Crest

University of Saskatchewan - Family Medicine - Prince Albert - Regional-Rural

2023 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream for CMG

Last approved on December 16, 2022

Summary of changes

Approximate Quota:

 6 

Accreditation status : Accredited

Provincial Criteria

Dr. Sheila Smith
Department of Academic Family Medicine 
Victoria Hospital 
1200 - 24th Street West
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, S6V 5T4
306-765-6218
Find Your Place in Prince Albert
Facebook - USask Family Med
Instagram - USask Family Med
Twitter - USask Family Med
Department of Family Medicine
City of Prince Albert
Prince Albert Tourism

Program Contacts

Dr. Annelie Van Rensburg
Prince Albert Site Director

Heidi Brown
Program Administrative Assistant
h.brown@usask.ca
306-765-6218

Important Information

The Family Medicine CMG stream is open to CMGs and graduates of US allopathic schools. Applicants are responsible for reviewing the University of Saskatchewan Policies for the R1 Match to determine if they meet all requirements and eligibility criteria. Failure to meet or provide proof of any of the stated requirements or documents may result in an applicant’s file not being reviewed or ranked.

Casper Test
All applicants must complete the Casper test. More information is available under Supporting Documentation-CASPer Exam.

Family Medicine Professional Choices Assessment (FMProC)
All applicants must complete the Family Medicine Professional Choices Assessment (FMProC). More information is available under Supporting Documentation-Family Medicine Professional Choices Assessment.

Licensing
Matched applicants must be eligible for an educational register license with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS) for a July 1st start date and must maintain eligibility for an educational register license throughout their entire training program. Any delays in providing all required documentation to CPSS may result in the following:

  • delay in issuance of an educational register license and a delay in start of postgraduate training beyond July 1st
  • release from CaRMS match contract

Applicants completing medical education at the University of Montreal, Sherbrooke, Laval, and the University of Ottawa (French stream) are required to submit proof of English language proficiency before the rank order deadline to demonstrate they meet CPSS requirements. More information is available under Supporting Documentation-Language Proficiency.

NOTE: Applicants who are considering a delay to their convocation date must be aware that a medical degree cannot be issued to a student until they have convocated. CPSS bylaws require that new residents must have received their medical degree prior to the commencement of residency training. Choosing to delay convocation will affect a matched applicant’s ability to commence their residency training program in Saskatchewan on July 1. Please refer to the U of S CaRMS Deferral Policy for additional information.

Credentialing
In order to commence and continue in Postgraduate Medical Education training programs, matched applicants must be eligible for and maintain privileges within the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) as determined by their credentialing process. The SHA requires successful applicants to submit a current criminal record check as part of their pre-resident application for appointment. Applicants with criminal records will be considered on a case by case basis by the College of Medicine in consultation with the SHA.

Resident Boot Camp
All matched applicants must attend a mandatory three-day Resident Boot Camp scheduled for late June. The purpose of the Boot Camp is to provide additional support to trainees as they transition to residency by introducing and consolidating baseline skills and knowledge needed to flourish during their residency years. The program will include interactive case-based and hands-on practice sessions. There will also be a social event to provide trainees with the opportunity to interact and network among themselves. Stipends will be provided to trainees.

Attendance is required and absences are only permitted in exceptional circumstances, with prior approval of PGME.

Advanced Cardiac Life Support
Matched applicants are required to provide proof of ACLS certification (current as of July 1, 2023) to the PGME office prior to starting their training program. The ACLS course must be endorsed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and/or the American Heart Association. ACLS training that is not certified by these two organizations and/or is completed entirely through an online course will not be accepted. Applicants are responsible for all costs associated with obtaining ACLS certification.

Personal Transportation
Applicants who match to the Family Medicine residency training program are required to have a valid driver’s license and access to a vehicle in order to drive to mandatory rural and remote educational experiences. Residents are also expected to be able to travel within communities for educational experiences. Applicants should be aware that not all training sites have access to public transportation and residents are required to provide their own transportation. Residents receive mileage reimbursement as per PGME guidelines.

