Crest

University of British Columbia - Family Medicine - Kamloops

2025 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream for CMG

Last approved on November 08, 2024

Summary of changes

Approximate Quota:

 7 

Accreditation status : Accredited

Provincial Criteria


Dr. Joshua Greggain
Faculty of Medicine – Department of Family Practice 
300-5950 University Boulevard 
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3
UBC CaRMS Website

Program Contacts

Jana Ogdenova
Program Co-manager
residency@familymed.ubc.ca

Kelly Jacobs
Program Co-manager
residency@familymed.ubc.ca

Cindy Choi
Education Coordinator
residency@familymed.ubc.ca

Laurel Thompson
Site Coordinator
laurel.thompson@interiorhealth.ca

Dr. Johaan van Heerden
Site Director
jawvanheerden@gmail.com
250.314.2100 ext. 3621


Important Information

Prospective residents should refer to the Family Medicine Residency Selection website for ongoing updates, deadlines and detailed information.

FMProC: Important timelines

For the 2025 residency selection cycle ALL FM residency programs in Canada require applicants to sit FMProC for those applying in both rounds of CaRMS. 

 

FMProC test window for CaRMS first Iteration is from October 28 (8AM ET) to November 11, 2024 (10AM ET). 

Registration opens from September 11 (12 noon ET) and closes on November 07, 2024 (10AM ET). 

 

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. 

Requests to register or to sit the test outside of the posted deadlines will not be considered. 

 

Upon completion of FMProC, you must upload your FMProC result letter to CaRMS for your application to be considered complete.

 


General Instructions

Program application language: English

Resident selection for the UBC Family Medicine program is a collaborative process between all of our sites. Logistics and administration of resident selection is managed by our central program office in Vancouver, located at the UBC Point Grey Campus.

As the UBC Family Medicine Program is distributed into 23 unique sites and locations, candidates should apply to each site they are interested in. 
Applicants must submit same application package to all sites to which they apply.  

Regardless of the number of sites applicants apply to and rank, only one interview will be conducted

A variety of virtual information sessions will be held to provide prospective residents with the opportunity to learn more about the programs and discuss the training experience with faculty and current residents. Please visit Program Events for upcoming events. 


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
• Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)

Required documents for applicants submitting Citizenship documentation via CaRMS (and not participating in third party verification)

Canadian Citizenship

The province of British Columbia will accept one of the following notarized/certified documents as proof of the citizenship/permanent residency and is required for all types of applicants. Photocopies are accepted but, citizenship documents other than what is listed below are not accepted.  Proof of citizenship/permanent residency must be submitted to CaRMS by the File Review deadline.  No allowances for late submission.

  • Canadian Birth Certificate
  • Canadian Passport
  • Canadian Citizenship Certificate
  • Canadian Citizen Card (both sides)
  • Current Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides)
Language proficiency
Conditionally required
Submit one of the following documents to verify your language proficiency:
• IELTS
• Occupational English Test (OET) - Medicine
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) - General

CMG / USMG

If you graduated from an English medical school in Canada (including McGill) or the US, you are exempt from providing proof of language proficiency.

Candidates who attended medical school in Quebec or the University of Ottawa where the language of instruction or the primary language of patient care was not English, must fulfill the English Language Proficiency requirements of the College of Physicians of Surgeons of BC as identified below.   This requirement is the same for IMGs and is required by the start of the Ranking Period.

 

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 letters of reference are required.

    • Regardless of reference source, reference letters should speak to an interest in Family Medicine and aptitude for the discipline.
    • Using anecdotal narrative if possible, letters should provide evidence of attributes and abilities well suited for a career in Family Medicine.
    • These attributes and abilities are also evaluated in our interview process (see interview criteria and components).

    Note: Traditional narrative letters will NOT be accepted. 
    Please note that should your reference submit a traditional letter it will not be reviewed and your application may be deemed incomplete.

    Additional documents
    Required
    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.

    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.

