Advanced Clinical Fellowship in Anaesthesia (SHSC)

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is one of four major teaching hospitals in the city. There are three hospital sites: Bayview Campus, Holland Centre and St. John's Rehab. Fellows will be expected to work at Bayview Campus and the Holland Centre depending on their subspecialty interest. Sunnybrook is a major tertiary referral centre for cardiac (700 cases/year), major trauma (800+/year), oncology, and burns.  A full complement of surgical specialties except for pediatrics are on site. In total the hospital carries out approximately 18,000 surgical procedures per year and provides obstetrical services for over 4,000 deliveries per year. The Department of Anaesthesia also runs a Clinical Simulation Centre, providing training for multiple medical specialties.

The Advanced Clinical Fellowship in Anaesthesia involves gaining experience in the anaesthetic management of all types of surgery carried out at Sunnybrook except cardiac anesthesia. Surgical services represented in the OR include general (including major colorectal, hepatobiliary and pancreatic oncology), trauma surgery, otolaryngology, urology, orthopedics, plastic and facial reconstructive surgery, cancer reconstructive surgery involving muscle flaps, gynecologic oncology, ophthalmology, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, and major spine surgery. Ancillary anesthetic locations include the cardiac catheterization laboratory for implantable defibrillator insertion, MAZE and ablation procedures, radiology suite for various embolization, thrombectomy and stent procedures, psychiatry ward for electroconvulsive therapy, and the cancer centre for insertion of radiotherapy devices. Fellows may work in the pre-assessment clinic in rotation with staff and also participate in running the acute pain service on a rotational basis. As Sunnybrook is a tertiary care trauma centre, particular experience in managing blunt and penetrating trauma will be gained during this fellowship. There will also be opportunities to be exposed to regional anaesthesia and obstetrical anaesthesia. Though this is a general clinical anaesthesia fellowship, we will make efforts to meet the trainee's clinical and educational goals by creating a more focused program.

Duration

Most fellowships are for one year. Fellowships that are shorter or longer may be pursued under certain circumstances.

Program / Curriculum

Fellows will be assigned to an operating room lists appropriate to their subspecialty training program and clinical experience. Supervision is by consultant staff members of the department at all times. Responsibilities include supervision and teaching of junior and senior residents in the program, and medical students. After hours duty is at the second and third call level, with the first call consultant available always. The frequency of on call duties is similar to the consultants. All fellows participate in the Acute Pain Service if the Fellowship schedule can accommodate this.

Fellows will spend at least 1 - 2 days in subspecialty training per week and 2 - 5 days providing general anaesthesia care in the operating room. The overall aim is to maximize the exposure to the fellow's subspecialty area. One research day per week is available to every fellow but is granted only if the fellow is involved in a specific project related to the fellowship area of interest.

Formal evaluation is completed at the 6 and 12-month marks of the fellowship year. At the 12-month point the fellow receives a certificate documenting successful completion of the fellowship if this has occurred.

All fellowships are salaried positions. The salary offered is highly competitive. Fellows are entitled to four weeks of vacation and one week conference leave.

Licensing

Once accepted, a temporary license is issued by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). This enables the fellow to practice under direct supervision in a teaching hospital. After successful completion of a 1 to 3 month assessment period, the CPSO issues an educational license and the fellow may continue the fellowship. This assessment period is mandated by the CPSO and failure of this assessment will preclude licensure and the fellowship will be immediately terminated.

Medical Malpractice insurance must be procured by the fellow.

Application Process

Please follow the application instructions and note that the application links provided will close after the application cut-off date. You may, under special circumstances, be considered for a late application.  Please contact the Fellowship Director if you are applying outside the normal timeline.

The fellowship committee will review and rank all candidates and only those highest ranked will be contacted. Fluency in English is mandatory. Applicants whose first language is not English must pass the TOEFL/TSE or IETLS.

The process is outlined below:

• Applications should be made at least 12 to 15 months in advance.
• To apply please use the following links below.  Each link corresponds to a specific intake period.  Please choose only one intake period for your application (if you are flexible in your start time please make this clear in your letter of intent). 
• In addition to using the links below please send a CV and letter of intent to Dr. Roland Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca). 
• The Letter of intent should stipulate the fellowship position you are applying for and indicate the dates you wish to work, your educational goals, research aims (if any) and future plans.
• Reference letters need to be signed by the referee and sent independently to our office.
• Please note that when applying, electronic correspondence (i.e. email) is preferred for all documents (including reference letters).

Begin Your Application

Applicants can apply using the online platform:

• The January 2027 application session has now closed.
• If you are interested in applying for July 2027, please complete this online application form HERE
• If you are interested in applying for January 2028, please complete this online application form HERE

General Inquiries and Reference Letters should be directed to:

Dr. Roland Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca)
Fellowship Director, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
2075 Bayview Avenue, Room M3-200
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4N 3M5