General Instructions

Program application language: English

   

Supporting Documentation / Information

Applicants are advised to only provide the documents requested by the program. No other documents submitted will be reviewed.
Canadian citizenship
CaRMS partners with third-party organizations to verify your citizenship or permanent resident status. If your status is verified by one of these organizations, you will not need to provide citizenship documents in your application. If your citizenship status is not verified, you must provide one of the documents listed below.
Document must be notarized/certified
Required
Submit one of the following documents to verify your Canadian citizenship:
• Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)
• Canadian Citizenship Card (both sides of card)

All applicants must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents at the time of application and must submit a notarized/certified photocopy of one of the accepted citizenship documents.

Proof of citizenship must be current at the time of application and expired documents will not be accepted.

CaRMS is partnering with third-party organizations to automate the verification of citizenship/legal status required by postgraduate offices for entry into residency. Third-party verification simplifies the process for applicants and programs. All applicants who do not receive third-party citizenship verification will be required to upload and assign an acceptable proof of citizenship document. Please see additional information here.

Language proficiency
Conditionally required
Submit one of the following documents to verify your language proficiency:
• IELTS
• Occupational English Test (OET) - Medicine
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) - General

Language assessment document accepted: IELTS Academic

  • Document validity (not expired) by: Must be valid up to July 1, 2023
  • Minimum score: Minimum of 7.0 in each of the components
  • Results available and submitted to programs by: March 2, 2023 at 14:00 ET 

Language assessment document accepted:

  1. Occupational English Test (OET) – Medicine on paper at a test venue
  2. Occupational English Test (OET) – Medicine on a computer at a test venue
  • Document validity (not expired) by: Must be valid up to July 1, 2023
  • Minimum score: Minimum grade of B
  • Results available and submitted to programs by: March 2, 2023 at 14:00 ET

Language assessment document accepted: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) – General

  • Document validity (not expired) by: Must be valid up to July 1, 2023
  • Minimum score: Minimum grade of 9 in all sections
  • Results available and submitted to programs by: March 2, 2023 at 14:00 ET

Applicants will be required to provide proof of proficiency in the English language to meet licensing requirements of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSS) of Saskatchewan.

CMGs/USMGs who completed their medical education at an English medical school in Canada or the US are not required to submit proof of English language proficiency.

Canadian applicants with medical education from the University of Montreal, Sherbrooke, Laval, and the University of Ottawa (French stream) are required to meet the English language proficiency requirements of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan and must complete one of the language exams listed above.

Applicants who are required to complete a language exam must submit a valid test score to CaRMS by the program rank order deadline. Applicants who do not provide acceptable proof of language proficiency by the program rank order deadline will not be ranked.

Please direct any questions about language requirements or eligibility to della.toews@usask.ca. Applicants should not contact CPSS directly about their eligibility for licensure.

Reference documents
Required
Number requested: 3

For CARMS 2023 Family Medicine programs have adopted the Canadian Family Medicine Structured Reference Form (SRF). All FM programs 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.

Three (3) reference letters using the Canadian Family Medicine Structured Reference Form are required. Please submit the same reference letters to each site you apply to. Applicants should familiarize themselves with how to request a Family Medicine Structured Reference Letter on the CaRMS website. Applicants can direct their referees to the example of the reference letter on the CaRMS website.

Additional documents
Required
Personal Letter 
Word count
Minimum : None
Maximum : None

A personal letter describing yourself and your career interest is required. Please address the personal letter to the overall program "Dr. Sheila Smith and Selection Committee" and NOT to each site. Submit the same personal letter to each site you are applying to. 

As family physicians, we are interested in learning about you in the same way we are interested in learning about the context of our patients.  Your letter must include your motivations for applying to Family Medicine and selecting the University of Saskatchewan for training. Please also reflect on qualities that are critical to being a Family Physician, service to rural, remote and underserved populations and strengths that you will contribute to our program.

Medical School Transcript 

Your medical school transcript can be submitted through one of the methods below:

  1. Obtain your medical transcript from your school and upload it directly to your CaRMS Online account. Follow your school’s policy regarding accessing or requesting your transcript;
  2. Ask your medical school to upload your medical transcript through their CaRMS Undergraduate Portal account; or
  3. International (IMGs) and United States (USMGs) medical graduates can transfer their transcript from their physiciansapply.ca account.