    Personal Letter 
    Word count
    Minimum : None
    Maximum : 750

    Provide a biographical letter (max. 750 words) that includes answers to the following questions:

    1.    What life skills or lived experience do you have that demonstrate your suitability for family medicine residency training?

    2.    Why would a career in Family Medicine be a good fit for you?

    3.    Why UBC? Why British Columbia? Please elaborate with specific examples of any connections you might have with the province of B.C., like  community connections, education, work experience, etc. 

          Note: The same letter must be submitted with each site application.


    Review Process

    Applications submitted after file review has opened on November 29, 2024


    Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  November 29, 2024


    Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on November 29, 2024



    Interviews

    Dates:

    • January 18, 2025
    • January 19, 2025
    • January 20, 2025
    • January 21, 2025
    • January 22, 2025
    • January 23, 2025
    • January 24, 2025
    • January 25, 2025
    • January 26, 2025
    • January 27, 2025
    • January 28, 2025
    2025 R-1 match interviews will continue to be in a virtual format. 

    The national interview period is January 18- February 09, 2025.
    UBC interviews will take place between the dates of January 18-28, 2025. 

    Please note that candidates will be interviewed once, regardless of number of training sites you apply to. 

    Program will notify all applicants through CaRMS Online and will send email invitations directly to applicants selected for an interview.
    All interviews will be conducted in a live, synchronous MMI format. The UBC Family Medicine (FM) program will contact the selected applicants by email to provide program-specific interview details and interview links.

    If you wish to add a new program/site to your rank list after your interview, you must update your CaRMS application by our Program deadline, January 29, 2025. This date will be posted here as soon as it is determined.

    Any additional sites added to your application after this date will not be considered for ranking.


    Important: you must also link your documents to any newly ranked site.

    Regardless of the number of sites to which you apply, one final score will be generated after the interview.
    If you are matched, the program will be unable to facilitate transfer from one site to another.


    Selection Criteria

    Applicants must submit an application to each site they are interested in and should assign the same set of documents to each site. Selection is based on file review and one set of MMI interviews. Each file is reviewed and given a score. This file review score determines whether a candidate is offered an interview. The file review score is then combined with the interview score and FMPROC score to create a total score for each applicant. The file review score will contribute to 20%, interview score will contribute to 75%, and FMProC will contribute to 5% of the overall global score. A recommended rank list based on the total score is submitted to each site for consideration. The sites retain discretion to adjust the recommended rank list based on local site selection committee input.

    Program goals

    1. To graduate residents who have developed the competencies needed to begin independent family practice in diverse community settings
    2. To deliver an effective academic, clinical and scholarly educational program
    3. To graduate residents who are inspired, resilient, and balanced
    4. To graduate residents who demonstrate evidence-based and reflective practice
    5. To provide working and learning environments that ensure residents, faculty and staff feel respected and supported

    Selection process goals

    1. Identify individuals with an aptitude for family medicine who are most likely to thrive in our diverse residency sites and in the unique context of British Columbia communities
    2. Identify individuals with a demonstrated solid foundation of clinical skills and clinical approach which equips them for Postgraduate Education training.
    3. Identify individuals who have consistent professional behavior; who interact appropriately with patients, colleagues and staff.
    4. Identify mature, motivated individuals with a broad range of life experience which they can draw upon to adapt to the demands of residency training.

    File review process

    Review team composition : The review team is composed of faculty leadership from across our distributed program, the program director and senior administration.

    Average number of applications received by our program in the last five years : 601 +

    Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 76 - 100 %

    Evaluation criteria :
    File component Criteria
    CV We do not evaluate this file component
    Electives We do not evaluate this file component
    Examinations We do not evaluate this file component
    Extra-curricular We do not evaluate this file component
    Leadership skills Leadership skills are considered in the context of the personal letters and reference letters
    MSPRs Taken into consideration only if professionalism issues are identified
    Personal letters Demonstrated suitability to Family Medicine and training in BC through experience and life skills
    Reference documents Demonstrated suitability through attributes, abilities and interest in the discipline
    Research/Publications We do not evaluate this file component
    Transcripts We do not evaluate this file component
    Other file component(s) Note: The MSPR and transcripts are required supporting documents by CaRMS but are not scored as part of the UBC Family Practice file review process.

