Regional Clinical Teaching Program
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Resident Dr. Tara Mastracci instructs medical students Michael Sorg and Natalie Baine on suturing pigs feet as Dr. S. Rammohan observes students Radha Kohly, Jordana Sheps, Jaimie Maniucu and Kerry Murray
The Niagara Health System (NHS) located in the heart of Niagara wine country brings together the specialized services of seven sites, serving a population of more than 400,000. It forms a sophisticated and innovative network of health services that stretch from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. St. Catharines General site is approximately thirty minutes from Hamilton located at 142 Queenston Street in St. Catharines and is the largest of seven sites which comprise the Niagara Health System (NHS).
Core Clinical Teaching Programs are affiliated with McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences and are funded through McMaster Community and Rural Education Program (Mac-CARE) www.mac-care.ca. Elective rotations, including McMaster elective rotations are funded by the Rural Ontario Medical Program (ROMP) www.romponline.com.
Core and elective opportunities are available in most NHS sites including:
- Douglas Memorial Hospital Site, 230 Bertie Street, Fort Erie
- Greater Niagara General Site, 5546 Portage Road, Niagara Falls
- Niagara-on-the-Lake Hospital Site, 176 Wellington, Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Ontario Street Site (Ambulatory), 155 Ontario Street, St. Catharines
- Port Colborne General Site, 260 Sugarloaf Street, Port Colborne
- St. Catharines General Site, 142 Queenston Street, St. Catharines
- Welland Hospital Site, 63 Third Street, Welland
Dr. S. Rammohan is the Medical Director of the NHS Regional Clinical Teaching Program and the Surgery Clerkship Director for undergraduate and postgraduate rotations. Dr. R. Nagai and Dr. E. Rabin are the medical co-ordinators of core NHS Internal Medicine rotations. Dr. Brian Kerley is the Niagara Family Medicine Co-ordinator. Francine Geikie is the co-ordinator of the NHS Physician Clinical Teaching Program. Christine Culhane is the administrative assistant for Mac-CARE.
Medical Education Co-ordinators
- Dr. H. Caetano - Greater Niagara General Site
- Dr. J. Remington - Port Colborne and Douglas Memorial Sites
- Dr. C. Miller - Welland Hospital Site
McMaster Core Rotation Inquiries:
Christine Culhane
(905) 378-4647 ext. 43871
Elective Inquiries:
(905) 378-4647 ext. 43870
Fax: (905) 323-3878
Administrative contacts are:
PAM MACKIE
Douglas Memorial Hospital Site
Tel.: (905) 378-4647 ext. 50204
Fax: (905) 871-7765
HEATHER KING
Greater Niagara General Site
Tel.: (905) 378-4647 ext. 52005
Fax: (905) 358-8435
WENDY McGINTY
Niagara-on-the-Lake Hospital Site
Tel.: (905) 378-4647 ext. 47233
Fax: (905) 468-7690
KAREN WILSON
Port Colborne General Site
Tel.: (905) 378-4647 ext. 32112
Fax: (905) 834-0404
CHRISTINE CULHANE (Mac-CARE) and FRAN GEIKIE (elective)
St. Catharines General Site
Tel.: (905) 378-4647 ext. 43871
Fax: (905) 323-3878
SANDY CLARKSON
Welland Hospital Site
Tel.: (905) 378-4647 ext. 32205
Fax: (905) 732-2628
Clinical clerks and resident in suturing session on pigs feet.
Core Surgery Rotations
The NHS Surgery Clinical Teaching Unit is the 5th McMaster CTU for core Surgery rotations. The core surgery teaching program provides hospital-based clinical teaching within an integrated healthcare system at the undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Core undergraduate surgical rotations are eight weeks in duration and are divided into three components consisting of four weeks of General Surgery, two weeks of Orthopedics and two weeks of Electives (Plastics, Vascular, ENT, Urology, Plastics or Anesthesiology). Learners may be required to attend teaching sessions or procedures at other NHS sites so it is suggested that you have the use of a vehicle. Mac-CARE provides funding for accommodation and for travel expenses incurred to allow learners who live in the community to return for their McMaster teaching sessions. Mac-CARE also provides some travel reimbursement for learners who are unable to live in the community and must commute daily. It is suggested to get the best experience that you live in the community during the eight week rotation.
A detailed half day multidisciplinary orientation occurs on the first day of the rotation to familiarize the students with NHS policies and procedures, complete required documentation, an OR Scrub/Orientation Session, tour the hospital and the residence, provide PCI/Meditech training if required, obtain NHS identification and to meet with the Medical Director who provides rotation goals and objectives. Didactic lectures take place at least twice a week and occur in the teaching classroom. The classroom is complete with two computers for clerks to research information, access e-mail etc. As well, there is a wide variety of electronic data available on the NHS web site at Source Net. Learners return to McMaster University on Wednesdays for large group sessions, an essential component of this rotation. Clinical clerks are required to be on call one night in four.
