Prospective residents should refer to the UBC Family Practice Postgraduate Program website for ongoing updates, deadlines and detailed information.
FMProC: Important timelines
For the 2026 residency selection cycle, all family practice residency programs in Canada require applicants to sit the FMProC for both rounds of CaRMS. FMProC assessments are valid only one admission cycle. For those who have previously taken the FMProC, they need to retake it if they are applying to family practice residency this cycle.
For all applicants, registration for this cycle’s FMProC opens September 10, 2025 (12 noon ET) and closes October 30, 2025 (12 noon ET). Test window is from October 23 (12 noon ET) to November 06, 2025 (12 noon 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.
Program application language: English
Resident selection for the UBC Family Practice Postgraduate 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 Practice Postgraduate Program is distributed into 23 unique sites and locations, candidates should apply to each site they are interested in. Applicants must submit the 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 documents listed above which must be notarized/certified as proof of the citizenship/permanent residency, and this is a requirement for all applicants. Photocopies are accepted, however documentation other than what is listed above will not be accepted. Proof of citizenship/permanent residency must be submitted to CaRMS by the File Review deadline. No allowances for late submission. Please see the R1 match CaRMS resource here for more information.
CMG applicants
Applicants who graduated from an English-speaking medical school in Canada (including McGill), are exempt from providing proof of language proficiency.
Candidates who attended medical school in Quebec or the University of Ottawa (Francophone stream) where the language of instruction 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 CaRMS Ranking Period.
Applications received by the CPSBC who do not meet the above requirements will require one of the following examinations:
Applicants must submit the proof of English language proficiency to CaRMS by the start of Ranking Period. Photocopies are acceptable.
Please note that results from these three examinations cannot be mixed. Candidates must meet all of the criteria in either the IELTS, OET or CELPIP examination.
Applicants are advised to review the CPSBC English Language Proficiency Requirements here: https://www.cpsbc.ca/files/pdf/REG-ELP.pdf
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 if your reference submits a traditional letter, it will not be reviewed and your application may be deemed incomplete.
Consistent with the AFMC measures established in response to the Québec physicians’ strike, we will implement the following accommodations for applicants from Québec faculties of medicine and for applicants from other Canadian faculties who had planned visiting electives in Québec during this time.
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.
For applicants from Québec faculties of medicine, as well as those from other Canadian faculties who had scheduled visiting electives in Québec during this period, we will accept incomplete MSPRs for file review and ranking purposes.
An incomplete MSPR is one that may be missing final assessments from placements expected to be completed by the date of submission but delayed due to the strike. A complete MSPR will not be required as a criterion for file review or ranking for these applicants.
Personal LetterFor this component, please reflect on your training and life experiences to help our program better understand your journey and insight, and how these have specifically prepared and affirmed your commitment to have a career in Family Medicine.
Provide a biographical letter (max. 750 words) that includes answers to the following questions:
1. What 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 personal letter is expected to be your own original work – an honest sample of your own writing skills and an authentic account of your own journey. The same letter must be submitted with each site application.
Rural Questionnaire:
Rural Questionnaire:
(Answer the following questions. Please write your responses under each question; 250 words max per question)
Note: You must upload your responses under 'Family Medicine Rural addendum/questionnaire'. Any responses submitted to 'Program questionnaire' or any other sections not relevant to Rural addendum/questionnaire will not be considered. As with the Personal Letter, your answers to the Rural Questionnaire are expected to be your own work.
Applications submitted after file review has opened on November 27, 2025
Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened on November 27, 2025
Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on November 27, 2025
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 a comprehensive and structured review process that includes the following components (and weights):
The ranking process follows this general flow:
Our teams of file reviewers and interviewers consist of the following representatives from our program’s many diverse sites:
All assessors are required to
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 | Not scored* |
| Electives | Not scored* |
| Examinations | Not scored* |
| Extra-curricular | Not scored* |
| Leadership skills | Not scored* |
| MSPRs | Not scored* |
| Personal letters | We score this file component. |
| Reference documents | We score this file component. |
| Research/Publications | Not scored* |
| Transcripts | Not scored* |
| Other file component(s) | * All file components are used when needed to assist in clarifying any professionalism and performance issues, and in corroborating content in the personal letter and references. |
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 Practice Postgraduate Program 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 Rural North West/Terrace UBC residency site is a community-based, longitudinal, integrated program which prepares residents interested in Rural Family Practice to be confident and competent. Most of our graduates are working in rural locations. We have built a program that emphasizes continuity, learning in the context of the rural environment, and stability.
Purpose / Objectives
Cutting edge medical education is now focusing on longitudinal integrated programs in distributed sites. The vision of the Northwest Family Practice Residency (NWFPR) is to offer high quality medical education in rural communities providing a broad spectrum of general and specialist medical care in an integrated program. This program will contribute to science, research and application of the four principles of Family Practice for the learners, faculty, and communities utilizing a “Triple C” Curriculum.
