Clinical rTMS Training for Psychiatrists

🧠 UBC NINET rTMS Course: Clinical Training in Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Psychiatrists

Overview

The Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Therapies (NINET) Laboratory at the University of British Columbia offers a Continuing Professional Development (CPD)–accredited training course in repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).
This three-day intensive program provides physicians and health-care professionals with both the foundational knowledge and hands-on procedural skills required to deliver rTMS safely and effectively in clinical settings.

The course fulfills UBC CPD requirements for Royal College MOC Section 3 credits and is suitable for clinicians seeking to implement or expand rTMS services in their institutions.

Register here: Registration

Learning Objective

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the biophysical principles and safety parameters governing rTMS.
  2. Demonstrate correct coil positioning and threshold calibration for treatment delivery.
  3. Apply clinical protocols for treatment-resistant depression and other emerging indications.
  4. Recognize and manage common adverse events and emergency procedures (e.g., vasovagal, seizure).
  5. Integrate rTMS within broader interventional psychiatry and neuromodulation programs across BC.

CanMEDS Roles addressed: Medical Expert, Scholar, Communicator, Collaborator, Professional.

Target Audience

Psychiatrists interested in interventional psychiatry or neurostimulation or involved neuromodulation delivery.

Course Structure

Course Structure

Day 1 – Foundations and Physics

  • Welcome, orientation, and safety briefing
  • Principles of electromagnetic induction and dosing in rTMS
  • Device components, operational procedures, and safety checks
  • Beam F3 targeting method for DLPFC stimulation
  • Interactive demonstration: magnetic field mapping and coil orientation

Day 2 – Clinical Application and Protocols

  • Motor-threshold determination and hands-on calibration
  • Practical workshop: coil positioning and patient set-up
  • Mechanisms of action from local circuits to brain networks
  • Indications: treatment-resistant depression, OCD, PTSD, pain, and emerging areas
  • Clinical case simulations and interprofessional discussion

Day 3 – Safety, Program Design, and Quality Assurance

  • Adverse-event management: seizure and vasovagal protocols
  • Informed-consent process and documentation standards
  • Building and sustaining an rTMS service within the BC TMS Network
  • Data collection, audit, and quality-improvement processes
  • Final competency assessment and course reflection

Instructional format: ~50 % didactic, 50 % interactive workshops and supervised practice.

Accreditation

The Division of Continuing Professional Development, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine (UBC CPD) is fully accredited by the Continuing Medical Education Accreditation Committee (CACME) to provide CPD credits for physicians. This activity is an Accredited Simulation Activity (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and approved by UBC CPD. You may claim a maximum of 12.0 hours (credits are automatically calculated). Each physician should claim only those credits accrued through participation in the activity.

Faculty

Course Director: Fidel Vila-Rodriguez, MD PhD FRCPC DFAPA
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia
Director, NINET Laboratory | Co-Director, Interventional Brain Medicine Program

Course Co-Director: Michael Butterfield, MD, FRCPC
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia

Scientific Planning Committee:

Christin Fabriel-Leclerc, MD, FRCPC
Clinical Assistant Professor, Dpt. Psychiatry
Co-Director, Interventional Brain Medicine Program
The University of British Columbia

Christian Schütz, MD, PhD, MPH, FRCPC
Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry
The University of British Columbia

Nicholas Ainsworth, MD, FRCPC
Clinical Instructor, Dpt. Psychiatry
The University of British Columbia

Event cancellation policy

The Conference Organizers and their agents, including UBC CPD reserve the right to cancel a course thirty (30) days prior to the course date. Each registrant will be notified by telephone, with written notification and a full refund following. The University of British Columbia is not responsible for any costs, including, but not limited to, airline or hotel penalties.

Individual cancellation policy 

If written notice of withdrawal is received at UBC CPD (10 business days out) the registration fee, less a $50 CDN handling charge will be refunded. No refunds will be granted for withdrawal after this date. No refunds will be granted after the course has commenced for any reason

Freedom of information and protection of privacy

Personal Information is collected on this registration form pursuant to section 26 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSBC 1996 c. 165. The information will be used for the purposes of facilitating the conference and producing aggregate statistics. For questions, please contact UBC CPD at cpd.info@ubc.ca.