Program Contacts

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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.

 

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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. 

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Supporting Documentation / Information

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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

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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
• January 29, 2025
• January 30, 2025
• January 31, 2025
• February 1, 2025

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

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 : New for 2025, Chilliwack Family Medicine residency program will be offering an indigenous focused rotation located in Sq’éwqel (Seabird Island Band). This rotation will mirror the usual program, however the family medicine component will take place at the Sq’éwqel (Seabird Island) Health Center with Dr. Robert Fox as the primary preceptor.

Dr. Robert Fox, originally from the Blood Reserve, brings valued expertise serving First Nations communities.
The Sq’éwqel (Seabird Island Band) exists to promote a healthier, self-sufficient, self-governing, unified and educated community. This territory is located about 30 mins from downtown Chilliwack close to the town of Agassi. UBC and Chilliwack Family Medicine residency program is excited to offer this fantastic immersive learning experience.

Interested applicants must submit a letter of intent addressed to Drs Henry and Fox. Successful applicants should demonstrate a desire and experience working with First Nations communities. Applicants can also reach out to Dr. Henry (alison.henry@ubc.ca) with any questions prior to applying.

Letter of intent must be submitted to Dr. Henry (alison.henry@ubc.ca) for consideration. Please note that this is an optional letter to indicate your interest for a rotation at Sq’éwqel.

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   
Other : • File does not support interest in family medicine
• Interview suggests lack of non-cognitive family medicine skills

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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.

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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.

Welcome to Chilliwack, home to first Canada’s first integrated community Family Medicine Residency Program. Having just celebrated our 30^th year of training Family Medicine Residents, we look forward to having you join our proud tradition of Family Medicine Graduates. As an experienced leader in Family Medicine Training, residents in our program graduate with the skills to practice full-service Family Medicine including acute inpatient hospital care, emergency medicine, obstetrics and community-based family medicine with the option of pursuing special interests with up to 12 weeks of elective opportunity.  

Our Medical Community

Chilliwack is a vibrant city approximately 100 km east of Vancouver, BC in the heart of the Fraser Valley. Our hospital services an area of approximately 100,000 people. Family physicians are the backbone of the care model at our hospital and in our community. Most family practice preceptors have hospital privileges and provide the majority of care for inpatients. When required, collegial specialist support is available locally from internal medicine, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, urology, paediatrics, rheumatology, obstetrics, gynecology, ophthalmology and ENT.

Provincial Leaders in Family Medicine

The Chilliwack Division of Family Practice (CDFP) is known for its advocacy and leadership in community based Family Medicine both locally and provincially. Through clinical initiatives like the Hospital Care Program, Seniors Clinic, Primary Care Clinic, Youth Clinic, Opioid Agonist Therapy Clinic and Aboriginal Clinics, you will gain clinical skills in many areas as well as an understanding of a best practice approach to community primary care. Additionally, the CDFP provides on going support of our Family Medicine practitioners and Family Practice residents including wellness events, continuing medical education, practice engagement and support.

Collegiality & Collaboration

I cannot convey the benefits of working in a community were everyone is supportive of the primary care role of Family Medicine. The local attitudes of specialists, family physicians and community leaders are to continue to support and maintain full-spectrum Family Practice. The majority of patients’ MRP are Family Physicians. The relationships within the medical community truly are collegial, supportive and cooperative. This creates an outstanding environment for Family Medicine residency training. The Chilliwack Medical Community will provide you with an amazing residency experience.

Feel Supported!

Residents have come to Chilliwack from all parts of Canada. Through call-protected events like Wellness Wednesdays, Resident Retreats and the Chilliwack Division of Family Practice Wellness Conference, every resident forms a close-knit bond that provides social and professional support to one another.

Our Program Co-ordinator, Esther Chappell, is an invaluable and integral part of our program. Esther will help support and guide you in as you journey through the program.

Not only will we train you to practice full-service Family Medicine, but we will support you as you develop skills to sustain yourself in practice through collegial support and wellness education focus.

Purpose / Objectives

The Mission of the Chilliwack site of the UBC Department of Family Practice Residency Program is the education of Family Practice residents in a community-based program that is community-centered, community-focused and community-responsive. We endeavor to foster a positive attitude to Family Practice through mentoring and a collegial and respectful training program that will equip residents with a "toolkit" of skills to embrace the breadth and depth of family medicine.

The Vision of the Chilliwack site of the UBC Department of Family Practice Residency Program is that family physicians trained here will be retained in the Canadian health care system, capable of working in rural and isolated settings. The physicians who train here will practice evidence-based medicine and have strong critical-appraisal skills. They will be collegial and ethical and will have knowledge of the importance of self-care. We will train physicians who have an understanding of the social, political and economic realities of medicine, enabling them to be active in the administration of the profession and the health care system.

Chilliwack’s current hospital model provides residents with exceptional learning experiences. The absence of hospitalists and other specialty residents puts FP residents at the forefront for clinical exposure and hands-on experience. Chilliwack also happens to be home to the first integrated clinical clerkship in BC. Its presence has enhanced resident training by introducing teaching and mentorship roles early on. An ongoing mission for residency excellence has created many learning opportunities that have allowed residents to stay locally for the majority of their FP training.

