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

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

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

St. Paul’s (CMG) Site offers opportunities to gain experiences in Inner City Medicine, Addiction Medicine, LGBTQ2S Health, HIV/AIDS, Palliative Care, Primary Care Maternity, Indigenous Health, and Care of the Elderly, along with longstanding and well evaluated rotations in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine and our own Family Practice Teaching Service. We focus on the development of strong clinical skills and independent judgment through experiential learning with excellent Family Medicine and specialty support in both community-based and hospital settings.

Our Site prepares family physicians for the full spectrum of family practice in addictions, inner city medicine, HIV primary care, LGBTQIA2S+ medicine, trauma informed care and participatory research.

PGY-1

Our first year consists of block rotations as well as longitudinal academic and Family Medicine time to allow you to build comprehensive clinical skills and to start to experience continuity of care with your preceptor’s patients.

Rotation	Duration	Location / Notes
Family Practice	4 weeks	July Foundations of Family Medicine Course
Family Practice	4 weeks	FP preceptor block
Family Practice	4 weeks	Three Bridges Inner City Clinic
Family Practice Teaching Service	4 weeks	Mount Saint Joseph's Hospital
Primary Maternity Care	4 weeks	BC Women’s, St. Paul’s and ambulatory locations
Emergency	4 weeks	St. Paul's Hospital
Pediatrics Emergency	4 weeks	BC Children’s Pediatrics Emergency
Internal Medicine	4 weeks	St. Paul's Hospital
Pediatrics	2 weeks	Ambulatory locations
Surgery	2 weeks	St. Paul's Hospital
Obstetrics/Gynecology	2 weeks	St. Paul's Hospital
Palliative Care	2 weeks	St. Paul's Hospital
Electives	8 weeks	4x2 week blocks
Vacation	4 weeks	2x2 week blocks
R1 Longitudinal ½ day Mandatory Academic Curriculum (MAC) morning plus Family Practice Preceptor ½ day back in office (afternoon)		Every Thursday

PGY-2

Our unique “longitudinal” second year allows you to select and tailor your electives to meet your particular clinical, academic, and career needs and interests. You will be responsible for organizing your entire PGY-2 schedule. This format provides you with a flexible and unique opportunity to focus your training to collect the skills you need for broad spectrum family medicine. The PGY-2 year requires organization and self-directed initiative. It is imperative that you have strong administrative skills in order to make the necessary arrangements for your schedule.

Rotation	Duration	Location / Notes
HORIZONTAL ROTATIONS:	TOTAL 28 weeks
Family Practice (longitudinal)	14.3 weeks	Done part-time over approx. 30 weeks Includes research, admin, study time
Electives (longitudinal)	4.8 weeks	Done part-time with FP longitudinal Includes conference leave
Procedural skills/ Surgery selectives	2 weeks	Longitudinal or block
Care of the Elderly	2 weeks	Longitudinal, various locations
Outpatient Gyne	1.6 weeks	Longitudinal, various locations
Mandatory Academic Curriculum	3.3 weeks	Longitudinal, MAC every Thursday morning
BLOCK ROTATIONS:	TOTAL  24 weeks
Rural Family Practice	8 weeks	Various locations in BC
Block Elective	4 weeks	Scheduled by resident
Family Practice Teaching Service	1.6 weeks	Mount Saint Joseph's
Psychiatry	2.4 weeks	Block or longitudinal, St. Paul’s or alternative
NICU Level 2	1.6 weeks	BC Children’s Hospital
Family Practice Practicum	1.8 weeks	FP Preceptor’s Office
Vacation	4 weeks	Scheduled by resident
Winter Holiday	0.6 weeks	Specific days set

Academic Days and Research

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" and “Resident as Teacher” in both academic and clinical areas.

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

Resources

St. Paul's Hospital Site

Family Practice training is carried out in diverse community practices. Residents are matched for two years with a community family practice preceptor and spend time in downtown or surrounding community clinics that are oriented to people living in the inner city and urban core. Residents also have the opportunity to learn how to work effectively with people experiencing health inequities due to discrimination and marginalization. 

The majority of hospital training takes place at St. Paul's Hospital located in downtown Vancouver. This is a tertiary referral hospital of 450 beds with a busy emergency department and expertise in HIV/AIDs care and Addiction Medicine. Training in Pediatrics takes place at B.C. Children's Hospital and in outpatient clinics. Primary Care Maternity and Obstetrics/Gynecology are offered at BC Women’s and St. Paul’s Hospitals.

Other elective experiences may occur at different sites in British Columbia. St. Paul's has been a teaching hospital for over 75 years and has a proud reputation for the quality of its teaching programs. Primary care research, Behavioural Medicine and Resident wellness are well supported at St. Paul’s.