Please refer to the CaRMS website for provincial eligibility information CaRMS Ontario Provincial Criteria. It is important to review the requirements carefully.
Regarding the application and interview process:
Family Medicine Programs have now adopted the Family Medicine Structured Reference Letter (SRL). Any FM program requesting a reference will require the SRL. Traditional narrative letters will NOT be accepted. Should your referee submit a traditional letter it will not be reviewed and your application may be deemed incomplete. Please direct your referees to the SRL on the CaRMS website.
FMProC Requirement for 1st Round 2024 CaRMS
The McMaster University Family Medicine Program uses the FMProC (Family Medicine Professional Choices), which is a Family Medicine-context specific Situational Judgement Test, in their selection process.
All applicants will be required to write FMProC for their application to be deemed complete.
The test window for 1st round CaRMS is open from October 31st, 2023, 8AM EDT to November 14th, 2023 8AM EST.
*NEW* 1st round registration information
• Early registration option: If you register between September 20th, 2023, 8AM EDT and October 27th, 2023, 7:59AM EDT, you will have the entire testing window to sit FMProC (October 31 8AM to November 14 8AM).
• Late registration option: If you register between October 27th, 2023, 8AM EDT and November 3rd 8AM EDT, your testing window will be from November 7th, 2023, 8AM EST to November 14th, 2023 8AM EST.
• Requests to register or to sit the test outside of the posted deadlines will not be considered. It is your responsibility to review the deadlines carefully.
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 note test scores will be made available, and applicants will need to 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.
Regarding the program:
To learn more about the program, upcoming informational events and the McMaster PGME community please visit the PGME site here.
Program application language: English
Don't forget:
You need to register and complete the FM-ProC:
The test window for 1st round CaRMS is open from October 31st, 2023, 8AM EDT to November 14th, 2023 8AM EST.
*NEW* 1st round registration information
• Early registration option: If you register between September 20th, 2023, 8AM EDT and October 27th, 2023, 7:59AM EDT, you will have the entire testing window to sit FMProC (October 31 8AM to November 14 8AM).
To register and find out more about the test please go to www.fmproc.com.
Proof of valid current citizenship or permanent resident status must be provided by submitting one of the following verifications to CaRMS by the File Review Opening deadline. Failure to provide valid proof will result in your application being removed. No other forms of verification are acceptable:
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.
Your FMProC assessment result is sent directly to CaRMS. The FMProC assessment is only valid for one admissions cycle. If you have taken the assessment in previous years, you are expected to re-take it.
To register for the FMProC assessment visit www.fmproc.com.
Three Family Medicine Structured Reference Letters (SRL) are to be sent to the Program through CaRMS. The three letters should be from health care professionals who can speak to the clinical and professional capabilities of the applicant, and suitability for Family Medicine. Please use the same three SRLs for all sites to which you apply.
Personal Letter
Our program is enriched by a diverse resident team with a range of experiences and backgrounds. We invite you to share the unique contributions you would offer.
Please answer the following questions, with a numbered paragraph of up to 250 words for each. Please assign the same personal reflection to all McMaster FM sites to which you are applying.
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.
Your medical school transcript can be submitted through one of the methods below:
Please note: Required if Medical school has been completed.
Applications submitted after file review has opened on December 2, 2023
Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened on December 2, 2023
Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on December 2, 2023
Should you wish to add a new stream/site to your rank list, please update your CaRMS application online no later than 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, January 21st, 2024. Any additions submitted after this time will not be considered for ranking.
The McMaster Family Medicine residency program has 6 urban and 6 rural sites, each listed as a distinct program on CaRMS. Applicants should assign the same set of documents to each site to which they apply. Rural applicants should also assign the rural addendum to each rural site.
Selection is based on a centralized file review and interview process, as outlined below. This same process applies whether you apply to a single site or multiple. You may add additional sites to your McMaster FM application at any time, up to the last day of McMaster FM interviews. This will not influence the selection process.
The file review score determines those candidates who are offered an interview. The file review score is then equally weighted with the interview score to generate a total score for each applicant. This establishes the recommended rank list which is shared across all sites. Individual sites have the discretion to adjust the recommended rank list based on local selection committee factors, which may include community needs and programmatic variations.
Informed by the Department’s mission of service, teaching and discovery, the primary goals of the McMaster University Family Medicine Residency Training Program are to:
This will be evidenced by the following program outcomes:
McMaster Family Medicine is committed to truth and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, to addressing the harms of racism experienced by Black and racialized communities and to creating and sustaining a culture that values the diverse interests, needs and lived experiences across all equity-deserving communities.
Our Department’s Core Values of Respect, Honour, Creativity and Generosity describe a commitment to the culture experienced by all staff, learners and faculty.
