Program Contacts

---

Important Information

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY

SPECIAL INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES:

International Medical Graduates (IMGs) in Alberta are eligible to apply to postgraduate IMG positions at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary provided they have been assessed as eligible by the Alberta International Medical Graduate Program (AIMG) Program.

AIMG Program eligibility is valid for the specified match year only. Please visit the AIMG Program website (www.aimg.ca) for details on eligibility criteria and the application process.

All matched applicants must meet the licensing criteria for registration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) for postgraduate education.

ALL matched applicants MUST successfully complete an Externship before they can proceed to residency training. Applicants MUST be available to start the Externship in early April 2025. CPSA licensure is mandatory for Externship.  The AIMG Program will provide information on this process to successful applicants.

Externship is comprised of a mix of classroom-based orientation, workshops, academic sessions and clinical assessment. Externship will start with an AIMG Orientation for matched applicants. 

Family Medicine Externs will then complete an 8 week Externship that consists of experiences in Family Medicine and Internal Medicine.

Also please note: DFM Orientation and Clinic and EMR Orientation will occur prior to the 8-week Externship. 

**Residency programs determine the final outcome of Externship; the decision is final and there is no appeal process.**  

COMMUNICATION:

The preferred manner of communicating with all applicants is via e-mail. To facilitate communication, all applicants must ensure the email address on their CaRMS application is accessible and correct.

We want to ensure that you have accurate information about our program and various opportunities to meet our residents, faculty, and leadership team. We strongly encourage applicants to check out these platforms to learn more about the University of Calgary Family Medicine program:

• Department of Family Medicine website: http://www.calgaryfamilymedicine.ca/residency/
• Department of Family Medicine Twitter: DFM Twitter 
• Family Medicine Instagram: DFM Instagram
• Virtual Meet and Greets (advertised on Canada's Portal for Residency Program Promotion - CANPREPP (Can Prepp Events Calendar), our social media pages listed above, and our website). Please note: content at these Meet and Greets may overlap but each session will attempt to cover distinct topics for applicants

Calgary IMG Virtual Meet & Greet Dates:

• Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024 - 6:00-7:00PM MST
• Thursday, November 21st, 2024 - 5:00-6:00PM MST

Calgary CMG Virtual Meet and Greet dates (see CanPrepp Events Calendar for details): 

• Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024 - 5:00 to 6:00PM MST 
• Thursday, November 21st, 2024 - 6:00 to 7:00PM MST

 

Social Sessions Q&A with Residents:

• Monday, January 20th, 2025 - 1:00-3:00PM MST

FMProC- Requirement for 2025 

The University of Calgary Family Medicine Program is excited to be one of the participating Family Medicine Residency Programs to use in their selection process the FMProC (Family Medicine Professional Choices), which is a Family Medicine-context specific Situational Judgement Test.

All applicants will be required to write FMProC for their application to be deemed complete. More details and information about registration for FMProC can be found here www.fmproc.com. 

 

CONTRACT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY'S CUMMING SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

A matched applicant must meet the appropriate criteria to start with the Calgary Residency Training program by July 1. As stated in Clause 5.31 of the CaRMS Applicant contract: “The Applicant acknowledges that the Faculties, in their discretion, may disqualify the Applicant if the Applicant is unable to begin residency training by July 1 of the year the residency training commences”. Our Program can release an applicant from the binding commitment if the following circumstances occur:

• Failure to complete the pre-assessment period (AIMG externship) prior to July 1, 2025
• Unable to obtain an MD by July 1, 2025
• Unable to obtain an educational license/certificate/permit/registration from the applicable provincial Medical Regulatory Authority (The College of Physicians and Surgeons in Alberta) by July 1, 2025

INTERNAL MATCH:

The Calgary program is divided into Northwest, Northeast and South Divisions, which are comprised of a number of home clinics. Incoming Residents must be willing to be based at any of our Home Clinics. Placement at Home Clinics occurs through an internal match prior to the start of Residency.

 

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

It is expected that Residents in the Calgary Program utilize their own transport when travelling to and from teaching sites, both within Calgary, and when on rural rotations outside of the city. A current driver's license and access to a vehicle are mandatory in UofC Calgary FM due to the distances between teaching sites.