    Elective criteria

    We do not evaluate this component

    Interview process

    Interview format :



    We do not re-schedule interviews for applicants after we have completed the scheduling process.

    Interview evaluation criteria :
    Interview components Criteria
    Collaboration skills Yes: with patients and colleagues
    Collegiality Yes we evaluate this criteria
    Communication skills Yes we evaluate this criteria
    Health advocacy Yes we evaluate this criteria
    Interest in the discipline Yes we evaluate this criteria
    Interest in the program Yes: UBC in general, and in specific programs (rural, under-served populations, inner-city context etc.)
    Leadership skills Yes: assessment of leadership of self and others
    Professionalism Yes we evaluate this criteria
    Scholarly activities We do not evaluate this interview component
    Other interview component(s) Ability to handle Ambiguity/Uncertainty
    Advocacy/Compassion
    Resilience
    Patient centeredness

    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 Highlights

    Uniquely B.C:  UBC Family Medicine

    Family Medicine training in BC presents you with many unique opportunities. We are a fully accredited distributed program with 23 training sites and multiple training communities. In an effort to meet the evolving needs of our society, each site provides a solid foundation in the knowledge and clinical skills of Family Medicine so that our graduates are prepared to practice in a variety of settings. While our program offers diversity of training, it is based on common goals, learning objectives, and assessment standards.

    All residents are required to do a mandatory 2-month rural rotation in Family Medicine in their second year. Residents in the Coastal, or rural programs in the Okanagan or the North complete longer rural placements. Residents can also apply to participate in Enhanced Rural training for a total of 4-6 months in rural communities.

    There is extensive academic and administrative support for the entire residency program. Our central program administrative team is based in Vancouver on UBC campus. At the site level, leadership teams are made up of a Site Director, Site Faculty, Lead Residents and administrators. Lead Program Faculty provide provincial education support in the areas of curriculum, assessment, faculty development, scholarship and behavioral medicine.

    The Family Practice Postgraduate Education Committee has representation from all sites to ensure a connected, distributed program that fully meets accreditation standards. Residents are represented at all levels of governance.

    A wide range of amazing recreational and cultural opportunities are at your doorstep, as well as a collegial community of residents and physicians with whom you can learn, grow, and play. We want your experience to be in BC to be a positive and enjoyable one.

    Training Sites: Overview

    Visit the UBC Family Medicine Postgraduate website for a detailed overview of each of the 23 sites and their surrounding communities.  Each site provides opportunities to experience Family Medicine in their unique context, offering special opportunities to gain experience and skills unique to the area where you are training.

    The following is a list of our sites and their base community/hospital. Each site serves the surrounding community (see training sites for full details):

     

    Greater Vancouver / Lower Mainland

    • Abbotsford-Mission
    • Coastal (North Vancouver, Lion’s Gate Hospital)
    • Chilliwack
    • Indigenous (Greater Vancouver and rural Indigenous communities)
    • St. Paul's (Downtown Vancouver, Inner City)
    • Surrey South Fraser (Surrey Memorial Hospital)
    • Vancouver Fraser (New Westminster, Royal Columbian)

     

    Interior Region

    • Kootenay Boundary (Trail, Nelson, Rossland, Castlegar)
    • Kelowna Rural (Kelowna R1 year; rural communities across BC in R2 year)
    • Kelowna Regional
    • North Okanagan (Vernon)
    • Okanagan South (Penticton)
    • Kamloops

     

    Vancouver Island

    • Indigenous (Victoria, Ladysmith and rural Indigenous communities including Pacheedaht, Penelakut, ‘Namgis)
    • Quw'utsun (Duncan)
    • Nanaimo 
    • Strathcona (Comox, Campbell River and Courtenay)
    • Victoria

     

