Training Duration
12 months
Trainee Funding
Salary is competitive and comes from a variety of sources. Trainees will be eligible for billing consultations and assisting fees, where appropriate, to assist in self-funding this training program. Consideration can be given to candidates who come with funding from their home institutions.
Program Commitment
The program commits the following to prospective trainees:
- >150-200 TAVI procedure encounters each year
- >250 TAVI consultation and patient assessment encounters each year
- Development proficiencies related to the TAVI procedure in a graded, supervised fashion
- Safe access using ultrasound guidance and micropuncture techniques
- Insertion of the sheath/valve system
- Effective methods for crossing stenosed aortic valve
- Primary/secondary operator in at minimum 50 cases
Trainee Deliverables
- Call requirements
- 1 in 3 call either in cardiac surgery or interventional cardiology, depending on stream
- 1 weekend of call/month
- No call on days preceding TAVI operator days
- Consultation requirements
- Monday-Friday 9-5 responsibility for first assessment of inpatient TAVI consultations
- Ward duties
- Dedicated rounding on post-TAVI patients
- Coordinating with other services
- Discharge planning
- Access site assessments
- Dedicated rounding on post-TAVI patients
- Research requirements
- 1-2 projects in the fellowship year, done to completion (either submitted for publication or for presentation at conference)
- Teaching requirements
- Co-lead monthly TAVI educational series
- Co-lead biannual TAVI journal club
Weekly Schedule
Monday – Clinic
Tuesday – TAVI day (typically 4 cases)
Wednesday – Imaging (CT heart/coronaries, Echo, dedicated TAVI CT, 3Mensio usage)/Academic day
Thursday – Hybrid TAVI procedures OR General cath lab/cardiac surgery operating room
Friday – General cath lab/cardiac surgery operating room
Application Process:
Interested individuals should send their CV, a letter of intent, and three reference letters to:
TAVI Fellowship Program Co-Directors: Aaron Spooner, MD, FRCSC and Malek Kass, MD, FRCPC
Division of Cardiac Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital
c/o Jessica Fraser
Y33015 – 409 Tache Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2H 2A6
Application cycle will close at the end of June of the year preceding expected start date of fellowship (Ie. 12 months before). Fellowship start date begins on July 1 of the year.
