The ID clinical service is divided into the HI (HI, AJL, VMB) and VG (VG, Rehab, IWK) rotations. Undergraduate and postgraduate trainees are assigned to one of the two services for their 4 week rotation. The VG site tends to see infections in immunocompromised patients (hematopoietic stem cell and solid organ transplants, oncology, end-stage liver and renal disease, and critical care), and infections after gastrointestinal surgery. Trainees on the VG service spend mornings in clinic seeing new outpatient consultations and afternoons seeing the inpatients. The HI site sees patients with severe community- (e.g.: meningitis, encephalitis, endocarditis, sepsis, rapidly progressive pneumonia) and hospital- (e.g.: pneumonia, wound, device-related) acquired infections, in consultation both on the ward and in the emergency room. Trainees initially see the patients on their own and then review them formally on rounds with the team. They thus have the opportunity to learn first hand how to manage common, uncommon, simple, and complex infectious disease problems. The Division is committed to teaching around every patient seen on rounds, taking advantage of the greatest teaching tool: the clinical experience.
In addition to the clinical teaching rounds, there are a number of other formal and informal teaching sessions. Once weekly there is the interesting cases rounds. Trainees present cases (as unknowns) they have seen to the attending staff and get to experience problem solving in action in an interactive setting! The case presentation is often followed by a brief didactic session related to the case that is presented by the housestaff. There is a once weekly morbidity and mortality rounds, journal club, or state-of-the art lecture. Additionally, there is a weekly plate rounds where a variety of clinical specimens are examined in the microbiology laboratory. Attending staff review learning exams with trainees twice weekly and there is a teaching session on antimicrobial agents. As time allows, attending staff schedule other informal teaching sessions to review topics relevant to the trainees’ career interests. |