PGY1 and PGY2 Overview

This two-year program is designed to train physicians interested in practicing in all types of Canadian communities. The curriculum has been created to maximize the integration of the hospital, the office and the community work of the doctor.

Full-Service Family Medicine

The Family Medicine experience in Chilliwack is an elegant mix of broad-spectrum primary care (i.e. family medicine office, hospice, residential care, home visits, obstetrics, special interest clinics) and acute inpatient medicine. A typical day in your family medicine rotation will start with inpatient rounds where you will manage many acute clinical presentations in the hospital setting. Following inpatient rounds, you will practice cradle to grave clinical family medicine in the outpatient setting. To end your day, you may make a visit to your elderly patients in a residential care home or make a home visit to one of your palliative care patients.

To facilitate your learning, our Family Medicine preceptors are dedicated and here to guide you in your learning. In addition to being experienced teachers, our Family Practice Preceptors are leaders and pioneers in implementing EMR, advanced access strategies and improving outpatient care in chronic-disease patients.

Longitudinal Acute Care Competence: Hospital & Emergency Medicine

The Chilliwack longitudinal model of acute care in hospital and emergency medicine starts on day one of your residency training and is one of the many strengths of our program. By participating in first on-call, overnight hospital acute care, our residents gain supported exposure to, and competence in, the acute management of hospital inpatients. Additionally, our residents participate in regular emergency medicine shifts as part of their evening hospital call schedule throughout their two years of training. Our graduating residents consistently inform us that these longitudinal experiences are key in acquiring the skills to practice wherever, and whichever style, of family medicine they choose. Many of our residents go on to practice in these areas without feeling the need to pursue an enhanced year of training.

Your Learning is Our Focus

In Chilliwack, your learning is not overshadowed by more senior or specialty residents. The absence of hospitalists and other specialty residents puts family practice residents at the forefront for clinical exposure and hands-on experience. Gain exposure and expertise in the skills that you desire to be successful in the style of Family Medicine you choose.

Opportunities for Teaching

Chilliwack is also the home to the first integrated clinical clerkship in British Columbia. Its presence has enhanced resident training by introducing teaching and mentorship roles early on to our 6 UBC medical students.

Stay Close to Home

With the growth of our community and subsequent increase in local specialist support, residents are able to receive high-quality core experiences in Chilliwack. An on-going mission for training excellence has created many learning opportunities that allow our residents to stay locally for the majority of their Family Practice training.

Interested in Primary Care Obstetrics?

Although not all of our preceptors are currently practicing obstetrics, residents will gain obstetrical experience in a variety of ways at our site. These experiences ensure that all residents obtain basic competence in obstetrics. For those residents planning to make obstetrics part of their future practice, we will pair you with a preceptor who practices primary care obstetrics. Additionally, you can use elective time to enhance your skills. With the desire to continually improve our program, we are currently awaiting the results of a newly implemented pilot project to create better longitudinal obstetrical exposure through residency for those who desire it.

Academic Days and Research

To complement the educational experience of the daily clinical work, residents attend a mandatory, weekly morning core curriculum which includes Family Practice and specialty seminars, case presentations, workshops, mock codes, critical appraisal of recent literature and behavioural medicine sessions. They are also invited to attend all medical staff educational rounds.

Residents attend mandatory academic activities – usually a half day per week. This includes academic teaching which is a mix of clinical case discussions and core topics. Residents are also expected to do presentations. Throughout the program, we stress "Evidence-Based Medicine" in both academic and clinical areas.

In May or June of each year, residents will come together for a mandatory Site specific Scholarship Day.

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.

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Training Sites

Chilliwack is 100 km from Vancouver at the Eastern end of the Fraser Valley. Residents should expect to live in the area as the majority of the clinical work will occur in that community. Nevertheless, travel to the Vancouver area for certain clinical and didactic work is to be expected.

The program commences with orientation.

Resources

Chilliwack General Hospital

The Chilliwack General Hospital provides service at the primary care and secondary referral. It serves a population of 100,000. Bed occupancy is 370 – 175 acute care (which includes 195 ECU including Heritage Village) and annually there are 7,624 acute in-patient discharges, 10,609 Surgical day care (includes main OR, endoscopy suite and ambulatory care), 1645 inpatient Surgical (Main OR cases (includes obstetrical delivers in OR), 760 deliveries, 56,367 emergency room visits and 118,917 ambulatory care visits. There are 110 physicians on active staff.

The bulk of the rotations are in Chilliwack and other regional settings in the Fraser Valley i.e. Abbotsford, Surrey. All other UBC teaching hospitals are potential resources for clinical rotations.

The nature of the clinical experience here is that one needs to be close at hand to be able to participate in the opportunities when they arise. The regional settings do not have the volume that allows residents to be on a strict call system. Therefore, the expectation is that residents (and their spouses) live and become involved in the community. There is required travelling so residents will need a car.

All residents share the hospital-based call. This gives residents maximum exposure to the hospital-based clinical work done by the general practitioner in the emergency room and after-hours, urgent in-hospital care. This is both a learning and service experience and neither is to compromise the other.

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Additional Information

Check out the Chilliwack site CaRMS website here:

https://carms.familymed.ubc.ca/training-sites/chilliwack/