Program Contacts

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Important Information

Interviews

Virtual interviews for eligible first iteration applicants are scheduled for Monday, February 28, 2022 and Tuesday, March 1, 2022.

Memorial’s Discipline of Family Medicine will have a virtual social.  Details are to be determined.  A link to this social will be sent out in advance to all those applicants chosen for an interview. 

Please see Memorial University's Provincial Criteria and admission requirements for postgraduate medical education.  

 

COVID-19 VACCINES:

As of September 2021, Memorial University requires COVID-19 vaccines for all students, faculty and staff, and masks are required on all Memorial campuses in indoor spaces. Please refer to the University's COVID-19 website for up-to-date information. 

 

Family Medicine Structured Reference Letters

For CaRMS 2022 (this cycle) Family Medicine Programs have adopted the Canadian Family Medicine Structured Reference Form (SRF). Any FM program requesting a reference will require the form. Traditional narrative letters will NOT be accepted. Should your referee submit a traditional letter it will not be reviewed and your application may be deemed incomplete. Please direct your referees to the SRF on the CaRMS website.

 

Contract with Memorial University

As stated in Clause 5.5 of the CaRMS Applicant contract:  "If the Applicant matches with a Residency Program, the applicant must meet all the criteria to obtain the appropriate licensure, certificate, permit, or registration from the medical regulatory authority in the province or territory to which they have been matched by the start of the residency training, inclusive of any pre-assessment period, of the year in which the residency commences.  Failure to meet the criteria by the commencement of the Residency Program or pre-assessment period may result in the automatic release from the Residency Program and void the CaRMS match.

 

 

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Return of Service

CMG/USMG:

No return of service (RoS) is required for CMG seats.

 

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

Family Medicine Structured Reference Letters

For CaRMS 2022 (this cycle) Family Medicine Programs have adopted the Canadian Family Medicine Structured Reference Form (SRF). Any FM program requesting a reference will require the form. Traditional narrative letters will NOT be accepted. Should your referee submit a traditional letter it will not be reviewed and your application may be deemed incomplete. Please direct your referees to the SRF on the CaRMS website.

 

Please refer to the Curriculum and Information sections for additional information.

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Supporting Documentation

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Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on January 31, 2022

Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  January 31, 2022

Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on January 31, 2022

Application Information will be reviewed up until 12:00 noon ET January 31, 2022.  

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Interviews

Dates:

• February 28, 2022
• March 1, 2022

Selection Criteria

Preference will be given to applicants who are RECENT graduates.

Program goals

Our comprehensive two year program has been developed to train physicians for urban, rural and remote practice, using the unique medical and geographic charactersitics of Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nunavut.

The goal of our residency training program is to develop professional competence to the level of a physician ready to begin practice in the specialty of Family Medicine.

Aligning with the mission and vision of the Discipline of Family Medicine at Memorial, residents will learn to advance health through leadership in socially accountable education, research and patient-centered care.

To facilitate a learning environment that will prepare the resident to be a confident and competent physician who is able to manage a variety of clinical situations in urban, rural and remote practice environments.

Selection process goals

Identify applicants who have interest in Family Medicine, particularly rural and remote Family Medicine.

Identify applicants who have interest in Family Medicine residency training at Memorial.

Identify applicants who have working knowledge of Family Medicine in Newfoundland and Labrador through core or elective training or life experiences.

Identify applicants who have interest in meeting the needs of the diverse people and populations we serve.

Identify applicants who are well rounded, self starters who have a sense of responsibility and are motivated, honest and reliable.

Identify applicants who are insightful and reflective learners.

File review process

Evaluation criteria :

Elective criteria

Interview process

Interview evaluation criteria :

Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

Specifically, we may consider:
Social interaction during program related events
Communication with program administration
Social media
Unsolicited reference letters
Unsolicited email references
Unsolicited verbal information on a candidate's prior performance
Unsolicited feedback from colleagues and co-workers

Ranking process

The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :
Unprofessional or inappropriate behavior   
Did not attend interview   
Interview performance was not competitive   
Other : Faculty's knowledge of a candidate's non-competitive level of competency to complete family medicine training based on past experience.