LIFESAVING CERTIFICATIONS:

Current certification in BLS and ACLS is a prerequisite and must be current as of July 1, 2025. Costs for BLS, ACLS, as well as the ALARM and NRP courses are reimbursed to Residents if taken within 90 days of starting residency (ALARM and NRP are scheduled for the FM Calgary Residents during their first year of Residency training). CMPA & CPSA memberships are mandatory and must be in place before beginning residency. 

Alberta IMG Program (AIMG) Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) results:

Multiple Mini Interviews (MMI) scores will be shared directly to the residency programs by AIMG. MMI results are not submitted by applicants.  

 

 

 

---

General Instructions

Program application language: English

 

 

 

 

---

Supporting Documentation / Information

---

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

Selection Criteria

The first iteration of the 2025 R-1 Residency match in Alberta is restricted to to Canadian Medical Graduates (CMGs) (who have obtained, or will obtain, a medical degree by July 1 of the match year,) and IMGs.  IMGs who wish to apply for postgraduate training at the University of Calgary have to participate in the Alberta International Medical Graduate (AIMG) Program assessment process and then apply in the designated Calgary IMG stream

In assessing the applicant's file and interview, we will be looking for evidence of the applicant's interest in and suitability for FM training with a future as an outstanding Family Physician serving Albertans. We are interested in mature individuals with excellent communication and interpersonal skills and with a commitment to FM. We seek applicants who are self-directed, reflective learners with an attitude of service who have demonstrated an ability to work in teams. Other applicant qualities of interest to us include compassion, adaptability, role flexibility, and research or leadership potential, and self-assessment skills. We seek applicants who enthusiastically embrace the learning opportunities our Program presents.

 

Program goals

Mission

• Training future family physicians to serve the primary care needs of their communities.

Vision

• Our graduates are ready to enter comprehensive and patient-centered practice with the ability to adapt to all settings in Canada.
• Our residents are engaged learners and have the support and role-modelling to develop as resilient life-long learning family physicians.
• Our preceptors are fully supported and model best family-medicine practice and foster their resident's development as family physicians.
• Our program provides outstanding FM training, promotes and integrates continuous improvement and drives education innovation.

For more information on the Programs goals, please visit our website at https://calgaryfamilymedicine.ca/residency/index.php/program-info/program-mission

Selection process goals

We are looking for and base our overall scoring on the following attributes:

• Demonstrates an interest in and suitability for FM training
• Demonstrates evidence of interest in caring for all people, ages, life stages, and presentations.
• Exhibits ease and comfort working between different care settings and environments (including office, emergency room, home/long term care, and hospital)
• The Calgary Family Medicine program encourages a broad range of elective experiences in which career interests can be explored. We do not require applicants to have done on site electives.
• Exhibits a passion for outreach and advocacy in the community, such as working with community partners, diverse populations, and patients experiencing barriers to care
• Demonstrates excellent communication skills
• Demonstrates effective work in teams, including the ability to collaborate and share care with other health care professionals
• Exhibits evidence of research potential; contributes & supports the scholarly environment
• Exhibits self-awareness; manages influences on personal well-being and professional performance
• Displays high professional standards

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
Other : Collaboration between the Rural and Calgary programs will occur as applicable.

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   

---

Program Highlights

The Teaching Experience

• We have a triple-C competency-based curriculum, introduced in 2012.
• First block of Residency is devoted to an introduction to the profession by a rotation called FM Core, which consists of orientation to the program, core teaching and specific clinical skills (e.g. courses such as ALARM, participation in an Opioids Skills Day), and Family Medicine home clinic
• Enthusiastic and consistently highly rated Preceptors at all of our teaching sites
• Resident involvement in ongoing curriculum development and in Program leadership
• Safe, supportive, and collaborative learning environments, including our well-established home FM clinics
• The opportunity to follow and manage your own group of patients in home clinics
• Weekly academic half days designed to enhance your learning experience
• Patient-Centered Care Labs focused on communication skills and doctor-patient relationships
• FM-focused off-service teaching and learning
• A leading edge Resident Assessment Program with a focus on assessment for learning; includes a new electronic assessment platform (FMeCAP) that allows the completion of assessment tools online (e.g. Field Notes), and includes a dashboard that shows a resident’s personal progress towards program completion
• CCFP exam preparation sessions, including practice SOO sessions in both years (currently virtual), and access to an online SAMP study platform in second year
• The opportunity for residents to develop their teaching skills through formal academic lectures devoted to the topic, participation with the undergraduate FM interest group, teaching clerks in FM home clinics, and medical education electives (formed in collaboration with UME)

