Program Contacts

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Important Information

Quick Facts -Two months of inter-provincial or international electives are allowed outside Quebec but will be approved on a case-by-case basis.

There is a mandatory 8-week consecutive rural rotation in the PGY2 year. Opportunities for rural experiences for up to six additional months are also available.

As of July 2023- McGill Family Medicine residency program will be welcoming 2 residents in our new GMF-U Clinique Mednam located in Lachine.

McGill Family Medicine will conduct an internal "mini-match" for applicants who match to the Montreal program, to distribute them to the seven teaching sites in Montreal. Applicants to the Montreal program MUST submit a preference list (or mini-match rank order list) to the Department of Family Medicine following the interview period. Failing to submit this rank order list by the specified date will mean that you will lose your prerogative to choose your McGill family medicine training site. This internal mini-match applies to all McGill GMF-U teaching sites  EXCEPT CISSS de l'Outaouais, CISSS Vallée de l'Or (Val d'Or) and CISSS Jardins de Roussillon (Châteauguay) which are listed separately in CaRMS.

Electronic medical records are used to different degrees at all teaching sites.

An attraction of the McGill program is its location in a cosmopolitan French milieu. A strength in applying to our program will be the ability to communicate with patients in both English and French.  For those who wish to improve their French language skills once in Montreal, French courses, including a medicine component, are available at McGill at a reasonable cost. Candidates selected for interviews will be required to answer questions in both English and French.

 

Visit our Department website to see our videos describing our Program, our resident experience video and our teaching unit videos! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz9GGjHjUsM&feature=emb_title ( Introduction to our program) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CkziEunM24&feature=emb_title  ( resident experience)

https://www.mcgill.ca/familymed/teachingsites/fmu ( teaching unit videos )

 

 

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General Instructions

Program application language: Either English or French

Documents can be submitted in either French and /or English.

 

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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

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Interviews

Dates:

• February 9, 2023
• February 14, 2023
• February 16, 2023
• February 21, 2023

Selection Criteria

A strong academic record which demonstrates special proficiency in those subjects related to our discipline.

At least one structured Family Medicine reference letter should be from an academic or practicing family physician. Structured reference letters should comment on the applicant’s interest and proficiency in family medicine as well as his or her interpersonal skills.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the training sites in Montreal (CLSC Côte-des-Neiges, CLSC Métro, CLSC Parc-Extension, Herzl Family Practice Centre at the Jewish General Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex, St Mary's Hospital Family Medicine Centre and GMF-U Mednam). 

All candidates require sufficient comprehension of French and the ability to assess and manage a patient in French at all sites. Applicants will be asked at least 2 questions in French during the interview, to assess their ability to converse in French.

Candidates with an interest and proven experience in research, both in basic science and clinical research, are encouraged to apply.

In addition to the language requirements, preference will be given to candidates who meet the following criteria:

Candidates who have obtained their medical school diploma, residency training or have significant independent clinical practice within the last 4 years, prior to the submission of their application (by September 2018). Candidates must submit a formal attestation from their employer citing the nature of the clinical work that was performed. In addition, of those candidates who have independent clinical experience, preference will be given to candidates who have had recent and continuous practice (at least 12 full months in the last 4 years).  Observerships are not considered as significant clinical practice.

To be noted: Preference will also be given to candidates who have prior residency training or relevant clinical experience in one of the following fields: General or Family medicine, emergency medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics-gynecology, psychiatry, anesthesiology and general surgery. Preference will also be given to IMG candidates who, within the last two years have been determined to be eligible for residency after having successfully completed the “Stage de mise a niveau” that has been put into place by CEDIS and their partners. If candidates have successfully completed the CEDIS program, copies of their rotation evaluations and the confirmation stating the successful completion of the program must be submitted with their application.

Program goals

The Department of Family Medicine offers a fully accredited two-year postgraduate training program based in a university family medicine group practice (GMF-U or groupe de médecine familiale universitaire). At all of our GMF-U locations, the program offers three main components: comprehensive and longitudinal family medicine practice, coordinated training in the medical specialties, and exposure to rural medicine practice. 