Family physicians, working together, provide a system of front-line health care that is accessible, high-quality, comprehensive and continuous. Given that this is achieved through relational continuity and a commitment to a broad scope of practice, our program welcomes and encourages a diversity of elective experiences during undergraduate training that are FM relevant or generalist experiences; on-site electives not expected.
To support our residents’ development of a variety of FM skills and clinical practice styles that meet the needs of diverse Canadian communities, including rural and underserved populations, our program seeks residents who:
To support our residents’ development of scholarship as teachers, researchers and leaders, our program seeks residents who demonstrate:
Successful applicants will embody and contribute to our core DFM values of:
Respect, Honour, Creativity and Generosity.
Review team composition : Our file review team consists of the Program Director, Site Directors and other family medicine faculty who are, or have been, Primary Preceptors in our program. All have a strong understanding of the program and participate in mandatory file review training.
Files are sorted by school, then randomly assigned to reviewers, with approximately 12 files assigned per reviewer.
File review follows a structured rubric with each file reviewed by two separate reviewers to ensure rater and scoring reliability. In the case of discordance, a third reviewer will be used.
Average number of applications received by our program in the last five years : 601 +
Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 51 - 75 %
We offer interviews to ~600 residents each year, which represents ~70% of the applicants to our program.
File component | Criteria |
---|---|
CV | Life experience and contributions, FM relevant activities, employment |
Electives | Range of FM relevant or generalist experiences; on-site electives not expected |
Examinations | Not evaluated |
Extra-curricular | Community involvement, advocacy, teaching, mentorship, teamwork, work-life integration |
Leadership skills | Formal or informal leadership, in community or academic settings |
MSPRs | Academic and clinical performance, professionalism, other contributions |
Personal letters | Self-reflection, unique contributions, understanding of FM and McMaster’s program/regions |
Reference documents | Clinical performance, communication, professionalism, aptitude for FM |
Research/Publications | Evidence of scholarship, inclusive of diverse forms of knowledge, methodologies, and modes of dissemination |
Transcripts | Academic and clinical performance, professionalism |
Other file component(s) | FM Specific Situational Judgement Test (FMProC) |
Interview format :
We routinely accommodate requests to re-schedule interviews for applicants.
Interview components | Criteria |
---|---|
Collaboration skills | Appreciation for building community within a team and embracing each other's strengths |
Collegiality | Approaching interactions with compassion, empathy and authenticity |
Communication skills | Clarity of communication, ability to build rapport |
Health advocacy | Demonstrated understanding of the importance of health advocacy in FM |
Interest in the discipline | Convincing interest in, and understanding of, Family Medicine |
Interest in the program | Familiarity with program/sites |
Leadership skills | Demonstrated capacity for leadership |
Professionalism | Engagement, respectful dialogue, punctuality |
Scholarly activities | We do not evaluate this interview component |
Other interview component(s) | Resiliency, growth orientation, demonstrated capacity for self-reflection |
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 McMaster Family Medicine Residency Program is designed to provide flexible postgraduate training to meet the individual needs of each resident, recognizing the varying patterns of practice in different family practice settings.
The Family Medicine program is dedicated to the development of competent family physicians providing comprehensive, continuous care. We are actively working towards a curriculum that is centred in Family Medicine optimizing the strengths and opportunities of each of our program sites.
In your first year, you will complete the following rotations:
In your second year, you will complete the following rotations:
There is a spectrum of "horizontal integration" to "traditional block rotation" at each site.
Each resident has a home base that serves as a foundation for their entire residency. Within this unit/practice, residents are assigned a family physician supervisor who functions as their primary clinical teacher and advisor throughout the two-year program.
This site offers several unique strengths that cater to diverse learning interests. All residents at the site will deepen their understanding of Indigenous health through a two-year longitudinal curriculum emphasizing a culture of safety and the two-eyed seeing approach to patient care. Residents also have the opportunity to explore clinical experiences through a unique Indigenous Health elective working alongside Indigenous physicians in the community.
Our program also features ongoing simulation sessions to address complex scenarios in hospital and primary care settings. The simulation curriculum is developed by local Emergency Medicine physicians, focusing on developing skills relevant to all Family physicians. This is complimented with a unique opportunity to develop your POCUS skills from internationally renowned bedside ultrasound educators.
The GE6N curriculum adheres to a traditional block rotation format while offering horizontal elective time during Family Medicine rotations in the first and second years of residency.
For additional information on our program design, please visit our site here.
Regardless of the site, all residents participate in a common curriculum that includes:
For additional information about our academic program design, please visit our site here.
The Academic Hub for the Grand Erie Six Nations residency program is located in the Brantford General Hospital.
For more information on the Grand Erie Six Nations teaching site, please visit here.
Our residents are happy to hear from you! If you would like to speak with one of our Lead Residents, please contact us at carms@fammedmcmaster.ca.
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