Program Contacts

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Important Information

Your application to the Queen's Family Medicine Residency Program will be centrally processed for all four training sites: Kingston-1000 Islands, Belleville-Quinte, Peterborough-Kawartha, and Queen's-Bowmanville-Oshawa-Lakeridge. This process means that you will only have one interview, with results communicated to each site you have applied to. You must make a separate application to each site you are interested in. Please include all required documentation in each application and submit the same documentation to each site. You will have the opportunity to individually rank each site you are interested in.

Family Medicine at Queen's is a fully accredited program with strong oversight and communication across all four sites. Each site has a Site Director, Curriculum Lead, Assessment Lead, Research and Informatics Lead, Faculty Development Lead and a Program Coordinator to ensure there is strong collaboration and communication across the sites.

Note to Couples:

You are welcome to indicate if you are applying to us as a "couple match". We will make every attempt to schedule you and your partner for clinical rotations/experiences that will allow you to have time together.

COVID-19 vaccination requirements:

Please refer to the 'Restrictions' section of the Ontario eligibility criteria for messaging regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

EDIIA Institutional Statement:

The goal of resident selection is to identify trainees likely to succeed both in training and, once out in practice, in meeting the health care needs of patients and Canadian society.  We know that having a physician workforce that reflects the demographics of the patients that they serve improves health care outcomes.  There are many populations within Canada under-represented in medicine (UIM) with a paucity of health care practitioners who are Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+, from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and/or with disabilities. Diversity within training programs has also been shown to improve training environments.  Queen’s University PGME is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion within its community for these reasons as well as being part of the solution to address historic and contemporary inequities.

Note to First Nation, Inuit and/or Métis applicants:

At the present time, CaRMS does not have a self-identification process for First Nation, Inuit and/or Métis applicants. The Queen's Department of Family Medicine is committed to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action on Health. For this reason, we offer any First Nation, Inuit and/or Métis applicants to our residency program the opportunity to self-identify in their personal letter during the application process. We also invite First Nation, Inuit and/or Métis applicants offered interviews to self-identify when selecting interview dates. This information helps us identify ways in which the residency program can connect First Nation, Inuit and/or Métis applicants to specific resources and supports. 

We welcome diversity among our trainees, and seek to foster an environment that is welcoming to all, regardless of gender identity, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

FMProC updated information; second set of test dates now available

The 13 Family Medicine Programs, using FMProC in the 1st round of this current CaRMS cycle have decided to provide a second set of dates to sit this test for those who did not register for the current test window.

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 17th, 2023, to 3PM ET January 24th, 2023.

Registration to sit the test will be open from 3PM ET on December 16th, 2022, to 3PM ET on January 9th, 2023. This is a hard deadline and no late registration requests will be accommodated.

Please note test scores will be available around January 31st, 2023, and applicants will need to still upload these to CaRMS. Programs and CaRMS are all aware these test scores will be available after the CaRMS application package deadline. This will not be a problem.

To register and find out more about the test please go to www.fmproc.com. All test related updates will be posted on the website. Please be patient as the FMProC team is still updating information on the site to reflect these new test dates.

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

FMProC updated information; second set of test dates now available

The 13 Family Medicine Programs, using FMProC in the 1st round of this current CaRMS cycle have decided to provide a second set of dates to sit this test for those who did not register for the current test window.

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 17th, 2023, to 3PM ET January 24th, 2023.

Registration to sit the test will be open from 3PM ET on December 16th, 2022, to 3PM ET on January 9th, 2023. This is a hard deadline and no late registration requests will be accommodated.

Please note test scores will be available around January 31st, 2023, and applicants will need to still upload these to CaRMS. Programs and CaRMS are all aware these test scores will be available after the CaRMS application package deadline. This will not be a problem.

To register and find out more about the test please go to www.fmproc.com. All test related updates will be posted on the website. Please be patient as the FMProC team is still updating information on the site to reflect these new test dates.

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Supporting Documentation / Information

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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

Your application will be reviewed in February 2022. You will be notified by email if you have been selected for an interview. This email will contain information about how to schedule your interview.

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Interviews

Dates:

• February 7, 2023
• February 8, 2023
• February 9, 2023
• February 15, 2023
• February 16, 2023

Selection Criteria

We seek mature, compassionate, enthusiastic individuals with a broad range of life experiences who are committed to practicing the breadth of Family Medicine and who will be actively engaged in their learning and with the program.

