About us
The General Psychiatry Residency Program at the University of Toronto is the largest in North America with 200 residents distributed across our full and associate affiliated hospitals in the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN). The residency program is supported by the over 900 faculty members within the Department of Psychiatry.
Our Mission
To provide outstanding psychiatry residency training in a culturally safe, diverse, and inclusive environment that inspires lifelong learning and professional identity formation.
Our graduates will meet the needs of our communities and lead scholarship and innovation in mental health care.
Our values
- Excellence
- Accountability
- Justice
Program Evaluation and Quality Improvement Strategy
The General Psychiatry Residency Program is committed to continuous improvement of the educational experiences, to improve the residency program and ensure residents are prepared for independent practice.
The Program Evaluation Subcommittee oversees continuous improvement processes in the residency program through systemically and regularly reviewing a range of data to improve the residency program. Based on data reviewed:
- Strengths and areas for improvement are identified.
- Action plans are established to address areas for improvement.
- Interventions are iteratively evaluated to determine the effectiveness of actions taken and to determine whether further action is required.
The Program Evaluation Subcommittee reports to the Psychiatry Residency Program Committee.
Data Sources
- Residency Program and Site Surveys conducted every 6-months.
- Postgraduate Medical Education data: Rotation Evaluation Scores (RES) and regular review of “flagged” Learner Assessment of Clinical Teacher (LACT) forms (see Teacher Feedback and Assessment below).
- Feedback from other subcommittees and working groups.
- Collection and analysis of other residency program data as needed (e.g. special focus groups, surveys, teacher evaluations for academic half-days).
The Program Evaluation Subcommittee is also informed by the residency program’s other subcommittees and working groups.
Program Strengths
From the 2023 RCPSC External Review.
- A very engaged program director (PD) and leadership team which is empowered and eìective to make changes to the program as needed.
- The program is responsive to learner concerns with several avenues for resident feedback at the local site level, program wide and centrally at the postgraduate medical education (PGME) offïce. The program has made several major changes in response to learner feedback since the last accreditation visit.
- Exceptionally broad training experiences with significant depth and expertise across all of psychiatry.
- Commitment to underserved and unique populations including an underserved elective experience as part of the training program.
- Clinician Scholar and Clinician Scientist program provides unique opportunities for research and promote scholarly success.
- Program wide culture of learner safety and wellness.
The residency program sets annual program evaluation priorities which are then collaboratively addressed across the residency program. For information about the residency program’s strategy, please review the terms of reference for our Program Evaluation Subcommittee along with a recent publication relating to our program evaluation strategy. Regular updates are also provided regarding action plans, progress, and outcomes of quality improvement initiatives in the residency program in our newsletter.