Medical Student Performance Record 

For current year Canadian medical graduates (CMGs), there is no action required from you. Your medical school will automatically submit your MSPR to CaRMS on your behalf for you to assign.
If your MSPR is in a language other than the program language of English or French, you are required to have the document translated.

CASPer exam 

Your CASPer assessment result is sent directly to CaRMS from Altus approximately one week prior to the application deadline. Please ensure that you give Altus permission to share your results with CaRMS.
The CASPer assessment is only valid for one admissions cycle. If you have taken the assessment in a previous year, you are expected to re-take it. To register for the CASPer assessment visit takealtus.com/casper.

Family Medicine Professional Choices Assessment 

All applicants are required to take the FMProC (Family Medicine Professional Choices), a Family Medicine-context specific Situational Judgement Test. More details are available here Information (ENG) / Information (FR). Applicants must contact FMProC to confirm test dates and register for a test at www.fmproc.com. 

First set of test dates: Please note registration for the first test of test dates will open at 1PM EST October 3, 2022 and will close at 1PM EST November, 2022. 

NEW - Second set of test dates: A second set of dates is available for those who did not register for the 2022 test dates. Registration to sit the test will be open from 3PM ET on December 16, 2022, to 3PM ET on January 9, 2023. This is a hard deadline and no late registration requests will be accommodated.

The new test window will be open for registrants who have not previously sat FMProC in this current CaRMS cycle, to take the test from 3PM ET on January 17, 2023, to 3PM ET January 24, 2023.

Please note the January test scores will be available around January 31st, 2023, and applicants will need to upload these to their CaRMS applications. Applicants submitting their FMProC results after file review opens on January 10, 2023 will not be disadvantaged if they take the test in January.

 

Custom Résumé / CV 

Photo 
[Note: Photograph is used as memory aid only]

Conditionally required
Medical School Diploma 

Matched applicants who are graduating in the spring will need to provide a copy of their medical degree/diploma to the PGME office and CPSS prior to the start of residency training.

Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on January 10, 2023


Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  January 10, 2023


Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on January 10, 2023


Interviews

Dates:

  • February 8, 2023
  • February 9, 2023
  • February 10, 2023
  • February 11, 2023
Interview dates:

  • February 8, 9, 10, 11, 2023
Program will notify all applicants through CaRMS Online and will send email invitations directly to applicants selected for an interview.
 Applicants will be interviewed by the selection committee. Details regarding interview date and time will be forwarded upon notification of the applicant. One interview will be offered for all sites on a first come first serve basis. Applicants will rotate through stations with a varied number of interviewers. Applicants must attend all interview stations to be considered. 

CaRMS has mandated that only virtual interviews can be offered for the 2023 match; in person interviews cannot be considered for any applicants. Virtual interviews will be conducted using Zoom. 

Selection Criteria

Program goals

The goal of the Department of Family Medicine and the Postgraduate Family Medicine Residency Program at the University of Saskatchewan is to produce caring and compassionate Family Physicians who are ready to provide comprehensive care to all patients in Saskatchewan, especially those serving rural, remote and underserved populations.

Our mission is to create, teach and develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes specific to the discipline of Family Medicine.

  • We will work to optimize health by demonstrating excellence and innovation in service, education and scholarly activity.
  • We will provide university, hospital and community-based education consistent with the principles of Family Medicine.
  • We will focus our efforts on working with communities in response to their health needs.

Selection process goals

Identify applicants who have shown an interest in and commitment to generalist Family Medicine.

Identify applicants who have shown an interest in and commitment to rural, remote and underserved populations. 

Identify applicants and who have clinical and life experiences that will assist them in understanding the context of their patients, and adapt to the communities they will train in and serve, in the future. 

Identify applicants who are self-directed that seek out feedback and opportunities to learn.

Identify applicants who work well with other residents, patients, and staff and team members.

Identify applicants who are interested in providing care across the family medicine professional profile as described in the practice narratives found in the CFPC’s Residency Training Profile.

Identify applicants who can demonstrate attributes highlighted in the CFPC Skill Dimensions and CanMEDS-FM 2017 roles. 

Identify applicants who are eligible for licensure in the province of Saskatchewan and have an interest in providing primary care to the patients of Saskatchewan.

File review process

Review team composition : Our review team consists of the program director, site directors, designated faculty and program administrators.