Program goals

In keeping with our motto "Train at Queen's. Work Anywhere", Queen's trains highly competent generalist family physicians who are equipped to work anywhere in Canada and provide skilled medical care to their communities. While adhering to the College of Family Physicians of Canada's competency-based “Triple C” Curriculum (Comprehensive learning, Continuity of patient care, curriculum and supervision, and Family Medicine centered education) and leveraging community specific resources, each of our training sites fully equips future family medicine physicians to be leaders, scholars, and clinicians who will serve and lead in the rapidly changing Canadian healthcare environment.

Selection process goals

Our selection process seeks to identify and recruit future physicians who have demonstrated alignment with our program goals. We are interested in applicants who clearly excel in all CanMEDS roles with particular attention to a strong academic record, communication skills, and collaboration skills. We also seek to select those applicants who will be engaged in the ongoing improvement of our program.

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   

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Program Highlights

Queen’s University Family medicine is a highly regarded longstanding program (established in 1972). Our two-year program is based on the College of Family Physicians of Canada competency-based “Triple C” Curriculum (Comprehensive learning; Continuity of patient care, curriculum, and supervision; and family medicine-centred education). The program consists of core family medicine experiences complemented by experiences in other specialties relevant to family medicine.

In 2010, our program expanded from a single site in Kingston to three different sites across South Eastern Ontario (Kingston & 1000 Islands, Belleville-Quinte, and Peterborough-Kawartha). In 2012, a fourth site (Queen's-Bowmanville-Oshawa-Lakeridge) was added. Our motto is, “Train at Queen’s. Work Anywhere.” This is demonstrated by our graduates practising all over Canada, from remote and rural areas to large inner-city practices. Using centrally set objectives and assessment standards, all of our four vibrant sites use their unique local strengths and resources to deliver exceptional programs. Residents match to and train at one of our four sites, with all the sites coming together three or four times a year for innovative teaching sessions and social events. Queen’s Family Medicine has twice earned the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO) Residency Program Excellence Award, making us the only program to win this prestigious recognition more than once. Further, we are the only family medicine program in the province to receive this award in its 15-year history. In addition to our two wins, we have been nominated for this award in five other years, from 2012 to 2020 inclusive. We were also honoured to receive the 2014 Keith Award, given to the program with the greatest number of residents practising in rural communities. Make sure to explore the four program descriptions in our brochure and on our website!

Our postgraduate program typically includes boot camp (an introductory block to residency that residents endorse as setting a great foundation for their training); a robust global health curriculum; an annual wilderness retreat; innovative simulation courses (including our highly regarded Nightmares FM course); international electives; opportunities to teach and engage in research; and experiences in rural and remote community hospitals (including Moose Factory, Ontario, and the Falkland Islands). Additionally, we have many enhanced skills programs.

Queen's-Bowmanville-Oshawa-Lakeridge (QBOL) Program Highlights:

• Our site was designed based on the CFPC's Triple C Competency-based curriculum
• Academic days have been mapped to cover the 105 Priority Topics during PGY1.
• A wide variety of specialty and family medicine preceptors experienced in teaching family medicine residents.
• The first two months of PGY1 are designed to provide you with a basic “tool kit" which frontloads foundational academic and simulation teaching
  to increase your confidence and consolidate your skills.
• Longitudinal availability for your family medicine clinic. 
• One four-week block of inpatient care and one four-week block of elective time during both PGY1 and PGY2.
• An additional eight- to 12-week block of rural family medicine in PGY2.

Besides the blocks mentioned above, you will learn in a family medicine clinic longitudinally about half the time, with additional integrated learning experiences scheduled alongside. These experiences include about two shifts/month on the labour and delivery ward in the first half of your PGY1 year. Those shifts will switch over to ER shifts midway through your PGY1 year, although you have the option to also continue with additional OB shifts. Other clinical experiences such as behavioural medicine, outpatient procedural skills, pediatrics, palliative care, long-term care, and dermatology will also be part of your schedule. 

We also pair you to a different family medicine preceptor for your PGY2 year to allow you to see additional practice styles and have opportunity to switch between Oshawa, our more urban site, and Bowmanville, which provides a smaller community flavour of family medicine. In addition, our residents have access (but are not limited) to preferred rural rotations in Port Perry, Haliburton, and Lindsay.

For more information about the QBOL program, visit our website.

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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.