The programs in our GMF-Us include a comprehensive curriculum, which focuses on management of common patient problems in an ambulatory setting. Principles of family dynamics, utilization of community resources, and optimal cooperation with allied health professionals in providing continuity of care are also emphasized in the two-year curriculum. 

At McGill, we have systematically aligned both our clinical and academic curriculum with the College of Family Physician's Evaluation Objectives (105 Priority topics). Our ultimate goal is to prepare our residents to become competent family physicians for the practice of medicine as lifelong learners.

Selection process goals

 Candidates selected for interviews will demonstrate the following: 

1.  Applications submitted to our program must be complete in order to be reviewed by our selection committee.

2. A strong academic record which demonstrates special proficiency in those subjects related to our discipline.

3. Medical knowledge and strong communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills pertinent to the practice of Family Medicine.

4.  Language Requirements:   Fluency in spoken and written English is required for the GMF-Us in Montreal (CLSC Côte-des-Neiges, CLSC Métro, CLSC Parc-Extension, Herzl Family Practice Centre at the Jewish General Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex, St Mary's Hospital Family Medicine Centre and the GMF-U Mednam). Spoken and written French sufficient to evaluate a patient is also required at these sites and selected applicants should be able to demonstrate in their applications that they have an adequate knowledge of both spoken and written French.  Selected candidates will be required to answer questions in both French and English during their interviews. 

5. Participation and involvement in Family Medicine related interest groups such as FamSIG, Family Medicine Undergrad Education Committees, Family Medicine Symposiums, and FMF are highly regarded by the selection committee. 

 

File review process

Evaluation criteria :

Elective criteria

Interview process

Interview evaluation criteria :

Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

We do not consider any information gathered outside of the CaRMS application and local interview processes.

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 : Insufficient ability to speak French or English during the interview.
Clear lack of motivation towards Family Medicine.

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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.

The two-year curriculum provides a "horizontal model" of primary care. Residents will have responsibility for their own practice and will have their own clearly identified patients.

There is a mandatory, two-month rural rotation.  Residents are eligible for travel allowances paid by the rural site, and accommodations are also provided.

The following block rotations are primarily spent in a hospital setting, with half-days back in Family Medicine for patient clinics and teaching:

- Emergency (4 weeks)
- ICU (4 weeks)
- Paediatric Ward (4 weeks)
- Paediatric Ambulatory Care (4 weeks)
- Paediatric ER (4 weeks)
- Internal Medicine (4 weeks)
- Obstetrics (4- 6 weeks site-dependent)

The following mixed rotations are combined with half-time Family Medicine patient clinics:

- Mental Health / Family Medicine (12 weeks)
- Emergency / Family Medicine (8 weeks)
- Internal Medicine / Family Medicine (8 weeks)
- Parent-Child (including Newborn Medicine) / Family Medicine (8 weeks)
- Procedural Skills / Family Medicine (8 weeks)
- Palliative Care / Family Medicine (4 weeks)
- Care of the Elderly / Family Medicine (4 weeks)

There are three elective rotations (4 weeks each) and two selective rotations of (4 weeks) which can be chosen from a wide-range of options. One of these selective rotations must be in an acute care setting (ICU, ER, CCU or NICU). 

Holidays, Study Leaves and Conference leaves are granted according to the provincial resident contract.

Seminars:

Three to six hours per week are spent, on average, in a variety of family medicine-based teaching.

PGY-3

The core program is generally completed in two years. Third year Enhanced Skills programs for additional training are available in Emergency Medicine, Care of the Elderly, Palliative Care, Sports and Exercise Medicine, Maternal/Child Health Care, Hospitalist Medicine and Clinician Scholars Program (may include 2 year Research stream). These may be available to appropriate candidates upon application.

A critical appraisal/quality assurance project is required. There are further research opportunities for interested residents. 

