Goal
Increase capacity among General Surgeons working in rural and remote communities, and/or global surgery environments to provide safe surgical obstetrical and emergency gynecology care to maintain high quality maternity care and critical women’s health services for patients close to home.
Rationale
Providing maternity care close to home is a quality-of-life issue for women and their families and is crucial to maintaining vibrant communities and culturally supportive local health care services. General Surgeons have the operative competencies to acquire the necessary procedural skills to support safe operative delivery and maternal care in rural communities. The program is working to develop competency-based training opportunities for practicing General Surgeons to gain these skills, in addition to providing Continuing Professional Development for practicing General Surgeons who participate in maternity care programs.
Eligibility
Eligible applications must be practicing General Surgeons or be enrolled in a General Surgery Residency Training Program. Surgeons interested in the Clinical Training Exposure component must be licensed or eligible to obtain licensing in the province where the Clinical Training is located.
Recommended Program Path
Eligible surgeons can choose to take any course component as a standalone post-graduate course. For those pursuing the full certificate of recognition, we recommend taking the courses in the order indicated (however, it is not a requirement).
Certificate of Recognition in Operative Delivery and Maternal Care for General Surgeons
The goal of this certificate program is to provide General Surgeons with a competency-based training opportunity to gain the skills and expertise to support safe operative delivery and maternal care programs in rural and remote communities and global surgery programs.
Requirements
- Completion of Online Course
- Completion of Skills Simulation Course
- Completion of Clinical Training/Exposure Evaluation minimum requirements
- Active membership in CAGS
For more information on this program, contact learn@cags-accg.ca.
Courses
Operative Delivery and Maternal Care Online Course
Target Audience
This course component is designed for practicing surgeons and residents both actively involved and interested in providing operative delivery and maternal care support in rural and remote communities and global surgery programs.
Overview
The online course is focused on the assessment and management of challenging cases and complications in operative delivery for the General Surgeon. The online course will be delivered through both self-paced learning and online group discussions via the CAGS General Surgery Learning and Resource Centre.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the online course, participants will be able to:
- Identify and describe safe surgical management principles and approaches to complex surgical deliveries
- Develop and implement a stepwise approach to assessment and management of Post-Partum Hemorrhage (PPH)
- Describe an approach to assessment and surgical management of complications following vaginal delivery and caesarean section
- Initiate collaborative approaches to operative maternal care team building and local quality assurance around high-acuity low-occurrence obstetrical complications in rural and remote settings
Content
Module 1 – Managing Complex Deliveries
Module 2 – Managing C-section and Vaginal Delivery Complications
Module 3 – Managing Post-Partum Hemorrhage
Module 4 – Strengthening Collaborative Rural and Remote Maternal Care
Course Dates
Registration for the 2026 online course is now open.
Registration deadline: February 15, 2026
Course start date: March 2, 2026
Operative Delivery and Maternal Care Skills Simulation Course
The next skills simulation will be held at CSF 2026. Registration will open in Spring 2026 – stay tuned.
Stay connected and join the waiting list by filling out the expression of interest form for the Skills Simulation Course.
Operative Delivery and Maternal Care Clinical Training/Exposure
CAGS is in the process of identifying opportunities for clinical training. We are also encouraging people to reach out locally through their own clinical networks to seek out learning opportunities guided by our clinical training minimum case volume criteria and evaluations. As you complete your clinical training, track your cases using our template. The course directors will review for completion when you have finished your Clinical Training/Exposure. For those surgeons who already perform c-sections as part of their scope of practice, practice improvement projects that have been approved by the course directors will be accepted. Please contact learn@cags-accg.ca for more information.
- 25 c-sections (minimum) as primary surgeon (case mix to include elective primary, elective repeat, urgent second stage, breech)
- 5 D&C as primary surgeon
- 5 salpingectomy/tubal ligation as primary surgeon (mix of laparoscopic and open)
- Case log – This activity is considered an Accredited Practice Assessment (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and can be self-submitted through Mainport.
Clinical Training/Exposure Cost
Fees for clinical training/exposure vary by host institution. Course directors or CAGS staff will notify you of the fee scale prior to acceptance of the clinical program.
Upcoming Clinical Training Opportunities
To join the waiting list and to hear about additional opportunities, please fill out the expression of interest form.
For more information on this program, contact learn@cags-accg.ca.