TWH MSNICU - Orientation Information
On behalf of the staff group and allied health team at the Toronto Western ICU, we want to welcome you
all to your upcoming rotation with us. For those who are returning with us, we’re very happy that you’re
coming back!
Please note that documents, including current call schedule, will be re available in a dropbox folder. Access instructions will be e-mailed to you prior to the start of your rotation.
Communications
- We do not typically send out schedule updates via email. This is to cut down on volume of emails, which can have a tendency to create rather than ameliorate confusion. Please check back with the above dropbox link.
- Due to issues ensuring posted hard copy schedules remain current, they will not be posted; the schedules in the dropbox are always the most up-to-date versions.
- The TWH Educational Administrative Assistant (edu.twhicu@gmail.com) works remotely and part-time. It is often not possible or feasible for her to respond immediately to your messages.
Onboarding & Epic EMR training/certification
- UHN registration info is available in the above Dropbox folder. The registration website is https://umlearns.uhn.ca. It is assumed you have successfully registered with PGME. Please reach out if this is not the case.
- The UHN PGME site is https://www.uhn.ca/Education/Post-Graduate_Medical_Education and there is some useful info there.
- UHN uses Epic for its EMR. You will hopefully have received instructions re training from UHN PGME. Additional information, if required, can be obtained from epiceducation@uhn.ca
- If you have used Epic in another setting but have not completed training, and wish to request anexemption, please send epiceducation@uhn.ca an email detailing your prior training and experience along with the location(s) of that experience, and please cc me as your supervisor.
- You are likely already mask-fit tested for N95 – please inquire if this is not the case for you.
Scheduling & on-calls
- Call schedule and daily work assignment (“housestaff schedule”) are also available in the above folder. The daily work assignments (“housestaff”) are guidelines only, intended to provide a framework, but are subject to change depending on workload/need/illness/etc. If there are errors or if you have concerns, please let us know; there is no intended malice in this process.
- Attempts to balance assignments and maintain team continuity are made alongside distribution of personnel to teams. As it is not mission-critical (vs the call schedule) the housestaff schedule may not be updated continuously.
- Residents complete 16h calls Monday to Friday. Calls are 24h starting from 0830 on Saturday and Sunday, as well as holidays. Residents are encouraged to join afternoon teaching sessions precall.
- Fellow calls are 24h Mon-Sun; for those who are on elective/research rotations, weekday calls start at 4pm signover.
- Call switches: please endeavor to make switches with your colleagues prior to enlisting help from us (edu.twhicu@gmail.com).
- Trainees are assigned to teams A, B or CCRT/float. We have done our best, within the constraints of a call schedule, to have some consistency re team assignment, based on prior feedback. A fellow (when available) will be assigned to the neurovascular/stroke liaison service as well.
- Fellows assigned to ‘aca/off’ may be asked to come in, pending workload/illness. You are essentially on duty. Please make yourself available. It is not essential to attend am signover.
- Handover in the morning on weekdays is at 0730 in ICU 2 Fell, room 435, known colloquially as the large conference room.
- Evening handover is at 1600 on weekdays. On call team must be present at that time, and are recommended to be present for 3pm teaching (see below)
- Call rooms: there are two call rooms within the ICU. There is an additional call room on 8 McLaughlin: Room 430.
- Note the ICU is on 2 Fell. There are call rooms on 8 Fell but these are not ours to use: they belong to GIM
- 8McL is on the north side of the building complex – yes it is a bit far from the ICU
- Most people leave their belongings in the ICU call rooms. As with anything in the hospital, consider leaving your valuables at home.
- The resident on duty should carry the Team A pager and do all ED consults, as well as be involved in CCRT calls.
Illness happens!
- Please inform your home program, TWH ICU Educational Admin (edu.twhicu@gmail.com), Ian Randall, as well as your staff on service if you are ill.
- If you are experience respiratory illness please notify UHN health services as kics.uhn.ca. There is an online form there, but you will have to click through a couple of links.
- Please try to swap calls with your colleagues before asking Claire to find a substitute. We have a large fly-in list (let us know if you’re interested in being on it after your rotation) but it is often very difficult to get last-minute subs. We have no backup rota.
Scheduled Teaching
- Teaching schedule will be available in dropbox – pending some final changes.
- Teaching sessions are at 1500
- Didactic sessions are on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. All trainees are welcome to join all sessions, including those who are pre-call. Fridays are topics that are fellow-oriented.
- Monday teaching sessions are typically led by fellows with the target audience being the residents, topic to be chosen by the teacher of the day with hopefully no overlap with other sessions. Further details/assignments will be forthcoming shortly.
- Many (but not all) formal/didactic teaching sessions will be available via zoom, otherwise they are in-person. Sessions are not recorded and will not be made available.
- Daytime housestaff are expected to attend scheduled sessions, and attendings are expected to hold the pagers/be available to respond to issues to facilitate this.
- Pre-call housestaff are strongly encouraged to participate, and post-call housestaff also have the option to sign on to online offerings.
HOSPITAL REGISTRATION AND GETTING STARTED
You are responsible for ensuring that you have followed the Postgraduate Education registration instructions to get ready for your rotation.
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- Registration instructions can be found at this link.
- FAQs about the registration process are found here.
QUESTIONS:
For questions, please email us anytime!
