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.

In order to apply for a residency position in the CaRMS match, International Medical Graduates (IMG’s) must be selected through the UBC Clinical Assessment Program (CAP). The IMG BC website provides key information regarding this process.

IMG residents matched into a UBC program are required to attend a mandatory multi-day orientation prior to the start of their residency.

 

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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Return of Service

The IMG stream is subject to a Return of Service (ROS). Successfully matched applicants are required to sign a contract with the Ministry of Health as a condition of accepting a medical residency position. Templates of the ROS contract and allocation details can be reviewed on the MOH ROS website here: International Medical Graduates - BC

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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

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 50%, interview score will contribute to 45%, and FMProC score will contribute to 5% of the overall global score. This total score informs the creation of a rank list which is submitted to each site for consideration. Some sites will use this as the final rank list while some sites will apply their own adjustments to this 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

We do not consider any information gathered outside of the CaRMS application and local interview processes.

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.

Introduction

The Vancouver-Fraser Site offers residents the unique combination of experiences both from tertiary hospitals in the urban core, as well as the smaller hospital and community practices within the Lower Mainland to provide for a comprehensive family physician experience. Residents learn from family physicians who practice in diverse settings in community family practices and in focused practices in community and hospital settings.  Residents also learn from consultants who work in tertiary hospitals to further develop and refine their experiences to allow for full-service family practice training and an ability to adapt and respond to complex patient needs.  The ability to tailor your second year to your specific learning needs is an asset of our site.

PGY-1

One full-day per week on alternate weeks is spent on the core academic program (VFAC).

One full-day call-backs (CB) to the Family Practice preceptor’s office to see patients (alternate weeks) are compulsory during all rotations located in Lower Mainland.

A Continuous Quality Improvement Project with your FP preceptor on a topic of your choice. 

4-6 weeks of elective time is allowed based on your schedule

Rotation	Duration	Location / Notes
Family Practice	16 weeks	In 1st year you will be at the UBC Primary Care Teaching Clinic or a Lower Mainland community clinic, with long-term care experiences integrated within
Pediatrics	6-8 weeks	B.C. Children's Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital, community pediatricians' offices: 4 weeks ER/urgent Pediatric care; 2 weeks office
Emergency	4 weeks	2 weeks Royal Columbian Hospital and 2 weeks at Eagle Ridge Hospital or 4 weeks at Burnaby Hospital
Surgery	4 weeks	Royal Columbian Hospital
Obstetrics	8 weeks	Royal Columbian Hospital, Peace Arch Hospital, BC Women's Hospital, and/or Burnaby maternity clinics
Internal Medicine	8 weeks	4 weeks CTU at Royal Columbian Hospital; 4 weeks preceptor-based IM at Burnaby or Mt. St. Joseph's Hospital

PGY-2

10-12 weeks of elective time.

One full day per week on alternate weeks is spent on the core academic program (VFAC).

One full day call-backs (CB) to the Family Practice preceptor’s office to see patients (alternate weeks) are compulsory during all rotations located in the Lower Mainland.

Up to 3 half-days of horizontal elective time while on Family Practice rotation.

Scholarly project on a topic of your choice is mandatory.

Elective opportunities allow increased experience in Emergency Medicine, Sports Medicine, Obstetrics and other fields according to the needs of the resident. Each resident plans his or her second year during the latter half of his or her first year. Family Practice block times may include longitudinal electives from an extensive listing of electives.

Rotation	Duration	Location / Notes
Family Practice	minimum 12 weeks	A community Family Practice office
Rural	8 weeks	Approved rural sites in B.C. (may request enhanced rural up to an additional 8 weeks)
Hospitalist	4 weeks	Royal Columbian Hospital, Burnaby Hospital, or Eagle Ridge Hospital
Psychiatry	4 weeks	Royal Columbian Hospital, Burnaby Hospital or Peach Arch Hospital
Sports Medicine	4 weeks	Various Sports Medicine clinics in the Lower Mainland
Palliative Care	4 weeks	Royal Columbian Hospital, Richmond Hospital, Burnaby Palliative Care Unit, Ridge Meadows Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital and Eagle Ridge Hospital
Geriatrics	4 weeks	STAT Unit - Vancouver General Hospital/UBC Hospital, Mount St. Joseph’s Hospital
Addictions	2 weeks	Royal Columbian Hospital
Pediatrics	2 weeks	Intermediate Care Nursery (ICN)/NICU

Academic Days and Research

Residents attend mandatory academic activities including academic teaching which is a mix of clinical case discussions and core topics.  Procedural Skills and Ultrasound Care days are integrated into the academic day schedule.  Residents are also expected to do presentations to their peers. Throughout the Program, we stress "Evidence-Based Medicine" in both academic and clinical areas.

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

In the first year, residents are 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

Royal Columbian Hospital (New Westminster)

Burnaby Hospital (Burnaby)

B.C. Children's Hospital (Vancouver)

Mount St. Joseph's Hospital (Vancouver)

Peace Arch Hospital (White Rock)

Richmond Hospital (Richmond)

St. Paul's Hospital (Vancouver)

Vancouver General Hospital (Vancouver)

B.C. Women's Hospital (Vancouver)

Eagle Ridge Hospital (Port Moody)

Numerous long-term care facilities and community practices throughout the Lower Mainland (most practices are in the Cities of Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody).

Access to Rural Residency Program sites