Residents may request to do one block of research elective, which will usually be allocated in the PGY-3 year, but could also occur in the PGY-2 or PGY-4 year. The granting of a research elective is at the discretion of the Program Director and the Associate Chair, Research.

Some of the considerations include:

• The resident must complete the Anesthesia Research Elective application form.
• The resident must identify a supervisor who is involved with the proposed research project and is able to evaluate the work of the resident during the research elective block.
• The research project must meet the requirements stipulated for the Residency Program.
• To be eligible for a research elective, the resident must be in good standing in their clinical rotations and not require any remediation for completed rotations.
• REB approval (if applicable) must be in place prior to the elective being approved.
• The resident must identify, in discussion with their supervisor, at least three well-defined objectives to complete during their research elective. It is expected that the resident will work with their supervisor towards fulfilling the specified objectives.
• Significant progress on the project is expected, commensurate with the provision of 20 full working days (minus post-call days).
• The resident must meet with their supervisor weekly during the elective to report on progress and receive ongoing guidance. The resident must document these meetings (dates and results of discussions).
• A resident will be expected to complete a one-page interim report after two weeks into their research elective to report on progress and receive ongoing guidance. The resident must document these meetings (dates and results of discussions).
• The capacity of the resident for self-directed work will be taken into consideration when deciding whether to grant the elective.
• The elective must take place in Hamilton in order to allow for proximity to McMaster research infrastructure and the research supervisor unless the research activity is being done at another academic institution with a mentor from that site.
• Although there is significant latitude for “flex time” during the research elective, the resident must remain available to the program during the research elective. If the resident has a firm personal commitment on a particular day, consideration of booking a vacation or PL day should be made as would be the case on a clinical rotation.
• The research project will be formally evaluated at the end of the rotation.
• At the end of the block, the resident is expected to submit a block completion report. They should identify their proposed objectives and the extent to which they were fulfilled. This form will be signed by their supervisor and submitted to the research office.
• The final assessment will involve a completion report by the resident, indicating their work on the proposed objectives.