McMaster University Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (TRACS)
- Location: Hamilton General Hospital
- Duration: One year (July 1 start)
- Number of fellows per year: One
- Applications due date: End of September for the following year (i.e., nine months prior)
- Contact: engelsp@mcmaster.ca
The Hamilton General Hospital (HGH) is the Ministry-designated Level I Trauma Centre for the Central South Regional Trauma Network, which encompasses a catchment population of 2.5 million, and is the tertiary care trauma hospital for the region’s 22 hospitals. The seven clinical faculty at the HGH rotate on a weekly-model based TRACS Service and includes a core group of fellowship-trained trauma surgeons. The trauma surgeons are also trauma team leaders as part of a separate on-call roster that is populated with other physicians (i.e., emergency physicians). The TRACS service is a clinical teaching unit for the McMaster University general surgery residency program and is typically staffed with a senior general surgery resident, a cohort of junior residents and mid-level providers (e.g., physician assistants, nurse practitioners).
The TRACS fellow will participate in all clinical activities related to the TRACS service, including:
- Act as a junior attending and oversee and guide the management of acutely injured trauma and emergency general surgery inpatients
- Oversee and guide the resuscitation of acutely injured patients in the trauma bay in the capacity of an independent trauma team leader
- Assist in the operating room, or operate as the principal surgeon under supervision of the attending surgeon, with the expectation of fulfilling the teaching surgeon role in most cases
- Attend the weekly outpatient TRACS clinic
In addition to the clinical responsibilities, the TRACS fellow will participate in the clinical supervision of residents, medical students and non-physician learners, participate in quality improvement and patient safety processes and formal and informal teaching activities.
Fellows will be expected and encouraged to pursue professional development of their skills and knowledge as a future trauma and acute care surgeon, including attending annual relevant conferences (e.g.,Trauma Association of Canada’s Annual Scientific Meeting and Conference, Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma’s Annual Assembly,The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma’s Annual Meeting) and trauma skills courses (e.g., Advanced Trauma Operative Management, Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma, Definitive Surgical Trauma Care, Advanced Trauma Life Support instructor/course director).
Fellows will be expected to participate meaningfully in local quality improvement and research activities, as well as on a national basis through the Canadian Collaborative on Urgent Care Surgery (CANUCS).
Applications are restricted to graduates of an approved Royal College certified residency program in general surgery (or equivalent) and must also be eligible for Independent Practice Licensure as a General Surgeon by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).
Interested candidates should submit an up to date curriculum vitae, letter of intent and three letters of reference, as part of the postgraduate medical education (PGME) application process. Please refer to the PGME website for further details.