Program Summary:

• “Tool kit" in first two months of PGY1 to assist in transition to residency:
• Queen’s Nightmares FM Simulation Course
• NRP course
• Health care self-defence course
• Introduction to community services and resources
• EMR training
• Team building
• Introduction to evidence-based medicine and research
• Start in FM Clinic
• Horizontal “Triple C” curriculum (Comprehensive learning, Continuity of learning, and family medicine-Centred education)
• About half of your time will be spent in family medicine clinic each week with your primary preceptor
• Additional horizontal experiences in other disciplines relevant to family medicine
• Eight weeks of electives available over the two years
• Four weeks of dedicated hospitalist/inpatient medicine per year
• Graduated responsibilities and volume in emergency medicine; starting at Lakeridge Health Bowmanville or Lakeridge Health Ajax or Pickering
  in PGY1 to build proficiency, then moving to Lakeridge Health Oshawa in PGY2 for increased volume and complexity
• OB shifts in a high-volume setting in the first half of first year to build proficiency
• Eight to 12 weeks of rural community family medicine in PGY2
• Surgical and procedural skills through outpatient/office procedures

PGY1:

• First two months provide “tool-kit” of important skills and training
• Full-day academic teaching spaced out over the year mapped to the CFPC Priority Topics
• Journal club
• Family medicine on-call and urgent care clinics
• Four weeks of hospitalist/internal medicine
• Additional horizontal experiences:
• OB call (24-hour shifts)
• Emergency medicine
• Office procedures
• Dermatology clinics
• Psychiatry/behavioural medicine
• Pediatrics
• Long-term care
• Palliative care
• Other outpatient clinics (e.g. cardiology, student health clinic, addictions medicine, etc.)
• Four weeks of electives available

PGY2:

• Change family medicine preceptor for PGY2 for different practice profile, style, and locale
• Teaching specific to PGY2 focused on evidence-based medicine review and consolidating for exam
• Family medicine on-call and urgent care clinics
• Eight to 12 weeks of rural community family medicine (locations could include Lindsay, Port Perry, or others)
• Graduated responsibility and complexity in ER as you progress
• Option to continue participating in labour and delivery shifts to build obstetrical skills and confidence
• Continued horizontal experiences from first year

 

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Training Sites

QBOL Site Communities

Beyond our modern curriculum, practising in the Durham Region (which includes Bowmanville and Oshawa) gives you the opportunity to learn and work in both large and small communities. You will serve a broad and diverse patient population of all ages and social and economic backgrounds.

Lakeridge Health Corporation is a large multispecialty hospital with sites in Ajax-Pickering, Bowmanville, Oshawa, Port Perry, and Whitby. Lakeridge Health Oshawa (LHO) features one of the busiest emergency departments in Ontario and is home to the Durham Regional Cancer Centre. Lakeridge Health Bowmanville is a community-based hospital largely run by family physicians. Your family medicine rotations will be at area clinics that have been carefully selected for their size and quality; all also utilize EMR.

The Lakeridge Health Education and Research Network (LHEARN) Centre at LHO offers excellent resources and support for learners in the region. The centre features state-of-the-art simulation labs, a Queen's Family Medicine resident lounge, a library, study rooms, and various classrooms and meeting rooms. You will also have electronic access to all Queen's University library resources.

As of 2019, there are now also Queen’s longitudinal integrated clerks based out of Lakeridge Health, which adds to the richness of the training environment and has provided increased opportunities for residents interested in teaching.

Bowmanville

Visit Clarington Tourism

Bowmanville is the central town in Clarington, which is a collection of vibrant small communities including Courtice, Newcastle Village, and Orono. All these communities are surrounded by scenic farmland and countryside that are favourites for cyclists. Clarington captures the spirit of a small town without sacrificing the amenities of a larger city and balances urban services with small-town appeal, and is close to both Toronto and cottage country.

Clarington features recreational opportunities for all ages: two indoor and three outdoor swimming pools, five arenas (with seven ice pads total), an indoor soccer/outdoor lacrosse facility, six golf courses, three driving ranges, and more than 90 parks. Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is a great place to take in a race or even participate in a track day. Families always enjoy outdoor activities and picking seasonal produce at Watson Farms, and can visit Jungle Cat World if they want to take a walk on the wild side! And in the winter, Brimacombe offers wonderful skiing.

Oshawa 

Oshawa Visitors Guide

Oshawa is the largest municipality in Durham Region and the eastern gateway to the Greater Toronto area. Sitting on the north shore of Lake Ontario, Oshawa extends north to the beautiful landscape of the Oak Ridges Moraine, yet is only 45 minutes from downtown Toronto and 40 minutes from cottage country.

There is an enormous variety of things to enjoy while living here. 

Downtown Oshawa is undergoing a renaissance with the Tribute Communities Centre, a modern arena that hosts the OHL Oshawa Generals hockey team. Additional events such as concerts, family entertainment, and other sporting spectacles have all utilized this venue. There is also the newly restored historic Regent Theatre for live performances. Redevelopment of the downtown has also supported a variety of new and interesting restaurants.

For outdoor enthusiasts, one can ride beautifully treed, off-road bike paths from downtown over rivers and streams to the waterfront trail at Lakeview Park on Lake Ontario, where beaches, picnic areas, and children's playgrounds beckon. Just remember it’s downhill to the lake and uphill back!