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Program Highlights

The residency training program in Family Medicine at Memorial is an accredited residency training program through the College of Family Physicians of Canada. It leads to eligibility to sit the certification exam of the CFPC. This program uses the unique medical, geographic and cultural characteristics of Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nunavut to train family physicians for rural/remote practice.   www.med.mun.ca/FamilyMed

Why Memorial?

There are many reasons to come to Memorial for Family Medicine training! To name a few:

• Urban, rural and remote training opportunities
• Often you are the only resident on service
• Tailored teaching given low learner to preceptor numbers
• Excellent learning opportunities
• Travel to and from training sites for core training is covered
• Dedicated preceptors
• 4 weeks of vacation per year
• $1000 towards conference leave or ATLS course completion. 

What Are Our Unique Learning Opportunities?

• Training is offered in urban, rural and remote communities
• Remote opportunities in Goose Bay, NL or Iqaluit, NU
• Flight medicine in Goose Bay or Iqaluit
• Transfer medicine across many training sites
• Point of Care Ultrasound Training (PoCUS) when available.
• Certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Advances in Labour and Risk Management (ALARM), Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) training is offered, when possible. ACLS is offered through Eastern Health at a reduced rate. The Family Medicine Residency Training Program covers the cost of ALARM & NRP.  Residents are provided with $1000 towards conference leave or ATLS course completion.  
• Stunning landscape
• Outdoor activities across all training sites
• Vibrant arts scene – culture, music, dance, film

Streams and Training Templates

Central

The Central Stream will provide excellent training experiences in Rural Family Medicine.  Up to six residents will be able to select the Central Stream for their training. In this stream, the majority of training will occur in rural sites in central Newfoundland and Labrador. Residents will be assigned a home community where they will spend the majority of their second year and a portion of their first year. Experiences such as rural emergency, family medicine obstetrics, inpatient and long term care are available. Residents also have the opportunity for customized electives within the stream in various specialty services.

The Central training sites include Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor, Botwood and Twillingate.

Resident Training Templates

Once matched into a training stream, residents receive a list of two year template choices that are centered around that stream. Residents will travel outside of their training stream if a learning experience is not available locally.  All residents rank their template preferences indicating any special considerations that should be taken into account.  Should residents all rank a template(s) low on their lists, residents will be given the opportunity to re-rank their template choices. Should a template(s) remain low on the rank lists, a lottery will be completed to fill the template.

Ranking

Candidates have five options when applying to Memorial's Family Medicine Program: Eastern, Central, Western, Goose Bay and Nunavut. As such, residents are able to rank the five streams in order of personal preference. 

FAQ

Are the applicants responsible to schedule interviews in the first iteration? 

No.  If selected, the applicant will be notified of an interview by the program.

Where Do Memorial Family Medicine Residents Train?

We have training sites across Newfoundland and Labrador, in New Brunswick and in Nunavut.

Where Do The Residents Come From?

Our residents come from all over Canada and beyond.  We have previously accepted residents who have trained in the United States and throughout the world, including Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Caribbean, Australia and India.  Having a diverse class provides rich learning opportunities! 

Accommodations

Accommodations for residents, who are traveling outside of their teaching site, is facilitated through Distributed Medical Education (DME) Office.

Residents are responsible for their own housing at their primary teaching site/homebase, which is determined by the location where the majority of their core rotations occur in a given academic year. Please note that primary teaching site/homebase may change from one academic year to the next depending on the template schedule. Should residents be required to complete a core clinical experience outside of their main teaching site/homebase, housing, including a private bedroom and shared living space, will be provided free of charge. If residents require alternate accommodations, such as the accompaniment of a family member for the full duration of their clinical experience or as a result of a medical issue, we ask that you reach out the DME Academic Program Administrator (APA) responsible for that region (family) or the Blundon Centre (medical), at least 8 weeks before the start of the clinical experience.

