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.

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.

COVID-19 vaccination requirements:

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

Note to MOTP/MMTP Applicants: 

If you are an MOTP/MMTP candidate please apply to the KTI site but also through the MOTP/MMTP stream.

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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 southeastern 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.

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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.

Kingston-1000 Islands Site Program

Our Kingston-1000 Islands (KTI) program is based in the city of Kingston, Ontario. Home to Queen's University, this is the largest of our four site programs. 

The Kingston-1000 Islands site offers a traditional rotation-based residency training program with many horizontal training components. The KTI site program is based around core family medicine rotations, complemented by rotations in internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, emergency medicine, and palliative care. In your first year, your core family medicine will take place at the Queen’s Family Health Team (QFHT), located in historic downtown Kingston. The QFHT serves an extremely diverse patient population and serves as a leading example of team-based primary care. In your second year, you will complete most of your family medicine rotations at community teaching practices throughout the region as you develop your independence as a physician. 
 
The remainder of your residency will comprise rotations in other specialties and experiences related to family medicine. These rotations may be based at any of Kingston's three hospitals or in other communities in the region. These hospital departments offer a modified program for our residents, and the preceptors are enthusiastic about family medicine learners. You will also have the opportunity to work with students from Queen’s School of Medicine and other schools within the Faculty of Health Sciences during your placements. 

Your first year will kick off with four weeks of boot camp – an experience designed to introduce you to your home clinic and to give you the opportunity to participate in innovative simulation courses (e.g. NRP, ALARM, Nightmares FM, procedures) to build your skills and confidence for your subsequent rotations. You will then complete your core family medicine blocks in your home team clinic within the Queen's Family Health Team in downtown Kingston. Residents spend six blocks of their first year at QFHT in three two-block rotations, returning to the same clinic, patients, and preceptors. This maximizes continuity of care and allows residents to gradually increase their patient care and practice-management responsibilities over time – a definite strength of our program. Residents return to their home team at QFHT in PGY2 for one block as a senior FM resident, providing many opportunities for leadership, mentorship and teaching of junior learners

During your core family medicine rotations at QFHT, you will work for one morning a week at a local long-term care facility Providence Manor caring for a group of patients during the first year. You will also complete half-day or weekly "horizontal" placements in behavioural medicine, mental health, and other special-focus clinics (e.g. minor procedures, street health, chronic pain, sleep disorders, etc.). You will have one professional half-day (PHD) per week that is resident-directed. You may use your PHDs to: see patients as needed, catch up on charting/inbox, work on your resident portfolio, educational modules, practice improvement project, research project, leadership or teaching skills, attend to personal appointments, or use for wellness activities. Your family medicine experience will also include a core teaching seminar series, journal club, weekly grand rounds and resident rounds, and bi-weekly resident-led peer support rounds. You will also complete various blocks of specialty rotations (e.g. internal medicine, pediatrics, emergency medicine, etc.) and a four-week elective when you are off-service from your core family medicine blocks during first year. 

During your second year as a KTI resident, you will complete three blocks of community family medicine in one of our many southeastern Ontario communities or with one of our Kingston community practices. You will also complete a two block "rural" family medicine rotation in a smaller or isolated community such as Picton, Brockville, Bowmanville, Napanee, Moose Factory (an isolated community in Northern Ontario), other small communities in Eastern Ontario, or the Falkland Islands (by special arrangement). These placements may be combined. You will also complete the remainder of your specialty rotations (subspecialty internal medicine or surgery and others) and eight weeks of electives during your second year. 

Your rotation locations will be based on personal preference and availability. However, please note that your obstetrics and gynecology rotation and rural/remote family medicine rotation will be outside of Kingston. There are also opportunities to spend extended periods of time in the same smaller community if you desire. Accommodation and travel stipends are provided for rotations outside of Kingston. 

Trainees must be able to provide their own transportation to and from their training sites as well as to and from work. Possession of a vehicle, while not required, allows you to make full use of community-based learning opportunities. Our program will provide funding for exceptional travel expenses as required.

Our DND Military stream is similar to our regular family medicine residency stream, with extra relevant exposure to rotations in trauma and military psychiatry.