Other interesting features of Oshawa include historic Parkwood Estate; the Canadian Automotive Museum; the Robert McLaughlin Art Gallery; Oshawa Little Theatre; Ontario Philharmonic Orchestra; the Oshawa Centre (regional mall); the annual Peony Festival; the international flavours of the annual Fiesta Week; and the Oshawa Aeronautical, Military and Industrial Museum at the Oshawa Municipal Airport (yes, they offer flying lessons!).

Oshawa boasts cultural and culinary festivals, and the shopping, sports, and recreational facilities expected of a city of its size and stature.

Durham Region

Discover Durham Region

Clarington and Oshawa are both within Durham Region, which offers a wide variety of additional activities such as hang gliding, recreation, skiing, golf, restaurants, indoor kids' playgrounds, trampoline parks, escape rooms, axe-throwing, movie theatres, paintball, indoor skydiving, treetop trekking, furhter shopping opportunities and much more!

And if that’s not enough, Toronto is a short trip away for access to major arts, sporting events, and big-city life.

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Additional Information

Comprehensive learning means we will guide you as you become proficient in the full scope of family medicine: office and community-based care, inpatient care, emergency medicine, chronic care, obstetrics, and the psychosocial aspects of medicine that affect all age groups. With the help of your academic advisor, your learning needs are identified and adjusted three times a year over the course of your training.

Continuity of patient care means we prioritize giving you opportunities to follow patients in your family medicine clinics, hospitals, and long-term care facilities. Continuity of supervision means you will have a designated primary preceptor during each core family medicine placement and you will have one academic advisor assigned for the duration of your residency. Continuity of curriculum means each of your experiences will build upon the others as you develop into a fully proficient and independent family physician. You will also receive ACLS, ALARM, and neonatal resuscitation training.

During your first year, you will participate in our ‘Nightmares FM’ course, which is unique to Queen’s and provides residents with a high level of code and pre-code training. The course helps prepare you for your worst nightmares while on call. You could be asked to resuscitate a simulated patient in a mock ER, ward, or office setting. At the start of your first year you will participate in two full days of Nightmares boot camp, followed by three half-day follow-up sessions throughout the year to consolidate your skills.

Family medicine-centred education means you are always learning through the lens of family medicine. You will work in many different clinical settings with other family physicians and specialist colleagues who are enthusiastic about family medicine learners.

Over your two years, you will complete a resident project. Options for the project include: critical review, advocacy project, research project, ethics project, and IT project — this culminating in either a poster or oral presentation at our annual Primary Care Research Day. During your first year, you will also complete a quality-improvement project within your family medicine practice.

While each training site develops its own individual schedule, all our staff work diligently to ensure your needs as a learner and as an individual are met. As a resident, you will receive vacation time each year and educational leave to attend conferences. Parental leave can easily be arranged, and if you and your partner are both training at the same site, we will strive to ensure your schedules are complementary. You will receive access to multiple point-of-care tools as well as all other university resources. You will also be entitled to a resident allowance that can be used to purchase learning resources and subscriptions or to attend conferences. You will have a primary clinical preceptor, an academic advisor, and a faculty advocate who are available for discussion and assistance and to help guide you in your competency development.

You will also have the opportunity to complete elective placements during your residency. We encourage residents to complete electives that complement their learning or enhance their understanding of an aspect of family medicine. Residents may also target their electives towards global health, either by going abroad or by working with a vulnerable population in Canada. You will work with your academic advisor to determine your personal electives plan.

The Queen’s Department of Family Medicine offers a wide variety of enhanced skills programs in the following areas: emergency medicine, anesthesia, global health, women's health, care of the elderly, Indigenous health, enhanced/rural skills, palliative care, and care of the developmentally disabled. These programs are based out of our Kingston & 1000 Islands site, however, learners complete placements in a variety of locations. These enhanced skills programs are open equally to applications from residents from all sites.

Queen's offers a flexible program in family medicine delivered at four different sites across South Eastern Ontario (Kingston & 1000 Islands, Belleville-Quinte, Peterborough-Kawartha, and Queen's-Bowmanville-Oshawa-Lakeridge). Each site covers the same program objectives but has unique curricula. Make sure you explore our four program descriptions or visit our website. Our postgraduate program includes a robust global health curriculum, an annual wilderness retreat, international electives, opportunities to teach and engage in research, and experiences in rural and remote community hospitals (including Moose Factory, Ontario). 

At Queen's, we respect you as an adult learner. We provide a program with many diverse opportunities and resources to help you in your development as a family physician.

Train at Queen's. Work Anywhere!