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.
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
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.
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.
IMG applicants:
IMG applicants need not provide evidence of English language testing if the primary language of medical education or patient care was in English. If the primary language of medical education or patient care was NOT in English then applicants must fulfill the English language proficiency requirements by the start of Ranking Period.
See CPSBC English Language Proficiency Requirements here for more information: https://www.cpsbc.ca/files/pdf/REG-ELP.pdf
MCCQE Part 1 Exam Information: https://mcc.ca/examinations/mccqe-part-i/
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.
Three letters of reference are required.
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.
Your medical school transcript can be submitted through one of the methods below:
For International (IMGs) and United States (USMGs) medical graduates, you can submit your MSPR through either of the methods below:
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.
4. What clinical experience have you had in Canada?
5. What experience do you have in community-based family medicine?
Note: The same letter must be submitted with each site application.
Custom Résumé / CV IMG-BC Clinical Assessment ProgramThe UBC Clinical Assessment Program (CAP) Letter is provided to CaRMS by UBC IMG Office.
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
Dates:
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.
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 : 201 - 400
Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 51 - 75 %
File component | Criteria |
---|---|
CV | We do not evaluate this file component |
Electives | Clinical experiences gained through electives are considered |
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) |
1. Graduation Year 2. BC Clinical Assessment Program Quartile Rank 3. MCQQE Part I Note: A CV, the MSPR and transcripts are required supporting documents by CaRMS but are not scored as part of the UBC Family Practice file review process. |
Interview format :
We do not re-schedule interviews for applicants after we have completed the scheduling process.
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 |
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.
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
Interior Region
Vancouver Island
Northern
IMG positions are offered at the following sites:
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.
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 30th 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.
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.
Check out the Chilliwack site CaRMS website here:
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