Our Mission is to provide a community-based postgraduate family practice residency program and undergraduate family medicine education in a regional centre affiliated with UBC, the Northern Medical Program, and the Northern Health Authority. This site will assist learners, enhance the professional environment for the faculty and staff, and improve the health care of North West BC citizens.
Program Objectives
PGY1 and PGY2 Overview
This two-year program is designed to train physicians interested in practicing in rural Canada. However, the program also suits physicians interested in acquiring a broad skill set useful in any community. The curriculum has been created to maximize the integration of the hospital, the office and the community work of the doctor. Both the first and second years will be longitudinally integrated to maximize clinical exposure and experiences as well as provide for some blocks of elective time. The curriculum will provide, in longitudinally integrated format, the approximate equivalent of:
|
Rotation |
Duration |
Location / Notes |
|
Family Medicine |
32 weeks |
including 8 weeks in an alternate community (Haida Gwaii, the Nass Valley or Hazelton) |
|
Emergency |
8 weeks |
|
|
Obstetrics/Gynaecology |
8 weeks |
|
|
Pediatrics |
6-8 weeks |
Includes 4-week Peds EM rotation at BCCH. |
|
Psychiatry |
4 weeks |
|
|
Internal Medicine |
8 weeks |
|
|
Surgery |
8 weeks |
Includes general surgery, anesthesia, and plastics. |
|
MSK |
4 weeks |
|
|
Electives/Selectives |
16 weeks |
|
Within the 32 weeks assigned to Family Practice, 8 weeks will be made available to work in a community other than the community of Terrace. In the R2 year, 4-8 weeks will be spent on either Haida Gwaii, the Nass Valley or Hazelton. For this reason, our site does not participate in the Rural Match.
To complement the required rotations, visiting specialty services and local expertise are available in ENT, Ophthalmology, Urology, Radiology, Neurology, Endocrinology, Rheumatology, Cardiology, Geriatrics, Medical Oncology, Palliative Care and Psychiatry.
Academic Days and Research
To complement the clinical experience, residents attend mandatory academic curriculum that includes Family Practice and specialty seminars, case presentations and workshops. These will be provided both locally and virtually to other UBC sites. Residents are also expected to attend and participate in medical staff educational rounds and the teaching of 3rd year medical students as Terrace is also home to one of the Northern Medical Program’s Integrated Community Clerkship sites
Residents attend mandatory academic activities; which includes two academic weeks per year supplemented by some academic half days. 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.
Once a year in the Spring, residents from our site will come together for a R2 Scholarship Day. In addition, R1's will be expected to complete a practice improvement project. Throughout the two years, residents must complete a scholar project and present their work at Scholarship Day. These events are "required attendance" days.
International Electives
Residents can do one month of interprovincial or international electives during the second year of 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.
Terrace
Located on the Skeena River, Terrace is known for its great recreational opportunities in areas such as sport fishing, hiking, mountain and road biking, skiing, kayaking, and boating. It is also artistically diverse supporting an art gallery, community concert series as well as the Pacific NW music festival. The region supports a diversified economy, with tourism being a major contributor. It is also culturally diverse with many Indigenous communities throughout the area.
Resources
The North West Health Services Delivery Area (NWHSDA), a region which extends from Smithers to Haida Gwaii and north to the Yukon border, provides health care to a population of approx. 80,000 in the northwest of British Columbia. The majority of the specialist care is centered around the three largest communities of Terrace, Prince Rupert and Kitimat with generalist medical services provided in the smaller communities of Smithers, Haida Gwaii, Hazelton and in affiliation with the Nisga’a, Haida and Gitxsan First Nations communities.
Terrace, Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Smithers, Queen Charlotte City, Massett and Hazelton have community hospitals while Stewart, Dease Lake, and the Nass Valley, have diagnostic and treatment centres. The Terrace site offers the flexibility of individualized program development for each Resident as well as the laddered approach to teaching, with the presence of ICC students at our site.
Terrace alone has about 20 family physicians working in outpatient clinics and 30 specialists providing services in General Surgery, Oncology, Pediatrics, Ob/Gyn, ENT, Ophthalmology, Psychiatry, Urology, Radiology, Internal Medicine and Anesthesiology, with Orthopedics provided in Kitimat and Prince Rupert. Visiting specialist services are provided in the areas of Psychiatry, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Rheumatology, Endocrinology and Pediatric sub-specialties.
Ksyen Regional Hospital is a brand dew, state-of-the-art facility that opened its doors in November 2024. It has approximately 40 acute care beds, 6 ICU beds and 10 regional Psych beds. Per annum, it also provides 28,000 ER visits, 300 deliveries, 17,000 inpatient days (including Psychiatry) and about 4,000 surgeries. In the community of Terrace there are about 500 GP visits per day.
The Residency program will be primarily located in Terrace with opportunities to practice in other centers. While the family practice residents will be based in Terrace for the majority of their time, they will need to travel to the other communities for some rotations so a vehicle equipped for winter, including snow tires, is required.
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