Average number of applications received by our program in the last five years : 601 +
Our program accepts applications from IMGs in the first round of the match.

Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 26 - 50 %
Resource limitations may result in the inability to interview all qualified candidates.

Evaluation criteria :
File component Criteria
CV Demonstrate a high level of achievement in diverse activities and interests. Demonstrate evidence of life and work experience that indicates applicant's ability to adapt to future communities they will train and serve in.
Electives Due to various inter-provincial restrictions on travel and elective opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, elective experience in Saskatchewan is encouraged, if possible, but is not significantly weighted in terms of selection criteria for interviews or positions.
Examinations CASPer exam is mandatory for all applicants. IMG applicants (and graduates of US osteopathic schools) are required to pass the MCCQE1 and NAC exams.
Extra-curricular Demonstrate evidence of varied interests outside of medicine.
Leadership skills Demonstrate evidence of leadership experience.
MSPRs Evaluated for any identified concerns regarding the applicant, as well as exceptional achievements.
Personal letters Demonstrate evidence of suitability for generalist Family Medicine and experience with rural, remote and underserved populations. Demonstrate evidence of life and work experience that indicates applicant's ability to understand the context of their patients and adapt to future communities they will train and serve in. Evaluated for style.
Reference documents Demonstrate evidence of suitability for generalist Family Medicine and experience with rural, remote and underserved populations.
Research/Publications Demonstrate evidence of Family Medicine scholarly work experience.
Transcripts Evaluated for indications of difficulty with the academic requirements for a medical degree.
Other file component(s) Candidates are assessed for their willingness to practice in Saskatchewan, as well as their ties to the province.

Elective criteria

We are looking for and rewarding applicants who have completed a broad range of electives including in our discipline.
We do not require applicants to have done onsite electives.

Interview process

Interview format :



We may accommodate requests to re-schedule interviews for applicants due to weather, technology failure, or unforeseen circumstances.

Interview evaluation criteria :
Interview components Criteria
Collaboration skills Demonstrate effective collaborative skills.
Collegiality Demonstrate collegiality.
Communication skills Demonstrate effective communication skills.
Health advocacy Demonstrate health advocacy.
Interest in the discipline Demonstrate interest in generalist Family Medicine and/or rural Family Medicine.
Interest in the program Demonstrate interest in the University of Saskatchewan's Family Medicine program and experience with rural, remote and underserved populations.
Leadership skills Demonstrate effective leadership skills.
Professionalism Display professional behaviour.
Scholarly activities Demonstrate interest in life long learning.
Other interview component(s) Demonstrate understanding of cultural safety and sensitivity.
Demonstrate clinical reasoning and effective integration of clinical information.

Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

Specifically, we may consider:







Ranking process

The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :
   
   
   

Program Highlights

PRINCE ALBERT

Prince Albert is the third largest city in Saskatchewan and is located 140km north of Saskatoon.  It is situated on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River and is often referred to as the “Gateway to the North”.  The city is surrounded by beautiful lakes, forest and an abundance of wildlife. The Prince Albert National Park is only 80km north of the city and is a popular tourist and recreation destination.

The Prince Albert Family Medicine program is based out of Prince Albert and we are a regional centre.  The goal of our program is to train you to become a confident and competent rural family physician.  When you graduate from our program, you will have a diversity of skill sets that will enable you to practice in rural and urban settings.

Unique Features of our program:

