Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Faculty of Medicine

Residency Training

Outstanding residency training in obstetrics and gynaecology

Dalhousie University offers a dynamic five-year residency program in obstetrics and gynaecology that is fully accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. If you are looking for hands-on experience under the tutelage of award-winning faculty, you can apply to Dalhousie Obstetrics and Gynaecology through the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS).

Each year, we receive applications from medical school graduates throughout Canada and around the world for our residency positions. The excellent calibre of applicants and of the candidates who are ultimately selected is a testament to the quality of the program we deliver and its education, research and clinical opportunities.

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology’s outstanding teaching faculty work side-by-side with residents as colleagues and support them to become highly skilled, competent and compassionate obstetrician/gynaecologists. Our residency training program is one of the strongest in Canada, producing superior clinicians, researchers and educators who are leaders of tomorrow.

What to expect

As a resident at Dalhousie, you will be supported throughout every step of your training in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Your first year (PGY1) includes rotations in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Neonatology, Palliative Care, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Surgical Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine, research and electives. You may receive part of your education at the IWK Health Centre and the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, NS; the Nova Scotia Hospital in Dartmouth, NS; Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB; Moncton Hospital, Moncton, NB; and the Everett Chalmers Hospital, Fredericton, NB.

Your remaining four years (PGY2 - PGY5), involve two years of core obstetrics and gynaecology, a year and a half of subspecialty and electives, and the final six months as a senior resident in obstetrics and gynaecology. 

Finding answers through research

We value research as a critical component for ensuring the care and education we provide continues to evolve and excel. We are proud to offer our residents a robust research program that sparks curiosity, fosters exceptional research skills and makes a difference to the communities we serve.

All of our Obstetrics and Gynaecology residents conduct a research project during residency. You will start with our Academic Skills Course – a four-week course designed to enhance your academic skills related to research and education. Faculty members will walk you through the process of determining a research question and developing it into a project that will result in a published manuscript. The course focuses on research skills (e.g. critical appraisal, research design, statistics, and other aspects of conducting a research project) and on skills related to being an educator.

Here is the time-line we suggest for resident research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology:

PGY1

  • Complete Academic Skills Course
  • Identify research question and preceptor (possible project suggestions)
  • Develop proposal
  • Present proposal at Trainee Research Day

PGY2

  • Obtain ethics approval
  • Conduct research (using 1/2 day effectively) 

PGY3

  • Finish project
  • Present project and results at Trainee Research Day
  • Present at other conferences (optional)
  • Draft research findings or manuscript

PGY4 and PGY5

  • Submit research findings and/or manuscript to journal
  • Complete FITER (Research Preceptor and Research Director)