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Training Sites

Residents interested in the Gatineau program, the Jardins-Roussillon Châteauguay progam and the Val d"Or program must apply directly to McGill/Gatineau CaRMS match and/ or McGill/ Châteauguay CaRMS match and/or  McGill/ Val d'Or CaRMS Match.

The CLSC Côte-des-Neiges (CIUSSS de Centre-Ouest-de-l'ile-de Montréal) is an exciting ambulatory care teaching centre located in the heart of an urban Montreal multicultural neighbourhood. The teaching staff includes family physicians with diverse interests, nurse practitioners, nurses and psychologists. Our goal is to have the most rigorous clinical training in the most supportive environment for our 12 new residents per year. Ability to assess patients in both French and English is essential at CLSC Côtes des Neiges in order to care for the patient population, and the ability to speak other languages is extremely useful. The language of instruction is predominantly English, but notes may be written in English or French.

Special features include: a varied patient population of all ages from cradle to grave; a high proportion of immigrant and refugee patients; a resident centered approach to clinical practice and teaching; high quality academic half days that are practical and interactive, including interim training examinations; physicians with active obstetrical practices and a strong women’s health focus; physicians with special interests including clinical genetics, hospitalist work, palliative care, informatics and refugee care; a shared care model with Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Mental Health; a renovated facility with natural light, a resident lounge and a conference teaching room.  Residents will acquire their own family medicine practices at the CLSC and complete their in-hospital rotations at the JGH, SMH and other community hospitals.

CLSC Metro is a « satellite site » within the CIUSSS de Centre-Ouest-de-l'ile-de Montréal. Four new residents each year are trained in this community setting. Situated in downtown Montreal, the patient population reflects the variety of urban dwellers: students, new immigrants, business people working downtown, elderly shut-ins, etc. The language of instruction is predominantly English, but notes may be written in English or French. The patients speak a mixture of English, French and “other”.  CLSC Métro has a strong mental health team, an on-site laboratory, and easy access to all the McGill-affiliated hospitals.  Academic half-day session occur at CLSC Côte-des-Neiges. The off-service rotations are arranged at the Jewish General Hospital and the Montreal Children’s Hospital, but access to other McGill Hospitals is available for some rotations.  This is an ideal site for a resident who is interested in an urban, community-based setting. 

CLSC Parc- Extension is a "satellite site" within the CIUSSS de Centre-Ouest-de-l'ile-de Montréal, and is a new and exciting primary care teaching centre for six new residents per year. It’s located in the heart of a vibrant, multicultural neighborhood with diverse health issues. Education is multidisciplinary and can be customized. Our team is small, and our members include family physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers, interpreters and administrative staff, all working in a collaborative and welcoming atmosphere.  Notre équipe est bilingue. Le français prédomine dans notre milieu.

Our main goal is to provide a rigorous clinical education and offer support throughout residency.  At the CLSC PEX, we are proud to offer: a wide variety of patients from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds; a large majority of patients who have a migratory experience from low income countries; a clinical approach based on the educational needs of residents; rooms with new equipment and the latest technology; weekly half-day teaching sessions in an interactive large group; supervising physicians with active practices in obstetrics and social pediatrics; supervising physicians with interests in pediatrics, global health, geriatrics, palliative care and mental health.  Residents will shape their practice in family medicine at the CLSC and complete their rotations in hospital care at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) (Glen campus, MGH and RVH).

The Herzl Family Practice Centre is the family medicine out-patient unit of the Jewish General Hospital (JGH). It includes both the Herzl Clinic where patients are seen for scheduled visits and the CRIU (Clinique Réseau Intégrée Universitaire), which houses our walk-in centre and a multitude of other clinics and services. The patient population is multi-cultural with strong representation from all age groups. It is a training centre for 23 new residents per year, as well as fellows, medical students and nurse practitioners. The JGH is a tertiary care hospital center with Family Medicine as an integral part of many divisions within the Hospital including a designated Family Medicine ward. The residents complete most of their in-hospital rotations at the JGH. The primary language of day to day functioning within the unit is English; however knowledge of spoken and comprehension of French is essential. 

