Program Contacts

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Return of Service

The Competitive 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: Competitive Stream (Medical Residency Stream).

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

We encourage all candidates to the Competitive (ROS) stream programs apply to both sites. It is important to note that while CaRMS considers the UBC EM sites to be separate programs for ranking purposes, the UBC program acts together when selecting candidates for interview; i.e. there is only one interview that covers all sites. CANDIDATES THAT DO NOT APPLY TO BOTH COMPETITIVE STREAM SITES ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE INVITED FOR AN INTERVIEW as preference is given to applicants who apply to both sites. For clarity, these are Vancouver Island and Interior sites. 

All documents/submissions including a separate personal letter for each site should be submitted as requested. 

A separate candidate rank order list is completed by each site for each stream, and candidates are able to rank each site stream individually. 

CMG Candidates: CMG candidates applying to both CMG stream and Competitive (ROS) stream positions are expected to submit the same application submitted to the respective site CMG stream. 

IMG Candidates: Note that while the two Competitive (ROS) stream sites are treated as distinct programs for application and ranking purposes, IMG candidates should apply to both Interior and Vancouver Island competitive RoS streams for consideration at UBC. All documents/submissions including a separate personal letter for each site should be submitted as requested.

 

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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

The UBC Emergency Medicine Program CaRMS selection committee has a limited time to review applications. As a result, late applications and references will not be considered in order to allow invitations for interviews to be issued in a timely manner.

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Interviews

Dates:

• February 5, 2025
• February 6, 2025

Selection Criteria

Selection of applicants is based on the complete application and organized in 4 domains,

 

1. Interest and understanding of EM as a specialty discipline and UBC EM residency program - the candidate has demonstrated interest and an aptitude for the specialty and been able to show commitment. The candidate has a good understanding of the strengths and challenges of specialty EM practice and how they are prepared to manage those over the course of residency training and beyond. The candidate demonstrates interest and understanding of the UBC EM residency program. 
      *Where we see this documented: CV, Personal Letter, Elective rotations, Letters of Reference
   
   
2. Clinical and Academic performance - the candidate has demonstrated excellent clinical skills and knowledge throughout medical training and across their various rotations in clerkship. 
      *Where we see this documented: Rotation evaluations, MSPR, Dean’s letter, Letters of Reference
   
   
3. Non-clinical activities - the candidate has engaged in additional work or activities that are related to EM, other areas of medicine, and/or outside interests. This may take the form of traditional research but we also are interested in those candidates that have engaged in advocacy work, QI/QA projects, education, other forms of outreach and other activities that may or may not be directly related to medicine.  We value the effort that candidates put into the things they care about and are looking for people who will bring that level of engagement and commitment to our residency program. 
      *Where we see this documented: CV, Personal Letter
   
   
4. Personal Qualities - the candidate has demonstrated personal attributes that will support their growth and learning in residency and contribute to a positive experience for others.  These attributes will optimally be demonstrated both inside medicine and within the candidate’s outside life. Personal Qualities sought in the application of a successful candidate include: 
   1. EM skill set - e.g. calm under pressure, ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks
   2. Growth mindset
   3. Resiliency
   4. Leadership qualities
   5. Communication and collaboration skills
   6. Professionalism
   7. Adaptability to change
   8. Patient/person focused
   9. Integrity and ethical standards
      *Where we see these documented: Personal Letter, Rotation evaluations, Letters of Reference 

 

Program goals

The UBC Royal College Emergency Medicine residency program aims to graduate exceptional emergency physicians skilled in all aspects of acute care. We are fortunate to be able to access resources, educational experiences and talented preceptors from across the province. We pride ourselves on teaching the highest level of knowledge and skill related to the specialty of emergency medicine. UBC offers a comprehensive training program with a breadth of options in training sites and areas of concentrated expertise. We are looking for future leaders in emergency medicine clinical care, administration, education, research and the related subspecialties. 

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to furthering Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in our CaRMS selection process and our UBC Emergency Medicine program. We believe diversity is essential to developing excellence in our program and in our practice as emergency physicians. We encourage applicants with lived experience of discrimination and from underrepresented groups in medicine to apply to our program. Each of our selection committee members have received EDI training to conduct a fair and thorough selection process. We look forward to connecting with you during the CaRMS cycle.

Selection process goals

The successful candidate's application demonstrates a well rounded background with an interest and success in emergency medicine and acute care specialty electives. Interests related to emergency medicine are highly valued. Successful applicants often have a history of varied extra-curricular activities which demonstrate the importance of work-life balance in medical education and training. Scholarly work (e.g. formal research, QI/QA, educational or other activities) may also be used to demonstrate interest in emergency medicine.