    Northern

    • Fort St. John (Northeast)
    • Northern Rural (Prince George R1 year; rural communities across BC in R2 year)
    • Prince George
    • Rural Immersion (Hazelton, Smithers, Vanderhoof, Mackenzie, Valemount/McBride, Chetwynd/Tumbler Ridge)
    • Terrace (Rural Northwest)

     

    IMG positions are offered at the following sites:

    • Abbotsford-Mission
    • Chilliwack
    • Coastal
    • Fort St. John
    • Kamloops
    • Kootenay Boundary
    • Nanaimo
    • North Okanagan
    • Okanagan South
    • Kelowna Rural
    • Kelowna Regional
    • Prince George
    • Strathcona
    • St. Paul’s
    • Surrey South Fraser
    • Vancouver Fraser
    • Victoria

    Resident Support

    Resident resilience and wellness is our top priority. Important resources have been developed by our program to support our residents throughout the course of the training.

    All UBC programs are allocated a fixed amount of funding per resident for Resident Activities.  This funding is used to provide educational support to residents during their 2 years of training. This includes funding for residents to attend program-wide courses and events. Additionally, residents may identify conferences and educational materials that would supplement their training experience. A discretionary, per resident funding will also be allocated to the sites for a similar purpose at the site level.


    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.

    Kamloops is a hidden gem in south central British Columbia that must be experienced.

    Our program will provide a strong clinical and academic experience. Residents will be immersed in comprehensive clinical experiences from the office, to the community, hospital, hospice, long term care homes and surrounding rural and indigenous communities. We are committed to excellence in teaching and care for our patients and community. Communication and leadership, respect for diversity and balance, and a keen interest in ongoing learning are all core to our site faculty philosophy.

    Residents are linked with 1-2 community practices and the UBC Family Practice Learning Centre, a team based resident run teaching clinic. We have a cohesive medical community with strong specialist consultants committed to family practice training. In Kamloops residents will work closely with the entire health care team.

    There are opportunities for many diverse experiences. There are numerous rural communities in our catchment area providing a strong rural influence in our program. Addiction medicine, chronic pain, team psychiatric/medical care for underserviced populations, palliative care, aboriginal care, geriatrics, emergency/trauma and student health are all either integrated into the program or available as electives. Some of our family practitioners provide comprehensive obstetrical and family practice inpatient care. We also have new women’s health and gender affirming care opportunities.

    Health care is changing rapidly. Our site faculty is part of strong medical leadership groups that help shape an exciting future for family medicine.

    This is the place for comprehensive family practice training. We will provide you with a strong foundation for your future family practice professional career.

     

    Purpose/Objectives

    Our vision is to provide a comprehensive family practice residency program that inspires residents, medical staff and health care system innovation.

    Our mission is to achieve our vision by:

    • A commitment to ongoing innovation, learning, reflection and action
    • Strong communication links with Residents about the program
    • Providing a comprehensive clinical curriculum with a focus on continuity in family practice
    • In depth locally developed core academic days
    • Seamless communication and integration with the UBC program
    • Ongoing continued professional development for site faculty and preceptors
    • Site Faculty and Resident leadership with other health care providers/organizations

     

    Program Objectives

    • To provide excellence in clinical and academic teaching
    • To train competent, professional family physicians who are able to balance work with personal interests and commitments
    • To provide residents with different cultural experiences, diversity, and team management skills
    • To provide a solid foundation in evidence informed medicine and other scholar activities, and their clinical applications
    • To inspire the future generation of leaders and thinkers that will shape our health care system

     

    First & Second Year Curriculum

    We have worked to create and improve upon an enjoyable and fulfilling program for our residents. At the end of the two years residents will feel competent and confident to practice in any environment.

     

    PGY1 and PGY2 Overview

    We have organized the clinical curriculum to expose each resident to the impressive breadth of specialty services in Kamloops, while providing a diverse, continuous, integrated Family Medicine experience. We have also structured it to layer learning throughout the 2 years – Residents have experiences in maternity care, family medicine, emergency, and in-hospital specialty rotations both in first and second year.

