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McMaster University - Family Medicine - Brantford-Indigenous Health Hub (BIHH)

2024 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream including MOTP/MMTP for CMG

Last approved on November 28, 2023

Summary of changes

Approximate Quota:

 5 

Accreditation status : Accredited

Provincial Criteria


Dr. Heather Waters
Family Medicine 
David Braley Health Sciences Centre 
100 Main Street West, 2nd Floor
Hamilton, Ontario, L8P 1H6
(905) 525-9140
fammedmcmaster.ca

Program Contacts

Dr. Heather Waters
Postgraduate Program Director
carms@fammedmcmaster.ca
905-525-9140

Dr. Tanveer Singh
GE6N Site Director
nagraham@mcmaster.ca
(905) 525-9140


Important Information

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:

  • McMaster Family Medicine has a centralized admissions process. This means that only one application package is required regardless of the number of sites to which you apply (Brampton, Grand Erie Six Nations, Halton, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Niagara or Rural).  The same package should be uploaded for each site.
  • You will participate in only one interview virtually.

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:

  • Our program seeks out the best educational opportunities for residents, necessitating local travel within your site.  It is essential that all residents have access to a car.
  • All residents will be scheduled for home call during their family medicine rotations; therefore, it is strongly recommended that residents live within 30 minutes of their home base.

To learn more about the program, upcoming informational events and the McMaster PGME community please visit the PGME site here.


General Instructions

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

 


Supporting Documentation / Information

Canadian citizenship
CaRMS partners with third-party organizations to verify your citizenship or permanent resident status. If your status is verified by one of these organizations, you will not need to provide citizenship documents in your application. If your citizenship status is not verified, you must provide one of the documents listed below.
Document must be notarized/certified
Required
Submit one of the following documents to verify your Canadian citizenship:
• Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence in Canada
• Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)
• Canadian Citizenship Card (both sides of card)

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:

  1. Notarized/certified photocopy of Birth Certificate/Act of Birth issued by an authority in Canada accompanied by photo ID (must be valid Canadian government-issued photo ID).
  2. Failure to provide proof of citizenship will result in the removal of your application. No other forms of verification are acceptable.
  3. Documents must be notarized/certified photocopies. Notarized/certified copies must be dated and not older than two years from the date of application submission deadline; otherwise, a new notarized/certified copy is required.
  4. Confirmation of permanent residence must be accompanied by a photo ID (must be a valid Canadian government-issued photo ID).

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.

Examinations
Required
FMProC
  • Score
  • 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.

    Reference documents
    Required
    Number requested: 3

    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.

     

    Additional documents
    Required
    Custom Résumé / CV 

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

    Personal Letter 
    Word count
    Minimum : None
    Maximum : 1000

    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.  

    1. How do you envision your future as a family doctor? How have your clinical and non-clinical experiences contributed to this vision?
    2. Why do you feel McMaster Family Medicine is the right choice for you?
    3. Clinical curiosity, cultural humility, and advocacy are critical to family medicine. Share an example when you demonstrated one of these qualities in a clinical or non-clinical setting.
    4. Optional: We recognize that some applicants have taken 'non-traditional' routes, or experienced life circumstances that may have impacted their journey toward a career in Family Medicine. We also acknowledge the social and systemic barriers that continue to uphold experiences of inequity. Both 'non-traditional' routes and such circumstances should not disadvantage excellent candidates. If relevant, you are invited to discuss any gaps in your resume, program extensions, or other areas of your application you feel deserve further explanation. If not applicable, please simply indicate N/A, for which you will not be disadvantaged.

    Medical Student Performance Record 

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

    Medical School Transcript 

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

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

    Conditionally required
    Medical School Diploma 

    Please note: Required if Medical school has been completed.


    Review Process

    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.


    Interviews

    All interviews will be held virtually, on the following dates/times (EST):

    Tuesday, January 23, 2024 from 2-5pm

    Wednesday, January 24, 2024 from 9am-12pm

    Friday, January 26, 2024 from 2-5pm

    Saturday, January 27, 2024 from 9am-12pm

    Saturday, January 27, 2024 from 1-4pm

    Monday, January 29, 2024 from 7-9:30pm

    In addition to the interview, we will be hosting virtual Information Sessions.  Confirmed details can be found here.

    Program will notify all applicants through CaRMS Online and will send email invitations directly to applicants selected for an interview.
    Short-listed candidates will be sent an interview invitation by end of day Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024. McMaster Family Medicine has a centralized admissions process. You will have only one virtual interview regardless of which site(s) you apply to (Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Brampton, Grand Erie Six Nations, Niagara, Halton or Rural).


    Selection Criteria

    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.   

    Program goals

    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:

    • Guide and prepare residents competent for independent practice as comprehensive family physicians in diverse practice settings
    • Model and support comprehensive practice, responsive to the needs of our graduates’ communities

    This will be evidenced by the following program outcomes:

    • Graduates demonstrate a variety of FM skills and clinical practice styles that meet the needs of diverse Canadian communities, including rural and underserved populations
    • Graduates demonstrate scholarship as teachers, researchers, and leaders
    • Graduates demonstrate lifelong learning skills, evidence-based and reflective practice and life skills for sustainable long-term practice

    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. 

    Selection process goals

    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:

    • Recognize the importance and value of primary care
    • Are self-directed learners
    • Have demonstrated strong clinical performance to date
    • Are skilled at self-assessment
    • Have strong interpersonal skills
    • Give and receive constructive feedback
    • Have developed life skills for personal and professional resilience
    • Have a commitment to openness, learning and unlearning regarding equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and Indigenous truth and reconciliation

    To support our residents’ development of scholarship as teachers, researchers and leaders, our program seeks residents who demonstrate:

    • Clinical curiosity
    • Cultural humility
    • Advocacy

     Successful applicants will embody and contribute to our core DFM values of:

    Respect, Honour, Creativity and Generosity.  

    File review process

    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.

    Evaluation criteria :
    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)

    Elective criteria

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

    Interview process

    Interview format :



    We routinely accommodate requests to re-schedule interviews for applicants.

    Interview evaluation criteria :
    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

    Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

    Specifically, we may consider:







    Ranking process

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


    Program 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 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:

    • 4 blocks of Family Medicine
    • 2 blocks of Care of the Hospitalized Adult
    • 2 blocks of Emergency Medicine
    • 2 blocks of Women's Health and Obstetrics
    • 2 blocks of Care of Children
    • 1 block of Family Medicine/Academic Programming (Block 7)
    • Academic Programming throughout the year

     In your second year, you will complete the following rotations:

    • 4 blocks of Family Medicine
    • 2 blocks of rural Family Medicine
    • 2 blocks of core Medicine/Surgery (options available)
    • 1 block of Care of the Elderly
    • 3 blocks of Elective
    • 1 block of Family Medicine/Academic Programming (Block 7)
    • Academic Programming throughout the year

    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.

    Grand Erie Six Nations (GE6N) Program Design

    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

    Academic Programming

    Regardless of the site, all residents participate in a common curriculum that includes:

    • Priority Plus Topics (core academic teaching sessions)
    • Mental Health and Behavioural Science
    • InQuiry
    • Residency Practice Based Small Group (PBSG) learning program
    • Practice Management
    • Procedural Skills

    For additional information about our academic program design, please visit our site here


    Training Sites

    Family Medicine Training Sites

    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.

     


    Additional Information

    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.


    Summary of changes

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