St Mary's Family Medicine Centre is within St. Mary’s Hospital, a Secondary Care Level institution. Family Physicians have a great deal of presence at all levels of care at this center. The majority of residents in this hospital are Family Medicine residents, meaning they obtain  a great deal of hands-on experience. There are 26 new residents per year assigned to this site. The primary language of day to day functioning within the unit is English; however knowledge of spoken and comprehension of French is essential. 

The Queen Elizabeth Health Centre: is a busy community practice in the Notre-Dame-de-Grace area of Montreal. Five residents are accepted here as a "satellite" teaching site of the St Mary's Family Medicine Centre. Residents have their patient practices at the QEHC, with academic teaching at St Mary's Hospital. The hospital rotations are primarily in the McGill University Health Centre or MUHC (consisting of the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, and the Montreal Children's Hospital). Residents at this site will have excellent exposure to procedural skills in the attached urgent care clinic, as well as a good basis in hospitalist care through the rotations at the MUHC. The clinic has state -of -the -art electronic medical records and offers good preparation for practice management.

Clinique Mednam: Clinique Mednam is a new family medicine teaching site for McGill University. We will be welcoming our first two R1s in 2023. Located in Lachine, a suburbia of Montreal, it offers a rich, multicultural patient population, with many new immigrants, and a strong representation from all age groups. Bilingualism is required since two thirds of our patients speak French, one third English, and a minority neither language.

We have a dynamic team of young family physicians with diverse interests: from emergency medicine, to hospitalist, to home care, to CHSLD, to palliative care, to obstetrics and women’s health and finally, procedures. As the GMF-R of the region, we also have a very active walk-in, treating patients for acute issues from all over Montreal. Residents will be completing their core hospital rotations at the Lachine and Lasalle Hospitals, with additional varied experiences in the clinics and CLSCs of the region. Though not necessary, having a car is highly encouraged. As for the family medicine experience, residents will have their own roster of patients that they will be following for the next two years. The family medicine rotations are constructed in a longitudinal manner so that skills acquired at the beginning of residency will be reinforced thorough the next two years.

 

For more information about our teaching units- visit our website and watch our videos: https://www.mcgill.ca/familymed/teachingsites/fmu

 

 

Rural Stream: Residents enrolled in one of the Montreal units, Châteauguay or Gatineau will also be offered the option of completing a maximum of 6 consecutive months at the CSSS du Pontiac in Shawville or at the CSSS de la Vallée-de-l’Or in Val-d’Or. This 3-6 month program allows residents to benefit from a practical, versatile, and diversified training which directly correlates to the realities that rural regions often encounter. The learning throughout this program occurs in a context of continuing care.  The 3- 6 month rural stream can begin either in July or January of the 2nd year (PGY2) and consists of a variation of: 2 months of Family Medicine; 2 integrated months of Emergency/ Family Medicine; and 2 integrated months of Procedural Skills/ Family Medicine.

The rural sites accredited to McGill are located in the following cities: Buckingham, Chisasbi, Cowansville, Gatineau, Hudson, Huntingdon, Knowlton/Lac Brome, Maniwaki, Mistissini, Ormstown, Puvirnituq, Rigaud, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield,  Shawville, Temiscaming, Val-d'Or, Ville-Marie and Wakefield.

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Additional Information

Do I need to do an elective in Family Medicine in order to be admitted to the McGill Family Medicine Residency program? If you are a McGill University Medical Student you will have done 2 months of Family Medicine during your clerkship. If you do not have Family Medicine as part of your core clerkship rotations it is strongly recommended that you do an elective in Family Medicine. In either case it is highly desirable that your electives demonstrate a wide range of interests applicable to family medicine.

