Dear CAIR members,

It is our great pleasure to invite you to join the Canadian Association of Internes and Residents (CAIR) for a Summit on Resiliency Curriculum in Post-Graduate Medical Education, being held on Friday, February 20, 2015 from 08:30 hrs to 16:30 hrs at the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health in Ottawa, Ontario.

CAIR believes it is crucial for residents to be trained to identify and react to changes in our personal capacity to deal with the inevitable adversities we will face. Medical personnel will have a number of demands and responsibilities to meet during our training and beyond into our careers. We believe that building skills in mental resiliency will not only better the training environment, improve performance outcomes and patient safety, but carry forward in optimizing a medical trainee’s transition to full practice. Developing this skill set is critical to having a long, fulfilling, and sustainable career.

There is certainly an increasing need for formalized training to address resiliency and wellbeing amongst faculties of medicine and health care professional training programs. While initiatives do exist at the local level, they vary widely in terms of the resources offered. Adding resiliency training to the medical curriculum would mean the creation of a multi-level and universally-available training program with teaching materials available that can be adapted as needed. With widespread implementation, techniques could be reinforced at the individual and institutional levels. Such a program would benefit physicians, patients, and Canada’s healthcare system as a whole.

In conjunction with a number of wellbeing experts, we have developed a resiliency curriculum for implementation during medical training based on the Department of National Defence’s Road to Mental Readiness Model. CAIR is grateful for our collaborators on this initiative:

This evidence-based and skill-focused mental health education model includes interactive classroom lectures, practical application of skills to mitigate shifts in resiliency, and tailored interventions for leaders and learners alike.

Here is an outline of the day’s events (The complete draft agenda can be viewed on the Resiliency Summit Website, and the final agenda will be circulated to all registrants closer to the event):

The registration fee for CAIR members to attend the Summit is $40. You can registeronline.

We also encourage you to join us for CAIR’s annual Awards Dinner, which will occur that same evening at 19:00 hrs (reception begins at 18:30 hrs). The CAIR Awards program brings national attention to individuals and organizations that have made important contributions to the areas of medical education, resident well-being, and service to residents. Further details about each award and lists of previous winners may be found here.

The cost of the Awards Dinner for CAIR members is $50. You can register online for the dinner.

Please be aware that participants are responsible their own accommodation and travel expenses. The deadline for registration is February 6, 2015; however, space is limited, so we encourage you to register early.

Should you require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact CAIR’s Executive Director, Colette Rivet, at or at .

We look forward to seeing you in February.

Sincerely,

Christina Nowik, MD
2014-2015 President, The Canadian Association of Internes and Residents

Nureen Sumar, MD
2014-2015 Vice-President, The Canadian Association of Internes and Residents
Chair, Resiliency Curriculum Working Group