Department Head's
Message
The Dalhousie Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine's first responsibility is to provide exceptional anesthesia care to people of all ages at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, the IWK Health Centre, the Saint John Regional Hospital, the Dartmouth General Hospital and the Hants Community Hospital.
In addition to providing excellent clinical care, our 100+ department members teach the latest techniques and skills to anesthesia residents and medical students, conduct medical research in many areas of anesthesia, and impact the lives of people in developing countries through their global health efforts. (Read more...)
Department Overview
The Dalhousie Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine has a four-fold mandate encompassing safe, quality patient care, education, research and stewardship of people’s health at home and abroad.
Created in 1945, the department has grown to provide a full spectrum of critical care and general clinical services and administer leading edge programs in blood management, pain management and regional anesthesia. It subspecializes in cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, obstetrics, pediatrics, thoracic surgery and transplantation. (Read more...)
News
Curriculum Mapping & Renewal Attracts Local and National Attention
Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine is attracting attention with its curriculum mapping and renewal initiative. The project, led by Drs. Janice Chisholm and Patty Livingston, has so far earned a $20,000 grant through Dalhousie University’s Academic Innovation Funding Program, an invitation to present at Dalhousie’s symposium on medical/health professions education, and an invitation to present at the 2013 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada International Conference on Residency Education.
And the project hasn’t reached its pinnacle yet: The redesigned curriculum, including a new foundations course for second-year residents, will be launched in July.
The new curriculum employs a spiral design whereby topics are penetrated more deeply with each iteration. It includes short courses that cover basic practical details (orientation); a one-year course to teach the fundamentals of anesthesia practice (foundation); resident-led sessions that cover practical evaluation and management of anesthesia emergencies (problem rounds); a two-year course investigating the body systems and how multiple disease states impact anesthesia practice (core); and a course to integrate multiple components of anesthesia to prepare for consultant level practice (review).
This first comprehensive review and revision of the postgraduate curriculum got underway in 2012. The curriculum renewal committee, which includes resident and faculty members internal and education consultants external to the department, was charged with:
- Redesigning the anesthesia postgraduate education curriculum so that its outcomes better align with those prescribed by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and assist in the transition to competency based medicine.
- Defining the Entrustable Professional Activities (the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for consultant-level practice applied in variable clinical environments) that are expected of anesthesia residency graduates.
- Applying custom-designed mapping software to meaningfully connect the learner with program content and flow.
Should you wish to learn more about curriculum renewal or want to provide input, contact Patty Livingston or Janice Chisholm.