Whom do I contact if I have questions? If you have any remaining questions, you may contact our Postgraduate Administrative Officer at the Department of Family Medicine: Ms. Julie Lane: julie.lane@mcgill.ca or by telephone at 514-399-9127 as well as our Postgraduate and Enhanced Skills Coordinator, Ms Alana Walsh-Ferland: Postgrad.fammed@mcgill.ca or by phone at 514-399-9126

 

Visit our website for access to our program video, resident experience video and site specific videos! 

https://www.mcgill.ca/familymed/education/postgrad

https://www.mcgill.ca/familymed/teachingsites/fmu 

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FAQ

1) Do I have to be able to speak French/English if I come to McGill? This is the question we get asked most often! The language of instruction at the three units in Montreal is English. Being able to communicate in French is essential in order to assess francophone patients. For residents coming from other provinces, high-school French is a good basis to work from. Your two years in Montreal will be a great opportunity to improve your French language skills. McGill does offer French courses for medical students and residents. Montreal has a very culturally diverse population, and the more languages you can speak, the more it will help you in communicating with patients. Francophone residents will also fit in easily into our Montreal sites if they have enough English-language skills to follow the lectures and to speak to anglophone patients. You will find a mixture of English and French spoken regularly at our Montreal sites, with the goal being to communicate! The sites off the Island of Montreal have instruction in French. Fluency in written and spoken French is essential. At these sites, some knowledge of English is helpful.   

2) Will I feel confident to practice independently after 2 years of residency? Our goal is to provide you with an excellent education and the tools for life long learning. No residency program, no matter how long it is, can teach you all you need to know. What is important is to know where to get further information or support when needed as you embark on the path of lifelong learning associated with practice after residency.  

3) What are the research opportunities in Family Medicine at McGill University? The Department of Family Medicine at McGill University has a very active research division. There are many research opportunities available to interested residents. Furthermore, there are multiple resources to assist the residents in either embarking on a new research project or joining an already existing one. A critical appraisal/quality assurance project is required of every resident, and we make every effort to help the resident find the time to pursue a research project if they so desire. 

4) What is the difference between the different Family Medicine Units? The main division between our sites is between urban (bilingual): CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l'ile-de-Montreal (CLSC Côte-des-Neiges, CLSC Métro and CLSC Parc- Extension), Herzl (JGH) and St Mary's Family Medicine Center (SMH  Queen Elizabeth Health Complex and the GMF-U Mednam); and regional (francophone): Châteauguay, Gatineau and Val d'Or. Our goal is to train all residents to be competent Family Physicians. The curriculum that is delivered to all sites is uniform and monitored by the Postgraduate Education Committee of the Department of Family Medicine. All units offer exposure to a diverse patient population with a wide range of illnesses.  

5) What about the rural stream and rural months? All residents must complete a two month rotation in a rural site. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the life of a family physician in a smaller community. We have rural sites for both anglophone and francophone residents. In addition, a few spots are available in Shawville or Val d’Or (latter site is francophone) for residents who wish to spend up to 6 months in a rural community.

6) How do I get assigned to a unit? If you are applying to the Châteauguay, Gatineau, or Val d'Or matches, you will have the chance to visit those units when you interview there. These are separate matches within CaRMS and you are welcome to apply to these sites as well as to McGill’s Montreal units if you are interested in all of the McGill possibilities. For those applying to McGill’s Montreal sites, you will have the opportunity to learn about the teaching units in Montreal on the day of your interview, and staff and residents from all seven of the Montreal sites will be there to answer your questions. Those interviewing in Montreal will be asked to rank their top four site preferences and to submit their rank list before the end of February. Once CaRMS results are released and you are matched to McGill Family Medicine in Montreal, we will then run a mini-match to assign you to one of your choices of Montreal sites. We make every effort to give residents their first choice. Site decisions are FINAL.  We also ask you to mention your interest in the six-month rural stream on the mini-match form.

7) Can I do Out-of-Province Electives? The Quebec government allows residents to do two out-of-province electives during their residency. The electives must be approved by the Collège des Médecins du Québec (CMQ), and you must be able to demonstrate that one of the two electives is not readily available in Quebec. You must apply for these electives at least three months in advance to allow time for the necessary inter-provincial paperwork.

8) How am I prepared for exams? All of our units have regularly scheduled workshops and exam preparatory sessions.