Our PHPM stream is similar to our regular family medicine residency stream, with extra exposure to public health and infectious diseases, as well as weekly public health academic half days.

Teaching Opportunities

As a KTI resident, you will work clinically with junior residents, medical students, and other interdisciplinary learners. There are additional opportunities to teach pre-clerkship students at their formal clinical skills sessions, at family medicine resident teaching nights, as well as join a mentorship program for first year medical students. You may also present rounds, lead journal clubs, and assist in training new residents and international medical graduates as they transition into the residency program.

What makes the Kingston-1000 Islands site special?

You will be working alongside resident colleagues from across Canada and around the world. Many of our graduates have become leaders in family medicine across Canada.

While working in Kingston, you will be serving a culturally and socio-economically-diverse population. Through horizontal clinics and other rotations, you will work with and advocate for marginalized and vulnerable populations in our community.

While completing your community rotations, you will have access to one-on-one teaching and increasing responsibility under your preceptor's guidance. You will also interact regularly with specialist colleagues (both residents and faculty members) and develop close relationships. Many of your specialist preceptors will also be family physicians who have completed additional training (e.g. hospitalist or emergency medicine rotations).

At the KTI site, you have access to facilities at the Queen’s School of Medicine, including the clinical education centre and our state-of-the-art simulation labs. You also have full access to the university libraries and other campus resources.

Residents interested in research will be supported by our Centre for Studies in Primary Care, a multi-million-dollar research centre. 

Queen’s Department of Family Medicine has a long history in providing its family medicine residents with a strong foundation in caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Family physicians have a special responsibility for improving the health care of people with inequities in access, and we want our graduates to feel confident and competent in taking on the medical care of patients with IDD.

The IDD Program for PGY1 residents includes didactic teaching, as well as opportunities for family medicine residents to participate in the clinical Health Check Program. This program focuses not only on educating residents about providing primary care to IDD patients, but also on fostering an understanding among residents about the ethical and the medical considerations specific to IDD patients. 

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Training Sites

Kingston is a thriving city rich in beauty, heritage, and culture that has been welcoming newcomers since it was first founded in 1673. The city is located on the shores of Lake Ontario and is the gateway to the 1000 Islands, St. Lawrence River, and Rideau Canal. Our location is also ideal, with Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and New York State all only a few hours' drive away. Consistently ranked as one of the best Canadian cities in which to live, Kingston is the ideal place to start your career. Kingston is a small but sophisticated urban community, and you will quickly start thinking of the city as "home."

Kingston today is a major centre for commerce, education, and health services, and is home to an incredibly diverse and supportive medical community. More than 1,000 medical students, residents, and clinical fellows are enrolled in programs at Queen's University, and 8.2 per cent of the city's population is made up of health-care professionals, one of the highest percentages in the country. 

The city offers a wide variety of restaurants, shops, festivals, and activities. From world-class sailing at Portsmouth Olympic Harbour to skating in the city’s Market Square and attending gallery openings, there's always something to do year-round. For a complete list of attractions and events, refer to the Visit Kingston website.

Kingston is close to a remarkable selection of national and provincial parks, conservation areas, and historic sites. The region offers residents easy access to outstanding camping, canoeing, hiking, and swimming, all within a short distance from the city. 

Kingston's economy is strong, and many local businesses are seeking skilled employees. Kingston Economic Development Corporation is available to provide information and assistance to physicians’ partners who might be looking for work. St. Lawrence College and Queen's University also offer a wide variety of higher learning and professional development opportunities. In addition, with the launch of https://livework.kingstoncanada.com/work-in-kingston/, job seekers have a centralized tool to view and apply for job postings.  

If you have school-age children, you will have no difficulty finding a great school in Kingston and the surrounding area. Schools for all ages abound, and there are many excellent public, Catholic, and private schools within walking distance of the Queen's campus.

We hope you will take time to explore the many advantages of life in Kingston, and consider making this city home for the duration of your residency training.

Trainees must be able to provide their own transportation to and from their training sites as well as to and from work. Possession of a vehicle, while not required, allows you to make full use of community-based learning opportunities. Our program will provide funding for exceptional travel expenses as required.

For more information on our KTI program, please check out our KTI site brochure or visit our website. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions about our site.

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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 NRP 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!