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

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   

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Program Highlights

Vancouver Island

The Victoria hospitals are located on the traditional and unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) speaking peoples, who include the Esquimalt, Songhees, and W̱SÁNEĆ nations.

The UBC Vancouver Island Emergency Medicine program offers excellent medical training that is fully supported by the broader UBC program, while living on the Island provides an amazing West Coast lifestyle.

At the Vancouver Island site, you’ll benefit from a tight-knit residency group, one-to-one preceptorship while on shift, a wealth of hands-on training experiences, and early clinical leadership. The program is based at the Victoria General (VGH) and Royal Jubilee Hospitals (RJH) in Victoria – each with a wide variety of patient demographics, pathology, and acuity. We regularly see pediatrics in the ED as VGH is the region's dedicated pediatric hospital and the main referral centre for the Island; VGH is also the Level 2 trauma referral center for all of Vancouver Island. Our Emergency Medicine program is well regarded within the hospitals and the collegial atmosphere makes for exceptional interdisciplinary teaching. Victoria is home to only a small number of other residency programs which leads to more learning opportunities per resident, and having the Island Medical Program (a distributed site of the UBC medical school) in Victoria gives residents the opportunity to teach and mentor.

The group of Emergency Physicians in Victoria take great pride in the residency program, and are heavily involved in on-shift teaching, academic days, and simulation. The close relationships you develop early on with our physician group means that you will quickly be pulled into interesting cases, even when off service. In addition, our group of physicians have a breadth of experience ranging from trauma, critical care, prehospital care, ultrasound, and clinical epidemiology to addictions, pediatrics, disaster medicine, geriatrics, palliative care, and wilderness medicine allowing you to further develop expertise across a wide array of Emergency Medicine topics.

Lifestyle

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, and it’s renowned for its scenic views, outdoor activities, historic buildings, lively culture, and temperate weather. In addition to living next to the ocean and looking out at mountain vistas, there is no shortage of restaurants, cafes, craft breweries, shopping, theatre, music, and community events. Victoria also serves as a launch point to explore the rest of Vancouver Island. Whether you’re interested in watching the sunset along the West Coast Trail, surfing in world-renowned Tofino, hitting the slopes at Mount Washington ski resort, mountain biking in Cumberland, or hiking among giant Douglas firs, amazing outdoor activities are never too far away.

The city is medium in size but has nearly everything you can find in a larger metropolitan area. In addition, the city serves as a major tourism hub for travelers from around the world and draws approximately 3.5 million visitors per year. 

Not only is Victoria one of the most beautiful places to call home in Canada, completing your 5 years of training on Vancouver Island will give you the skills and confidence to practice Emergency Medicine anywhere.

Please visit the UBC RCPSC-EM Residency Program website at emresidency.med.ubc.ca/vancouver-island/ for full details.

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Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 5 years.

