Future Residents

Why Train at Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University?

As a Schulich Medicine resident, you will receive unmatched and individualized training to provide the foundation for your future. We will value your contributions to the program and allow you to tailor your experience to your interests and enhance your subspecialty and leadership skills.

We offer our residents a rewarding and nurturing environment to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be an outstanding psychiatrist. At Schulich Medicine, some of the program highlights include:

  • Access to a wide variety of research and mentorship opportunities with world-renowned researchers and experts in their field, such as Dr. Ruth Lanius and PTSD, Dr. Rob Nicolson and autism, Dr. Lena Palaniyappan and schizophrenia;
  • The opportunity to work with an innovative and fully interdisciplinary First Episode Psychosis (PEPP) team, the first of its kind in Canada. Work with expert clinicians, scientists, in addition to occupational and recreational therapists and participants in our patient education and recreation groups;
  • Leading academic research initiatives including Dr. Arlene MacDougall’s unique social innovation laboratories, Dr. Don Richards’ research on moral injury among healthcare workers and military veterans, and Dr. Lloy Wylie’s studies in indigenous health;
  • Our First Episode Mood and Anxiety Program (FEMAP) is expanding! Work with our Rea Chair in Affective Disorders, Dr. Elizabeth Osuch, and other expert clinicians, researchers, and interdisciplinary team members;
  • Spend time at the Child and Parent Research Institute (CPRI), one of two quaternary-level Child Psychiatry facilities in Ontario;
  • Ongoing quality improvement projects to enhance care and educational delivery in Geriatric Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Inpatient and Ambulatory General Adult Psychiatry, and more;
  • "Learning After Five" dinner lecture series- build and foster a scholarly community with staff and residents at stimulating monthly talks given by leaders in their field. Dinner provided!
  • A variety of monthly interest groups meet to discuss cases and continually integrate resident needs and preferences into the curriculum. Groups include Psychotherapy, Wellness, and others;
  • CEPS Reflection Group – share with and learn from challenges experienced by your PGY2 colleagues in a reflective practice group facilitated by one of our emergency psychiatry staff;
  • Currently accredited for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Geriatric subspecialty residency programs;
  • R1 curriculum includes Addictions training.

A Faculty of Renowned Researchers, Scholars, and Clinicians

The faculty members are open and approachable instructors who strive to create an attentive, nurturing, and collegial working environment. Western is home to some of the world’s best clinicians and researchers in the areas of trauma, psychosis, mood and anxiety, and neuro-imaging. 

The Program Director and Postgraduate Education Administrators are approachable, responsive, and supportive of each Western resident. They will advocate on your behalf in all matters and have open lines of communication for any concerns. Along with hosting monthly meetings to discuss issues and program updates, they will provide timely feedback and CMBE evaluations.

Varied Training Facilities

Schulich Medicine provides several sites for you to explore diverse clinical and robust on-the-job training opportunities. Along with larger suburban facilities, you will have numerous occasions to work in associated communities and various rural facilities. Rural site rotations are not mandatory but are supported and encouraged.

Our facilities in London include:

  • Victoria Hospital & Children’s Hospital
  • University Hospital
  • Parkwood Institute
  • Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care
  • Child and Parent Resource Institute (CPRI)
  • Vanier Children’s Services

Enriching Resident Life

The structure of the Schulich Medicine residency program enables residents to participate in both academically and socially rewarding experiences. Residents create supportive and cohesive friendships across each year. The close bonds amongst the residency group and personal working relationships with the Program Director and faculty will further contribute to your knowledge and training.

Western strives to provide a nurturing and collaborative environment to introduce you to life as a resident. During your first month, you will enjoy a stress-free orientation by focusing on building relationships with co-residents and getting to know the local community mental health resources, including London’s Crisis Centre, CMHA, Mission Services, Supervised Injection Site, Addiction Services, and more.

Additional support for residents includes:

  • Monthly resident meetings build a sense of community. Residents have protected time to get to know one another, discuss their training, learn from each other’s clinical experiences, share challenges and achievements, plan social events, and work together through committees during these warm and inviting meetings;
  • See your co-residents frequently. Not only is our clinical work in a shared environment, but seminars also occur during protected curricular time with your year and the entire residency body;
  • Incoming PGY 1 (Post Graduate Year One) students are matched to resident mentor for support for both residency and non-residency life matters;
  • Share on-call responsibilities with another resident through a buddy system, which provides company and assistance. The first call is a shadow call with a junior resident. R1s are scheduled as one of three residents on call and will learn from a full team of residents and interdisciplinary professionals. 

Our program prioritizes our trainees’ wellness and organizes many enjoyable opportunities and events to cultivate team building and balance in residency life.

Two full-day and two half-day retreats promote connection, fun, and a shared sense of well-being among PGY 1-5 residents. Resident retreats are an excellent way to share information and experiences about current clinical rotations and strategies for navigating resident life challenges. Some of our past full-day retreats have included camping, minigolf and bowling, chocolate making, ropes and trampoline course, and pottery making, often followed by dinner at a local restaurant. Families and spouses are welcome at many of our events and retreats; however, full-day retreats are resident-only to focus on resident bonding. 

Starting in 2020, we also began protecting time for two half-day retreats. Our last “Paint Afternoon” was a big hit!

The Department of Psychiatry also organizes several staff-resident social events, ranging from a Winterfest, dinners at faculty members’ homes (pre-COVID), to a PGY5 Graduating Class Celebration to promote fellowship between faculty and residents.

Western residents also participate in annual community and charity drives in partnership with the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, which also operates London’s Supervised Consumption Site.

The Vibrant City of London

London’s smaller city atmosphere provides a safe and comfortable place to live. With a relatively low cost of living, you will enjoy reduced traffic with less than a twenty-minute commute time. Known as the "Forest City,” London has plenty of outdoor trails to walk, run, or bike. There are plenty of entertainment options to enjoy, including the theatre, restaurants of all types, Budweiser Gardens, shopping, and we are within driving distance to the beach. If you miss the “big city” experience, you can take a short two-hour drive to Toronto and Detroit.  Explore Western's Living in London website for more information.