Core surgical rotation clinical clerks are provided with shared accommodation at one of four nearby houses, some meals, pagers and parking. The residences are fully furnished three are air conditioned and all have fridge, stove, telephone, cable television and high-speed internet access. Learners are required to provide their own computer.
Post-graduate Surgical Rotations
Core post-graduate surgical rotations take place in General Surgery, Anesthesia, Orthopedics and Vascular. Core rotations are from one to five months in duration. Residents assist in the supervision and teaching of the clinical clerks and are expected to provide a grand rounds presentation during their rotation.
Core Medicine
Core Undergraduate Medicine rotations are eight weeks in duration. Six weeks are completed at the St. Catharines General site and an additional two weeks of Geriatrics are completed in Hamilton. As learners may be required to attend teaching sessions/procedures at some of the other NHS sites, it is suggested that you have a vehicle. Mac-CARE provides funding for accommodation and a specified amount of travel reimbursement during the rotation. To get the best possible experience during the six week rotation it is suggested that you live in the community. Mac-CARE does fund some travel reimbursement for those who are unable to live in the community and must commute.
A detailed multidisciplinary orientation occurs on the first day of the rotation to familiarize the students with policies and procedures of the NHS, complete required paperwork, tour the hospital and the residence, provide PCI/Meditech training if required, obtain NHS identification and to meet with one of the Medicine Coordinators who provides rotation goals and objectives. Didactic lectures are scheduled at least twice a week and occur in various locations. The classroom is complete with two computers for clerks to research information and access e-mail etc. There is a wide variety of electronic data available which students are able to access through the NHS web site at Source Net. Clinical clerks are required to be on call one night in four. Core medicine clerks are provided with shared accommodation at one of four nearby houses, some meals, pagers and parking. The residences are fully furnished with fridge, stove, telephone, cable television and high-speed internet access. Three of the residences are air conditioned. Learners are required to provide their own computer.
Dr. Rammohan (front, left) instructs McMaster University clinical clerks on the finer aspects of suturing pigs feet as Kerry Murray looks up.
Core Family Medicine
Core Family Medicine Community rotations are eight weeks in duration and are offered twice yearly in the spring and fall. Dr. Brian Kerley is the Niagara Family Medicine Coordinator. Dr. Kerley arranges for the learners to complete shifts in the Emergency Department at the St. Catharines General and at the Prompt Care Clinic at the Ontario Street Site. He also arranges for clerks to attend specialty sessions such as Early Years, Niagara Midwifery and Palliative Care. Spring and fall tutorials are alternated between the Garden City Health Team office on 145 Carlton Street and West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby. As these rotations take learners into various community settings it would be very helpful for learners to have a vehicle.
A detailed multidisciplinary orientation occurs on the first day of the rotation to familiarize the students with policies and procedures of the NHS, complete required documentation, tour the hospital and the residence, provide PCI/Meditech training if required, obtain NHS identification and to meet with Dr. Kerley who provides rotation goals, objectives and schedules.
Mac-CARE provides funding for accommodation and a specified amount of travel reimbursement during the rotation. To get the best possible experience during the eight week rotation it is suggested that you live in the community. Mac-CARE does fund some travel reimbursement for those who are unable to live in the community and must commute.
Core Postgraduate Family Medicine rotations take place at most Niagara Health System (NHS) sites. Two year post-graduate "Community Based-Residency Training" takes place in Niagara Falls, Port Colborne and St. Catharines at this time. Mac-CARE is working to increase the Niagara preceptor base.
Elective rotations for undergraduate and postgraduate learners are available at most Niagara Health System (NHS) sites. Elective choices include Family Medicine, Radiology, Pathology, Surgery, Orthopedics, Vascular, Plastics, Emergency, Anesthesia, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics, Gynecology and Nephrology however, the spaces for some specialties are limited. Rotations are booked on a first-come basis so it is suggested that you apply early. The Rural Ontario Medical Program (ROMP) funds elective rotations and will fund accommodation or the cost of commuting subject to criteria being met. If electives do not meet the funding criteria learners are responsible to arrange and pay for their own accommodation. There is limited accommodation available for learners at the Greater Niagara General site subject to availability. For further information contact Heather King (905) 378-4647 ext. 52005.
While in Niagara the Walker Family YMCA has provided complimentary passes for our learners to use the facilities in St. Catharines, Welland and Niagara Falls. For further information see www.stcatharinesymca.com.
For information regarding recruitment opportunities in Niagara contact:
Joan Hatcher
Specialist Physician Recruiter
Tel: 905-378-4647 ext. 44225
Fax:
905-323-7589
jhatcher@niagarahealth.on.ca
Josie Faccini
Family Physician Recruiter, Niagara Region
Tel: 905-685-4225 ext. 3287
josie@niagaradocs.ca