If residents have any questions about their accommodations, it is recommended that they reach out to the Accommodations Coordinator (dme.accommodations@mun.ca) for information prior to their rotation.

Please note that future changes by Memorial University, the Professional Association of Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador contract and/or the Regional Health Authorities in specific, to housing coverage, may result in alterations to the above statements.

Accommodations policy: www.med.mun.ca/getattachment/6476611b-0340-46b0-a712-d3dcf1396dbd/Housing-Accommodations-Policy-2017-6-28-OV.aspx 

DME website:  https://www.med.mun.ca/Distributed-Medical-Education/Home.aspx

DME contacts: https://www.med.mun.ca/Distributed-Medical-Education/Contact-Info.aspx

Funding

Transportation for core clinical experiences and Core Content is reimbursed as per the Eastern Health Guidelines for Travel Reimbursement.

Resident Pay

Resident pay is based on the Professional Association of Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador (PARNL) provincial contract.  Please see PARNLfor further salary information.

What If I Am Pregnant Or I Get Pregnant During The Program?

The Family Medicine Residency Training office will work with you to create a training template that best suits your needs.

What If I Get Sick During The Program Or What If A Family Member Gets Sick?

As residents you accrue one sick day for each month worked. Should an unexpected personal illness, or illness in your family happen please follow up with our Family Medicine Residency Training office so that we can work with you to determine best steps forward.

Can My Family Travel With Me?

Absolutely! We encourage your family to travel with you.

Applying As A Couple - Will We Be Together?

Please let us know if you are applying as a couple so we can do our best to offer training templates that keep you close together.

Enhanced Skills Programs 

Residency positions are contingent on funding but normally the following positions are available within the Enhanced Skills programs.

We have three Enhanced Skills training programs - (1) Family Medicine - Emergency Medicine.   Each year, the FM-EM program accepts 4-6 residents into their program. (2) Family Medicine - Enhanced Skills in Care of the Elderly. There is usually one 12-month position available.  (3) Care of Underserved Populations Enhanced Skills Program. There is usually one 12-month position available.

Interviews - For File Completion

When applying to our program through CaRMS, your application file must be complete (application, reference letters, personal letter, supporting documents (exam scores, CV, etc.). Interviews are mandatory for all candidates. In the first round of CaRMS, all interviews will be virtual. CaRMS is competitive.  We would encourage applicants to consider applying to all of our program streams.  While your personal letter does not have to reflect your interests to train in a specific stream, you are more than welcome to include this information in your letter if you have a particular reason(s) that you wish to share with the program.

Am I Needed In The Province Upon Graduation?

We have a need for family physicians across the province.  While the exact areas of need can change from year to year, there will certainly be work opportunities upon completion of the program.  The Practice NL website offers up-to-date information on job opportunities:  www.practicenl.ca.  You can also contact the Regional Health Authorities (Eastern, Central, Western, Labrador-Grenfell and Nunavut).

As a resident you are eligible to apply for return of service bursaries.  Please see the following site:  http://www.health.gov.nl.ca/health/grantsfunding/bursaries.html#med

Quick Facts - What to do in Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Nunavut!

1. Get your "Guide to the Edge" at Newfoundland and Labrador's Tourism website: http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com
2. Explore the Natural Wonders of New Brunswick: http://www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca/
3. Discover why Nunavut is like nowhere else on earth: http://www.nunavuttourism.com

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Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 2 years.

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

Our teaching curriculum focuses on the Triple C Competency-based Curriculum (Triple C). We offer a number of experiences where residents have the opportunity to be centered in a Family Medicine Clinic to provide comprehensive care and continuity of care for patients over an extended period of time. While each teaching site has its own unique curriculum based on the local opportunities, all are unified under the overarching Family Medicine Residency Training Program.

The Triple C Competency-based curriculum provides the relevant learning contexts and strategies to enable residents to integrate competencies, while acquiring evidence to determine that a resident is ready to begin practice in the specialty of Family Medicine.