The Clinical Experience

• Two to four and half days a week in your core FM Home Clinic for 6 blocks in the first year and 6 blocks in the second year
• Immersion rotations in Palliative Care, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Low Risk, Hospitalist Medicine, Care of the Elderly, MSK, Adult and Pediatric Emergency, Psych Emergency Medicine
• Focused teaching in Urgent Care, Hospice, Community Palliative Care, and Home Care in first and second year
• Opportunities for longitudinal experiences in Indigenous Health in first year for those interested
• Eight weeks in rural settings in Southern Alberta in second year
• Four weeks elective time in first year and 8 weeks in second year
• Scheduled “Plus” weeks during FM blocks designed to provide supplemental learning in specific domains of care (Adult, Child, Mental Health, Addictions)

The Resident Experience 

• A 4-week FM Core Block at the start of first year, to find your feet and set you up for a successful residency
• A Program that is supportive and prioritizes our Residents’ well-being.
• We have resident representation on all Program leadership committees
• Strong resident leadership opportunities, including numerous positions on our Resident Leadership Committee (RLC)
• We have a Wellness Curriculum that teaches residents a basic skill set relating to the maintenance of wellness, and allows protected time away from clinical duties to practice those skills
• Up to 8 days Educational leave for conference attendance and research work during residency
• The City of Calgary and surrounding areas are your playground during training! Rivers, sunshine, snow (with chinooks which warm things up in the winter), and quick access to Rockies = we are a Program that values a healthy lifestyle and fun!

---

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.

Overview

Our Program underwent a full Accreditation review by the CFPC in 2022 with very positive results.

Like all FM Residency Programs in Canada, we have reviewed and redesigned our curriculum, effective July 2012, so that it is very clearly Centered in FM, based on Continuity of care and education, and focused on graduating outstanding Family Physicians who can provide Comprehensive care ('Triple C'). The College of Family Physicians of Canada Triple-C curriculum model can be found at http://www.cfpc.ca/triple_C/.

Our curriculum is based on competency acquisition. The Program provides you with the learning opportunities and resources that result in the skills and competencies you require as a practicing Family Physician. You “learn the right thing, from the right people in the right place, at the right time”.

Your Home Clinic will be your educational home for the duration of the Program. In this clinic you will learn with your FM Competency Coach and associated clinic Preceptors 2 to 4.5 days per week throughout 6 blocks in first year and 6 blocks in second year. By basing your learning in your Home Clinic, you will develop and maintain continuing care for a group of patients for which you are responsible – your patient panel. From the moment you begin the Program, you start building your skills and identity as a Family Physician and by the end of your training the patients for whom you have been responsible, will and should recognize you as “their” Family Doctor. 

We are a medium-to-large sized Residency Program with approximately 70 incoming Residents each year.  There are currently more than 160 Calgary Program Residents.  In order to maintain a small Program feel where your colleagues and Program staff know you, we are operationally organized into 3 Divisions.  These Divisions are geographically organized based on the locations of our FM Home Clinics - Northeast, Northwest, and South.  Each Division has a Division Director and Division Coordinator to support your learning.

Curriculum 

The Program is Centered in FM and focuses on providing experiences of Continuity of care and education and on graduating outstanding Family Physicians able to provide Comprehensive care for patients, wherever they are ('Triple C').

This Program has been in existence since 2012 when we completed a major curriculum review and redesign. The Program is a blend of longitudinal FM experience, ambulatory clinical experiences (ACEs), hospital immersion rotations, and electives.

Learning experiences have been reviewed and updated based on Resident and Preceptor input.  We have undergone a review of our curriculum in 2020 to ensure that the educational content we are providing to our residents remains appropriate and high quality. We have made changes that benefit residents in the following ways: scheduling more consecutive blocks of FM rotations, modifying FM rotations to accommodate more days in Home Clinic, modifying our outpatient and ambulatory care experiences, and reducing travel for our residents. 

