/backcountry medicine, while others are engaged in medical administration, education, and research.

Training Hospitals

The Victoria EM program is based out of two main hospitals – Victoria General and Royal Jubilee.  Just like their preceptors, residents work at both hospitals within each EM block, which maximizes the continuity of the training experiences even though some services or patient types are predominantly at one site or the other.

Victoria General Hospital

The Emergency department was rebuilt in 2009 with additional renovations in 2021, and sees 65,000 patients annually.

Victoria General hospital specializes in Neurology/Stroke, Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics, and is also a Level 2 Trauma Centre.  It is the trauma referral centre for Vancouver Island with a Trauma service that is run by physicians from the departments of EM, General Surgery, Anesthesia, and ICU.  EM residents can do optional TTL call as soon as they have completed their Trauma block in PGY-1.  More than 20% of the annual visits to VGH ED are pediatric. The hospital has the Island’s primary pediatric and neonatal ICU and a variety of other pediatric specialists (Anesthesia, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, General Surgery, Orthopedics). All pediatric resuscitations are led by the ER physician.

Royal Jubilee Hospital

This hospital near downtown Victoria has more than 62,000 Emergency department visits annually.  As the inner-city hospital, the patient population consists of a variety of groups including those affected by addictions, homelessness, and infectious disease.  It is the interventional Cardiac, Vascular and Thoracic centre, and sees a wide variety of medical and surgical cases. This site is the primary home to Ophthalmology, Plastic Surgery and Nephrology services. There is a separate Psychiatric ER attached to our main ER, and the BC Cancer Regional Care Centre for Vancouver Island is located at RJH.

5-year Curriculum

Our residency program follows the Competence by Design (CBD) format set forth by the Royal College. The program is 5 years in duration and an example outline of the curriculum can be found below.  Of the 65 total blocks, there are 7 that require the Victoria residents to be located outside Victoria for the duration.  For these mandatory away blocks, travel and accommodation support is provided by the PGME:

Over 350,000 people call the Greater Victoria area home! We are lucky to enjoy a unique sub-Mediterranean climate and hours of sunshine throughout the year. Did you know that Victoria is the 6th sunniest city in Canada, and that it actually receives less annual precipitation than more than 80% of Canada’s largest urban areas (including a large nearby city in BC that shall remain nameless, but rhymes with Slamcouver)? Some would say it’s a nice place to live! BC’s capital city has historic buildings at every turn, enough restaurants/cafes/pubs to keep you busy for years, an extensive system of bike lanes and regional trails for riding, sandy beaches with mountainous landscapes for lounging, and dense greenery everywhere you look.

Recreation

Victoria is the main ‘jumping-off point’ for adventurers looking to experience Vancouver Island. The city itself boasts kilometres of bike lanes and dedicated regional trails, such as the Galloping Goose Trail, so that cycling to work earns you praise rather than road rage. If you’re a mountain biker, you can find adrenaline-pumping single track within Greater Victoria at Hartland/Mount Work Regional Park, Bear Mountain, or the newly built Jordie Lunn Bike Park  – all of which are only a short drive from downtown Victoria. Surrounded by ocean on three sides, Victoria is an ocean sport mecca, and there is never a shortage of kite surfers, kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders, and sailors. Surfers are a short drive away from Jordan River, Sombrio and China Beaches, and only a few hours away from world-famous Tofino. Victoria is also home to many marinas (many of which boast excellent restaurants and cafés), including the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and Oak Bay Marina. Do you like golf? Well Victoria arguably has some of the nicest golf courses in North America. Check out Victoria Golf Club or Bear Mountain Resort, and golf is a year-round activity here.

Food & Drink

Victoria has a multitude of fine dining options, and is home to more than a dozen craft breweries. If you like something more challenging than Coors or Labatt’s, then Victoria’s craft brewing scene is for you. With more breweries per capita than anywhere else in Canada, you can be sure to find your favourite new beverage. Food options range from fine Italian dining at Il Terrazzo to French delicacies at Restaurant Matisse, from seaside pub eats at Spinnakers Brewpub to delicious sushi at Sen Zushi! If you are in need of something quick, a food truck is never far away.

Vancouver Island is also home to 38 licensed wineries, many of which are in the immediate vicinity of Victoria. In addition, Victoria hosts many great coffee shops and several roasteries such as Fernwood Coffee and Caffe Fantastico. No matter what taste, preference, or style, it can be found in Victoria’s thriving foodie scene!