Triple C ensures all graduates are:

• Competent to provide comprehensive care in any Canadian community
• Prepared for the evolving needs of society
• Educated based upon the best available evidence on patient care and medical education

This curriculum addresses accountability, social responsibility, patient safety, and efficiencies in educational programming.

The curriculum is based on the Four Principles of Family Medicine and the CanMEDS-FM roles. The Four Principles are foundational concepts regarding the nature and practice of family medicine whereas the CanMEDS-FM roles focus on outcomes of care and competencies expected of the practicing physician.  The CanMEDS-FM roles retain the Four Principles by integrating them into the appropriate CanMEDS-FM roles. In some cases a principle appears in multiple roles.

June Orientation

All incoming residents complete a mandatory 1.5 - 2 week orientation program prior to the start of residency. During this time, there is orientation to the Family Medicine Residency Training Program, the Postgraduate Medical Education Office and Eastern Health. Incoming residents may also complete ACLS (offered at a reduced rate), ALARM and NRP during this time. Please note that due to potential ongoing pandemic restrictions, there may be alterations in this schedule.

Please note that residents must complete BCLS prior to orientation, as this is a prerequisite for ACLS.

Eastern and Nunavut Stream residents will also complete a 1 day orientation to Academic Family Medicine during this orientation week.

Orientation

The following Orientation sessions are mandatory in order to begin your residency on July 1, 2022.  Please note these sessions are scheduled two weeks prior to the start of the program.

Orientation 2022 - Schedule (Mandatory) TBD

*Orientation Dates Subject to Change

 *BCLS is mandatory in order to do ACLS

Academic Curriculum

• Academic Half Day

All residents attend the weekly Academic Half Day teaching sessions that are held Tuesday afternoon from 1:30 to 5:00 pm. 

Residents and Faculty are involved with teaching the Academic Half sessions and content is based on the 105 Priority Topics as defined by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. 

• Behavioural Medicine

The Behavioral Medicine curriculum encompasses Wednesday morning teaching sessions, the Counselling Centre curriculum, Psychiatric Emergency and Crisis Intervention (PEACI) sessions during Core Content, the Urgent Mental Health Care Experience (Psychiatric Assessment Unit), sessions during Academic Half Day and the completion of two Behavioral Medicine Reflections (BMRs). 

• Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)

The EBM teaching curriculum consists of 3 components: 1) Critical appraisal of evidence, 2) Clinical practice audit and 3) The resident scholarly project. 

• Family Medicine Obstetrical Experience

Residents will gain experience in Family Medicine Obstetrics during their Academic Family Medicine clinical experience.  As part of this experience, residents will work alongside family physicians who practice low risk obstetrics to provide care to prenatal patients. This will involve taking part in the Family Centered Maternity Care clinics and Friday afternoon coverage of the Case Room (for residents doing integrated Family Medicine Obstetrics) providing experience in intra and post-partum care. In addition, some residents will participate in the low risk Obstetrics call clinical experience.

• Practice Management

Residents will receive Practice Management teaching during Core Content and R2 designated Tuesday afternoon Academic Half Days.

• Team Teaching Rounds

Team teaching can include: Questions in Practice (QUIPs), chart reviews, practice Simulated Office Orals (SOOs), or best practice reports.

Core Content

There are 2 mandatory one-week Core Content sessions held each residency year (Fall and Winter). During these sessions, residents gain training in Medical Ethics, Practice Management, Psychiatric Emergencies and Crisis Intervention, Teaching Skills and Point of Care Ultrasound (when available).  CFPC examination preparation is also provided during Core Content weeks.

Resident Scholarly Project

All residents undertake a scholarly project during their residency. The scholarly project may take a variety of forms: research, clinical chart audit, systematic review, policy or creative project. In the second year of residency, all second year residents present their Resident Scholarly Project at the Resident Forum during the Fall Core Content.

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Training Sites

Please see program website for information on training sites

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Additional Information

All files must be complete in order to be considered. If documents are missing, they will not be reviewed.