Why Queen's

The Department of Emergency Medicine at Queen's University is proud to offer Fellowship programs in Emergency Medicine, fully accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Our program has an excellent national reputation which has allowed us to attract the top medical student candidates every year. Our Fellows come from across the globe and choose Queen's Emergency Medicine because of its many strengths, including:

Our residents are fortunate to see a high volume, high acuity, and wide variety of patients which is necessary to become competent specialist Emergency physicians. This includes a high pediatric volume.

Our faculty members are committed to the success of our program. They share a passion for teaching and are incredibly supportive of our residents. Over the last three years, we have welcomed an enthusiastic group of new, young, and talented faculty members with expertise in Critical Care Medicine, Education, Toxicology, Clinical Epidemiology, Ultrasound, Disaster Medicine, and Global Health.

There is expertise in patient simulation at Queen's. Our residents frequently use the new Clinical Simulation Centre, a state-of-the-art facility featuring four simulation labs for high fidelity mannequin scenarios including a complete operating room and two emergency rooms.

We place a heavy emphasis on well-being and resident wellness. The creation of a balanced lifestyle for faculty and residents which celebrates their interests is a major strength of our program.

Due to the smaller size of our academic centre, faculty and residents from all disciplines get to know each other personally and collaborate well in educational, clinical, and administrative areas. Our residents are a cohesive group who enjoy each others' company and have created an active social atmosphere.

The City of Kingston is continually ranked as one of the best places to work and live in Canada. Our residents are happy here and enjoy its high quality of life, abundant attractions, and lower cost of living.

Queen’s University Emergency Medicine is at the forefront of clinical research and education. We proudly retain some of Canada’s first emergency medicine physician specialists and benefit from their wisdom, knowledge and expertise. With these individuals, and a bright, energetic group of new faculty and superb resident group, we are able to provide one of the most comprehensive and diverse teaching programs in the country.

We are a major research centre, with a very active and well-funded group of primary and collaborative investigators. The faculty team has a considerable range of secondary interests that are complementary to emergency medicine. We have physicians in our faculty who have Master’s degrees in Medical Education and in Clinical Epidemiology, fellowships in medical toxicology, critical care, ED bedside ultrasound, public health and disaster planning and expertise in sports medicine. Our department boasts an internationally recognized Injury Research Group and can provide opportunities in international health, cruise ship medicine, pre-hospital care and high-level administrative responsibilities. Some faculty members have focused their secondary interests on clinical procedures and best practice protocols.

We offer a flexible schedule with plenty of elective time to pursue and realize your personal interests and career goals. Despite the rigorous academic schedule, your colleagues have traditionally enjoyed spending time together outside of the hospital during social events or through such activities as cycling, windsurfing, golf, kayaking, triathlons and a range of winter sports.

Our small size fosters close working relationships with physicians and staff in all specialties and sub-specialties within the system. Moreover, the ability to interact with the small group of professionals time and again enhances our strong sense of community and family.

Affiliated Hospitals

Kingston Heath Sciences Centre (KGH) site and Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) site, are partners in the Southeastern Ontario Health Sciences Centre (SEOHSC), a joint healthcare delivery system composed of Kingston’s top healthcare providers. Other partners include Queen’s University, Providence Continuing Care Centre (St. Mary’s of the Lake Hospital and the Mental Health Site), Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Community Care Access Centre and Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Health Unit. Together, the SEOHSC is able to provide unprecedented advanced and comprehensive care to our region.

KGH is Kingston’s oldest and largest hospital, opening its doors in 1838. KGH is a 452-bed major tertiary care referral facility for Southeastern Ontario located across the street from Lake Ontario. It has a 24-hour emergency care unit, designated trauma centre and receives emergencies flown in by helicopter to our helipad.

Hotel Dieu has been open since 1845 and is the Ambulatory Outpatient Teaching Hospital for SEOHSC. It houses an Urgent Care Centre that is complementary to the Kingston General Emergency Department.

Why Kingston is a great place for Residency Training

The lifestyle of a resident in Kingston is unique in Canada. With the 2 acute-care hospitals located close together, almost all of our residents live within walking distance of work. Conveniently, it’s also walking distance from the downtown core, where we often end up unwinding with staff and fellow residents after evening shifts for an (in)famous code-brew. This really highlights one of the most attractive qualities of being a resident in the Queen’s Emergency Medicine program: the collegiality. From the very start of your training you’ll develop close personal relationships with staff and colleagues, that we pride ourselves on maintaining throughout and after residency. The setting is also idyllically located on the Lake Ontario waterfront (the 1974 Montreal Olympics held their sailing events in Kingston for a reason) and just a few kilometers away from some of the best cycling in the province. Kingston is a beautiful, historic city, ideally suited to resident life.

Academically, we pride our program on its small size and clinical excellence. We're a national leader in academic emergency medicine and were the first to pioneer the Competency Based Medical Education (CBME) format for resident training. Shifts at both our Emergency Department (KGH) and Urgent Care Center (HDH) are always 1-to-1 with supportive staff physicians, who are renowned for their excellent bedside teaching. The size of the program also fosters close academic and professional relationships between residents, staff, and allied healthcare workers who are all excited to help each other succeed. The family-like atmosphere at Queen's is hard to put into words, but the support, kindness, and learning that we are lucky enough to be a part of would be difficult to match.

Affiliated Hospitals

Why Kingston is a great place for Residency Training

Resident Testimonials