Hand and Upper Limb Surgery Fellowship

The Western Hand & Upper Limb Facility is proud to offer a comprehensive fellowship focused on the injuries and disorders of the hand and upper limb:  both soft tissue and bone pathology.  The fellowship is staffed by six fellowship-trained hand and upper extremity surgeons. Our centre is unique as it is one of the few dedicated hand and upper extremity specialized centres in Canada. We provide care to patients from the Edmonton zone (population 1.2 m), and also accept referrals from northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, and the North West Territories.  The fellow will have exposure to a high volume of elective and trauma cases. Our surgeons perform over 3,000 major procedures and 2000 minor (including swing room OR’s) procedures annually. We see over 22,000 patients annually in our clinics and offices.

The fellow will be involved in weekly rounds and resident teaching and will be expected to participate in call coverage.

The fellow will have the opportunity to:

• Acquire skills in elective and emergent conditions of the upper limb from the shoulder to fingertips
• Develop expertise in advanced arthroscopic skills and arthroplasty from the shoulder to fingers
• Exposure to basic microsurgical procedures

Research: The fellow will be joining a strong research program. There are opportunities for both clinical and basic science projects. One day a week is dedicated to research. The fellow is expected to be involved with ongoing research projects and to complete at least one paper for presentation (at the COA or similar meeting) and submission for publication. 

Salary

For Canadian Fellows: a salary commensurate with a PGY6 level of training will be offered. This fund is supported by the Fellows Surgical Assist Billings.

For Foreign Fellows: external funding would need to be arranged and credential verification by the Physician Credentials Registry of Canada (PCRC) is required before training.

Timeline

Fellowship starts July 1st (with some flexibility) and is 12 months long. 

Applications for fellowships are due by December 31 two years prior to the fellowship commencement date.  Incomplete applications, or those not meeting the requirements will be returned.
Interviews occur in January/February one calendar year prior to the fellowship start date. 

Selections are made by April 15 each year, approximately 14 months prior to the start of the fellowship.

Application

REQUIREMENTS

• Completed residency training in orthopaedic, plastic or general surgery by the time fellowship commencement
• 3 letters of reference
• Personal letter identifying interest in hand and upper limb surgery, with a focus on past research, teaching, and clinical acumen
• Curriculum vitae

Please submit the requested documents to Sonia Silva at sonia.silva@albertahealthservices.ca.