We have a leading edge Resident Assessment Program that has, as one of its founding principles, the concept that assessment is for learning, not just of learning. We have moved away from summative assessments at the end of rotations to an assessment system that monitors progress of a Resident's learning over 2 years.

If this sounds appealing to you, then please read on. The following two sections outline the Resident experience on a weekly basis. Detailing the type and frequency of learning you will do during the program.  

 

 First Year 

1. A “FM Core” Block in the first 4 weeks of Residency  
2. Five additional FM based blocks
3. Six blocks of immersion rotations including Obstetrics/Low Risk, Internal Medicine, Psych EM, Adult EM, and Pediatrics 
4. One block of electives

Second Year 

1. Six FM-based blocks, including two blocks of Rural FM at a site in Southern Alberta  
2. Five immersion blocks –Hospitalist, Care of the Elderly, 2 weeks MSK & 2 weeks Low Risk Obstetrics Call, Palliative Care, and Pediatric Emergency 
3. Two blocks of Electives - you may select ICU and/or CCU/cardiology for one or two of these elective blocks

Program Conferences and Scholarship Day

Two Resident conferences (Fall and Spring) and a Scholarship Day are held each year in conjunction with the Rural Family Medicine residents. Costs for the conferences are covered by the Program.  The conferences provide opportunities for team-building as well as providing more time to focus on specific aspects of FM with invited speakers and different educational formats.

Scholarship Day is held each Spring and is an opportunity for residents to showcase their QI projects.

The Conferences and Scholarship Day are also an opportunity for Residents from all streams of the program to meet up and share experiences.

 

 

Research/Evidence Based Medicine/Quality Improvement/Patient Safety 

The Program provides the clinical and didactic learning experiences around critical appraisal, evidence-based medicine and quality improvement for you to graduate with the skills you will need as a future Family Physician. You complete a Quality Improvement project in both first year and second year.

Academics 

Academics 

We provide weekly half-day academics throughout your Program. All academics seminars supplement your clinical learning.  Topics are drawn from the 105 “Priority Topics/Learning Objectives” listed for the CCFP exam and the CanMEDS-FM roles. To help with preparation for the CCFP exam, we provide practice sessions for the Simulated Office Oral (“SOO”) and the Short Answer Multiple Problem (“SAMP”) written component.

---

Training Sites

FM Home Clinics

There are 11 "Home Clinic" FM Teaching Sites associated with our Calgary Program. Each offers a solid educational experience in FM and provides you with an “educational home”.

All sites have enthusiastic and experienced preceptors with electronic medical records. Almost all are located within the city of Calgary with three in nearby communities (e.g. Airdrie and Black Diamond)

Sites represent varied “cradle to grave” patient populations - from inner city, to ethnically diverse. Detailed descriptions of all sites are located on our Program website: http://www.calgaryfamilymedicine.ca/residency/index.php/program-info/sites-home-clinics

 

Plus Weeks

Each FM "Plus" block includes an increased amount of time in the Home Clinic. For 3 weeks, residents spend 4.5 days per week in the FM Home Clinic and an Academic half day. A Plus week is a themed learning experience in environments relating to domain of care (e.g. Care of the Adult, Care of the Child)

Examples of Plus week experiences include: Community Pediatrics offices, Dermatology, ENT, Neurology and Women’s Health Clinics.

 

Rural FM Sites

In the spring of your first year, you will participate in a mini-ranking process for your second-year rotations, including your rural site. We provide a number of teaching sites across Southern Alberta as well as the potential for a remote northern site. 

---

Additional Information

During elective experiences, it is possible to travel out of province or out of country.

The UofC Department of FM is pleased to offer a number of Enhanced Skills Programs for those Residents who wish to expand their training upon graduation from the 2-year Program, including Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Sports Medicine, Palliative Care, Care of Elderly, Addictions Medicine, Maternal and Newborn Care, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Health Equity and Chronic Pain. Applications to our Enhanced Skills Programs are accepted from R2 Residents across Canada in September/October each year.