    Rotation

    Duration

    Location / Notes

    Local Family Medicine Preceptors and/or Family Practice Learning Centre

     36 weeks

    July of R1 year, June of R2 year, every second week in the longitudinal practice and additional block times spread out over the 2 years. Note that the 36 weeks does NOT include longitudinal days in the total.

    UBC Wide R2 Rural Rotation

    8 weeks

    Central match

    Hospitalist

    4 weeks

    4 days/week

    Maternity and women’s health

    6 weeks R1

    2 weeks R2

    4 days/week

    Addictions

    2 weeks

    4 days/week

    Specialties: Include exposure to inpatient, outpatient, and community clinics

    Medicine

    8 weeks

    4 days/week for 4 weeks general IM

    4 days/week for 4 weeks selectives

    Surgery

    6 weeks

    4 days/week for 4 weeks general surgery

    4 days/week for 2 weeks subspecialty selectives

    Pediatrics

    6 weeks

    4 days/week for 6 weeks inpatient

    every Tuesday is a pediatric teaching clinic – well reviewed by residents

    Emergency

     

    4 weeks R1

    2 weeks R2

    4 days/week

    Orthopedics/MSK health

    4 weeks

    4 days/week

    Psychiatry

    Geriatric Psychiatry

    4 weeks

    2 weeks

    4 days/week 

    4 days/week 

    Electives

    12 weeks

     May be in Kamloops or organized elsewhere

     

    Academic Days and Research

    We have structured the academic curriculum to ensure the CFPC’s 100 Priority Topics and Key Features are well covered, leaving our residents well prepared to write the CCFP Exam. Other topics will also be covered, including WCB, Disaster Medicine, Cultural Education, Medical Leadership, and Billing seminars to prepare our residents for independent practice. Behavioural Medicine, Evidence-Based Medicine and the Scholar Role, and Resident as Teacher are also robustly represented in the academic curriculum, along with case presentations, procedure seminars, SIM sessions, bedside ultrasound and dermoscopy training, and exam-preparation sessions.

    In the first year, residents will be expected to complete a quality improvement project. Throughout the two years, residents must complete a scholar project and present their work at Scholarship Day.

     

    International Electives

    Residents can do one month of interprovincial or international electives during their training.

     

    Further Training

    Third year training positions are available in the area of Emergency Medicine, Care of The Elderly, Anesthesia, Palliative Medicine, Sports and Exercise Medicine, Clinician Scholars program and a wide range of other category 2 Enhanced Skills programs.


    Training Sites

    Kamloops is a friendly and welcoming community of 90,000 people ideally located in south central British Columbia. This geographically unique region is known for its mild winters and long warm summers.

    The beautiful outdoors in the Kamloops region is the perfect playground for a vast array of recreational opportunities. The city itself values and promotes active living. Kamloops is known as Canada's “Tournament Capital” having played host to thousands of Provincial, Western Canadian, National and International sporting events. Kamloops is home to many world class sporting facilities.

    Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops has a thriving campus environment. Kamloops also has its own symphony orchestra and many theatre and live music venues. Our 6400 seat coliseum hosts big ticket concerts and is home to the WHL Kamloops Blazers hockey team.

    A thriving local economy provides many employment opportunities if you are coming to Kamloops with a partner, and the schools are excellent if you have children.

    In Kamloops, you will be immersed in a fulfilling family practice residency program while also enjoying an active, healthy and positive lifestyle.

     

    Resources

    Our city is the referral centre for the larger Thompson-Cariboo-Nicola region of approximately 125,000 people.

    Royal Inland Hospital is a tertiary care hospital with the third busiest ER department in British Columbia. The hospital is a recognized trauma centre. There are 244 acute care beds with an additional 8 bed NICU. We have approximately 320 physicians on staff, including close to 80 family physicians with either active or associate privileges.

    Community services and residential care are robust, with a current culture of family practice engagement in system change. Our Thompson Region Division of Family Practice is a leader in work on primary health care integration and communication across health care professions.


    Summary of changes

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