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

• Academic Full Day
• Academic Full Day occurs every Wednesday – this time is call protected for academic teaching conducted by staff physicians and fellow residents.
• Many of the sessions are held via videoconference across all 4 sites while some are taught locally at each site.
• Academic Sessions include:
• Foundations (PGY-1) and Core (PGY-2-4) seminars – these are based on Rosen’s Emergency Medicine textbook
• Grand rounds – these include resident and staff presentations in a formal podium style across all sites
• Patient Safety and Quality Rounds – these include resident led presentations on local cases that were identified as Quality Improvement and system change opportunities.
• ECG and Radiology teaching sessions – these are typically given by fellow residents in a quiz and case based format.
• Simulation Training (SIM)
• UBC has a history of an outstanding simulation program. This was highlighted in our recent accreditation as being a major program strength.
• Our program has adapted to Competency Based Medical Education with simulation cases targeted to specific Entrustable Professional Activities.
• Each UBC site runs its own resident simulation program and lab. This allows each group of residents to get individualized and personal attention. There is significant communication and sharing of resources across the sites.  
• Simulation is an area of educational innovation at UBC with all sites using In-Situ simulation as a basis for ED continuous quality improvement and health care team collaboration. Residents are routinely involved in these rich educational experiences. 
• Journal Club
• Journal Club is held monthly at a staff physician’s home -- typically with lots of food to feed the hungry residents after their work days! 
• There is one session for the Lower Mainland residents, and one each for Kelowna and Victoria
• Articles are presented and critiqued by residents on a rotating basis with the assistance of a biostatistical expert staff physician.
• NERD (Novel Education in Research Design)
• Vancouver serves as the host site for UBC residents from all 4 sites (typically during PGY-2) to gather for this block-length course.
• NERD aims to increase resident knowledge about the conduct of various types of research projects as well as the optimal consumption of research findings as a practicing physician. The block also serves to create and improve resident/faculty research collaborations and guide resident scholarly output. 
• Residents are provided with guidance to develop their own scholarly projects, explore the diversity of UBC EM research, connect with staff physicians with research expertise, and develop future collaborations.
• Scholarly Project
• As mandated by the Royal College, residents "must complete a scholarly research, quality/patient safety or educational project relevant to Emergency Medicine that is documented in a manner that is suitable for submission to a peer reviewed publication or oral presentation at an academic meeting."
• Residents are given opportunities and support to pursue their own projects or to join with ongoing work by our faculty.
• Ultrasound Training
• All PGY-1 UBC residents come to the Vancouver program site in July for an introductory ultrasound course.
• During PGY-1, there is also a dedicated ultrasound block held at each program site to achieve proficiency in simple and advanced ultrasound scanning skills.
• Practice examinations
• Residents write the Canadian In Training Exam (CITE) every fall and winter.
• Results are aggregated across Canada so residents can benchmark their progress with their cohort.
• Practice oral examinations are held frequently during the year and led by local staff physicians.  Residents participate with increasing frequency as they become more senior.
• Ethics/Professionalism & Communication Seminar Series
• Led by an Emergency Physician with training and expertise in medical ethics, these seminars are tailored to resident level of training and take place in a small group discussion format. Topics and cases are reviewed with a focus on ethical issues in clinical medicine as well as professionalism and communication skills.
• Continuous Quality Improvement Training
• Residents learn about CQI from emergency physicians with expertise in this area. Seminars and online modules are completed throughout PGY-1 and 2 with specific workshops and projects planned for PGY-5. In addition, residents are involved across the UBC sites in local Patient Safety and Quality case reviews and discussions.
• Emergency Medicine Specialized Skills
• Each site delivers hands-on sessions in airway management, casting, slit lamp use, procedures and other relevant skills. These occur throughout the curriculum using expertise across the UBC sites to deliver smaller group practical sessions. The program runs a cadaver procedure lab every two years providing an opportunity to practice high acuity/low occurrence (HALO) procedures such as thoracotomy and surgical airways. 

Academic Funding 

To supplement the residents' educational experience during their training at UBC, each year residents are provided with,

• Up to $1400 (pro-rated to UBC's fiscal year) from UBC for residents to attend program-wide courses, conferences, purchase educational materials, academic and wellbeing events (such as resident retreats)
• $500 from their site Emergency Physicians Group for academic related expenses such as textbooks, courses and electronics. 

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Training Sites

Victoria General Hospital (VicGH)

The Emergency department was rebuilt in 2009 with additional renovations in 2021, and sees 65,000 patients annually. 

Victoria General hospital specializes in Neurology/Stroke, Neurosurgery, Pediatrics, and Obstetrics, and is also a Level 2 Trauma Centre.  It is the trauma referral centre for Vancouver Island with a Trauma service that is run by physicians from the departments of EM, General Surgery, Anesthesia, and ICU.  EM residents can do optional TTL call as soon as they have completed their Trauma block in PGY-1.  More than 20% of the annual visits to VGH ED are pediatric. The hospital has the Island’s primary pediatric and neonatal ICU and a variety of other pediatric specialists (Anesthesia, Cardiology, Neurology, Psychiatry, General Surgery, Orthopedics). All pediatric resuscitations are led by the ER physician.

Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH)

This hospital near downtown Victoria has more than 62,000 Emergency department visits annually.  As the inner-city hospital, the patient population consists of a variety of groups including those affected by addictions, homelessness, and infectious disease.  It is the interventional Cardiac, Vascular and Thoracic Centre, and sees a wide variety of medical and surgical cases. This site is the primary home to Ophthalmology, Plastic Surgery and Nephrology services. There is a separate Psychiatric ER attached to our main ER, and the BC Cancer Regional Care Centre for Vancouver Island is located at RJH.

Other UBC Training sites

All Residents have opportunities to complete rotations at other UBC Emergency Medicine training sites, in addition to other sites across Canada and internationally. Housing is provided for core rotations at any of our UBC sites. Common UBC training sites outside Victoria are:

• Vancouver General Hospital (VGH)
• Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH)
• Kelowna General Hospital (KGH)
• BC's Children's Hospital (BCCH)
• St. Paul's Hospital (SPH)
• Surrey Memorial Hospital (SMH)

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Additional Information

Please visit the UBC RCPSC-EM Residency Program at emresidency.med.ubc.ca/vancouver-island/ for more useful information about our program, our residents, and our staff members.

For more information about training at the UBC Vancouver Island site, please feel free to contact the Vancouver Island Lead Residents, Drs. Lulu Yang and Sam Hogman, should you have any questions about our residency program in Victoria, BC. 

Best of luck with CaRMS!