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.
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.
CMG / USMG
If you graduated from an English medical school in Canada (including McGill) or the US, you are exempt from providing proof of language proficiency.
Candidates who attended medical school in Quebec or the University of Ottawa where the language of instruction or the primary language of patient care was not English, must fulfill the English Language Proficiency requirements of the College of Physicians of Surgeons of BC as identified below. This requirement is the same for IMGs and is required by the start of the Ranking Period.
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 current year Canadian medical graduates (CMGs), there is no action required from you. Your medical school will automatically submit your MSPR to CaRMS on your behalf for you to assign.
If your MSPR is in a language other than the program language of English or French, you are required to have the document translated.
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.
Note: The same letter must be submitted with each site application.
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 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.
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 : 601 +
Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 76 - 100 %
File component | Criteria |
---|---|
CV | We do not evaluate this file component |
Electives | We do not evaluate this file component |
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) | Note: 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.
Introduction
The Kelowna Regional Site was established in July 2020.The Kelowna Regional site has five residency positions (4 CMG, 1 IMG).
The Kelowna Regional Site offers residents a chance to experience full-scope family medicine in a wide variety of settings.
Most of the residency experience is spent in Kelowna, a mid-sized city located in the beautiful Okanagan Valley. Kelowna is home to Kelowna General Hospital, a tertiary-care centre, as well as an integrated community of family physicians, specialists and allied health.
Residents at the Kelowna Regional site train alongside residents in the Kelowna Rural site, which was established in Kelowna over 30 years ago.
Residents in this program will receive broad-based training in Kelowna during their first year by rotating through a variety of foundational specialties (e.g., pediatrics, emergency) in both community- and hospital-based environments. All rotations incorporate the resident as a physician, and work as part of a team. Residents experience longitudinal family practice care with weekly half-days spent in community-based FP clinics in addition to a 12-week core family practice block. Additional R1 longitudinal experiences may be sought depending on a resident’s interests.
The R2 year includes family practice experiences in rural and urban settings as well as self-directed electives.
Kelowna Regional residents participate in an enhanced rural experience, spending 16 weeks in a rural community in BC/NWT chosen from a list that is updated year-by-year. This rural experience immerses residents in full-service family medicine, often with limited resources, and affords a level of autonomy and independence unlike the rest of residency. Residents also get to see first-hand how a family physician is a resource to their community.
Kelowna Regional residents spend another 4 months practicing family medicine in Kelowna or other nearby communities within the Central Okanagan. Residents are based in a family practice clinic with dedicated time to pursue elective experiences in the many areas of family medicine available in the medical community. One week of the regional rotation will be spent in addictions medicine.
Residents will have 4 months in their R2 year to pursue elective experiences in areas of focused interest or to meet self-identified learning goals.
The R2 year finishes in Kelowna with a 4-week ‘Transition to Practice’ block, spent back in the R1 family practice preceptors’ office, to further prepare trainees for entering practice.
Residents who will do well in the Kelowna Regional training experience are independent, self-directed, and adventurous. In the R2 year, responsibility is close to the level of a practicing family physician.
The Kelowna Regional site is an incredible opportunity to see family medicine in all of its aspects and settings.
Purpose / Objectives
As reflected in the Department's Mission Statement, we welcome applicants who are committed to meeting the needs of communities of all sizes—rural and urban—throughout British Columbia and Canada. We train residents to be prepared for full-service Family Practice, including Obstetrics. This site will prepare residents for family practice in any community size.
Guiding Principles:
The Kelowna Regional Training Site is ideal for residents that have:
PGY1 Overview
The PGY1 curriculum is block-based with residents streaming through foundational rotations during PGY1 year in both hospital- and community-based settings.
Rotation |
Duration |
Location / Notes |
Family Practice |
12 weeks (+ 0.5 day per week throughout year) |
Okanagan Valley community clinics |
Obstetrics/Gynecology |
6 weeks |
Kelowna General Hospital |
Pediatrics |
8 weeks |
Kelowna General Hospital |
Orthopedics / MSK |
3 weeks |
Kelowna General Hospital |
Substance Use |
1 week |
Kelowna General Hospital |
Emergency |
4 weeks |
Kelowna General Hospital |
General Surgery |
3 weeks |
Kelowna General Hospital |
Anesthesia |
1 week |
Kelowna General Hospital |
General Internal Medicine (Clinic Teaching Unit) / Hospitalist |
8 weeks |
Kelowna General Hospital |
Psychiatry |
4 weeks |
Kelowna General Hospital |
Electives |
2 weeks |
Location of Resident’s Choosing |
PGY-2 Overview
The PGY2 year is a mix of urban- and rural-based training in family practice with opportunities for resident-directed electives.
Rotation |
Duration |
Location / Notes |
Regional rotation |
16 weeks |
Community-based clinics in the Central Okanagan region and at Kelowna General Hospital |
Rural rotation |
16 weeks |
Rural community in British Columbia/NWT |
Electives |
12 weeks |
Location of Resident’s Choosing. Limit of one month out of province. |
Mandatory Emergency / Trauma / Acute Care Elective |
4 weeks (During Electives Block) |
Location of Resident’s Choosing. Limit of one month out of province. |
Transition to Practice |
4 weeks (June of PGY2) |
Central Okanagan family practice clinics |
Academic Days and Research
Residents attend mandatory academic activities – one half day per week. This includes academic teaching that is a mix of clinical case discussions, core topics, behavioral medicine, and hands-on practical sessions (SIM, suturing, POCUS). Residents are also expected to teach their peers during this time. There is also a portion of academic time dedicated to resident-led wellness initiatives. Second-year residents can join academic teaching available at their particular rural sites and through video-conferenced sessions from Kelowna, an ‘R2 Academic Week’ to help prepare them for licensing exams, and encouragement to join regular academic half-days during their 16-week Regional Okanagan rotation.
PGY1 Year:
PGY2 Year:
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