Arts & Culture

Known as the cultural hub of BC and possessing old-world charm, Victoria has been called the most British city in Canada, but is also home to Canada’s oldest Chinatown. Music lovers of all varieties can find almost any music style ranging from the Victoria Symphony to Rifflandia Music Festival. The Victoria Fringe Festival, Belfry Theater, and many other performing arts venues make for a great (and sometimes interactive!) night out. For those with a more discerning taste, a morning at Butchart Gardens chased with afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel gives a decidedly tranquil and recharging experience.

History

Prior to the arrival of European sailors and mappers in the 1700s, southern Vancouver Island was home to various Coast Salish peoples. The city itself was incorporated in 1862, and its long and rich history is readily apparent around every corner. The world-famous Royal Victoria Museum is located on the inner harbour and hosts a series of fixed and rotating exhibits. Directly opposite are the neo-baroque BC parliament buildings, first built in the 1890s and home to the BC Legislature. And then there’s the historic Empress Hotel, which was built in 1908 and is considered one of Canada’s grand railway hotels. Victoria’s Chinatown is the second-oldest in North America and it continues to be a vibrant cultural hub. Around the city are a variety of sculptures, statues, historic sites, and castles that provide for endless exploration.

Education

The University of Victoria is the primary degree-granting institution in Victoria, and was founded in 1903 as an affiliate of McGill University. It is now fully independent and consistently ranks in the top three Comprehensive universities across Canada. The metropolitan area of Victoria also hosts Camosun College and Royal Roads University, which is home to Hatley Castle and was previously a military college. The Greater Victoria and Saanich School Districts operate a variety of elementary, middle, and secondary schools, French immersion programs, private and charter schools, and specialised schools.

The comments below are from an anonymous survey of Victoria’s EM residents (current and past) and staff conducted in 2024

Is the experience you are having/had in Victoria what you expected?

“I was expecting a moderate sized program with a favorable resident to patient (and procedure) ratio which the program delivered. I had also heard wonders about the collegiality of the site how kind everyone was which also has been a highlight of training at Victoria. What surprised me was the volumes and the complexity of cases which I had not anticipated having never done an emerg rotation here before starting my residency.”

”Victoria is exactly what I was hoping for in a program but it also has definitely passed my expectations hugely. The first month, I kept going home and telling my partner “wow, the doctors here are so happy and really excited to get me involved and teach.” Do you know how great it is to work somewhere when you have that level of support and shifts are actually really fun? I especially love when you are walking through the department and a staff who you aren’t even working with grabs you to show you something cool they saw. I have always wanted a program that you are not anonymous in, somewhere where people not only know your name but your strengths and weaknesses and help you be better.”

“Exemplary medical experience and exposure in a supportive personalized environment.  There are few house staff in Victoria so learners work with full fledged staff physicians not someone who is a year ahead in residency.  Great case mixes and lots of acuity.  Great consultants.”

For which medical students applying to CaRMS for EM is Victoria an OPTIMAL place to train?

“Those that want hands on emergency medicine. Great environment that is not saturated with learners. During resuscitations it is often 1-2 ERPs, RNs and an RT.  Not an entire team of learners. This means you get lots of exposure that is not diluted out by large teams.”

“Those capable of maintaining a healthy work/life balance will benefit most from training here. They will be internally motivated learners rather than those waiting to be spoon fed or slotted into some big residency machine. They will be personable and outgoing, not cowed by dealing with staff and consultants directly. They will be keen to take the bull by the horns even when faced with unfamiliar or challenging situations.”

“They should be comfortable with the pros and cons of being in a smaller (by number of residents) program where everyone will know who you are within a year of starting your training. The level of support and attention you receive is on the high end which, depending on your learning style, can be a good fit or not. The fact that you tend to get priority on most procedures and management of sick/interesting cases is great, but you have to be comfortable with performing within a smaller circle of watchful eyes.”

For which medical students applying to CaRMS for EM would Victoria be a SUBOPTIMAL choice for training?

“It is always good to ask programs what they think are weaknesses and see if you think what is listed would impact you. For some people, going away for a few blocks a year can feel really daunting. For others, the ferry may feel like a huge barrier to getting off the Island. For those really invested in research, they may feel there are more opportunities on the mainland. I can definitely pretty easily flip the coin on the above and list how the program gives you options, flexibility and support in whatever you may feel as difficult.”

“Those who prefer to live in a larger city, don’t have friends/family nearby, or like to ski regularly.”

“Those looking for high-volume publications. Looking for peds critical care. Not the best trauma volume.”

Associate Program Director – Vancouver Island Site
Dr. Jeff Eisen
jeff.eisen@ubc.ca

For general inquiries, please contact our program admin:

Anny Ruch, Vancouver Island Program Coordinator

emadmin@uvic.ca

+1 (250) 519-7700 Ext. 13424