  • Family Medicine Centred: Prince Albert has a diverse and engaging group of Family Medicine preceptors.  During your 2 years of training, you will be placed with the same Family Medicine preceptor in the community to provide longitudinal exposure to office based Family Medicine.
  • Cultural Diversity: You will be exposed to a variety of different cultures during your training in Prince Albert and during your rural rotations. This includes exposure to Indigenous Health, which is an important part of our curriculum.
  • Longitudinal ER call: With a few exceptions, all the resident’s call shifts in Prince Albert are done in the Emergency Department. This provides longitudinal exposure to Emergency Medicine and provides valuable exposure to a large volume and variety of procedures and sick patients.
  • Diversity and large volume of exposure: Being a regional training centre, residents are exposed to  large volumes of patients during their training. Having multiple specialists based out of Prince Albert, resident rotate through different departments and work closely with specialists.  This includes Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Emergency Medicine, ENT, Urology, Ophthalmology, Anesthesia, Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine.  This ensures a well rounded training experience.
  • Hands-on experience: Due to a low learner to faculty ratio in Prince Albert, learners receive valuable one-to-one teaching and opportunities to perform a variety of procedures.
  • Rural Family Medicine exposure: First year residents spend 8 weeks in the northern rural community of Ile a la Crosse.  During this rotation, residents participate in fly-out remote clinics and exposure to valuable rural emergency medicine. Second year residents are placed in a rural community for 22 weeks.  Residents can choose from a list of rural sites with flexibility in choice.
  • Supportive environment: Residents are well supported by faculty and staff and Prince Albert is known for its collegiality.  Our award winning Site Administrator, Heidi, provides valuable support to residents.  Residents have access to a yearly CME fund to be used for educational activities and the department provides additional funding for ALARM, ATLS and PALS courses. The Saskatchewan Health Authority provides monthly cellphone funding.
  • Life in Prince Albert: Prince Albert has all the amenities of a larger city but with the benefits of living in smaller city – affordable housing, no traffic congestion, easy commute. Being surrounded by forests and lakes, outdoor activities are endless. Whether you like camping, canoeing, fishing, hiking, cross country skiing, hunting, curling, basketball, soccer or beach volleyball – there is something for everyone!  The cultural enthusiast will also find a wealth of activities in Prince Albert, the E A Rawlinson Centre for the Arts hosts artists of world class caliber diverse in genre and disciplines.  The Mann Art Gallery and PA Arts Centre will also not disappoint.  The Odyssey Productions theatre shows will entertain the entire family!
  • AND REMEMBER - you can't spell PAradise without PA!!

To see more about our program and Prince Albert, please check out the video at this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkIFxpRUXcI

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.

Prince Albert Curriculum

R1 Rotations/longitudinal:
Anesthesia – 4 Weeks
Electives – 2 Weeks
Emergency – 4 Weeks
Internal Medicine – 6 Weeks
Pediatrics – 6 Weeks
PA Family Medicine/Palliative Care, Care of the Elderly – 8 Weeks
Psychiatry – 2 Weeks
Rural FM – Ile a la Crosse/Nipawin – 8 weeks
Surgery/Orthopedics – 6 Weeks (4 Gen Surg/2 Ortho)
Women’s Health/Obstetrics – 6 Weeks

R2 Rotations/longitudinal:
Electives – 10 Weeks
PA Family Medicine – 14 Weeks
Rural Family Medicine – 22 Weeks
Women’s Health/Obstetrics – 4 Weeks
CCFP Exam Week - 1 Week 

Training Sites

Site name:
Prince Albert Rural Family Medicine / Saskatchewan Health Authority North East

Training sites:
Prince Albert, Humboldt, Kindersley, Meadow Lake, Melfort, La Ronge, Ile a la Crosse, Nipawin, Rosthern, Moose Jaw, Weyburn, & Yorkton

Size of community and catchment area:
The SHA North East (previously Prince Albert Parkland Health Region) provides services and programs to about 80,000 people in one city, and 40 towns, villages and rural municipalities, as well as 12 First Nations.

Additional Information

Prince Albert:

  1. Lots of hands-on experience and procedures.
  2. Excellent obstetrics experience over the two years.
  3. Strong rural focus in program - doing a total of 30 weeks of training in rural sites over the two years.
  4. Fewer learners (Royal College) in PA with lots of one-on-one teaching from preceptors.
  5. Longitudinal ER experience throughout the two years.
  6. Friendly and collegial environment for residents, preceptors and allied health professionals.
  7. Great exposure to addictions medicine, indigenous health and vulnerable populations.  
  8. PA is the gateway to the north - close to the lakes and forests with year around outdoor activities.
  9. Big city shopping and amenities but small town living.  
  10. Excellent support from Site Director and Site Administrator.

Connect with us on social media!
Facebook: @usaskfamilymed
Instagram: @usaskfamilymed
Twitter: @usaskfamilymed

Summary of changes

SUMMARY ID Section Summary of changes Updated on NOTIFY APPLICANTS SECTION NAME Actions