Program Contacts

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Important Information

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. 

 

 

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General Instructions

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.

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Supporting Documentation / Information

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Review Process

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

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Interviews

Dates:

• January 17, 2026
• January 19, 2026
• January 20, 2026
• January 21, 2026
• January 22, 2026
• January 23, 2026
• January 24, 2026
• January 26, 2026
• January 27, 2026

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 a comprehensive and structured review process that includes the following components (and weights):  

• file review (20%),  

• standardized MMI interview (75%) 

• FMProC score (5%).  

The ranking process follows this general flow: 

• The file review determines whether an interview is offered.  

• Scores from the file review, MMI, and FMProC are used to calculate each applicant’s overall global score. 

• A global rank order list is created from the overall global scores. 

• The global rank order list is given to each site.  

• Some sites will use this as their own final rank order list, while some sites may make their own adjustments to this list based on local site selection committee deliberation. Please also see the “Information gathered outside of CaRMS application” section below. 

Our teams of file reviewers and interviewers consist of the following representatives from our program’s many diverse sites: 

• clinical faculty 

• faculty leadership (including the Program Director) 

• senior administration 

• senior residents from our program’s many diverse sites.  

All assessors are required to  

• complete Implicit Bias and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) training within the last two years 

• declare any Conflicts of Interest 

• sign Confidentiality Agreements per applicable UBC policies. 

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

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
Other : Demonstrated community engagement or community connection to the Kootenay Boundary region may be considered in the final site rank list.

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 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

• 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, Quesnel)
• Terrace (Rural Northwest)
• Indigenous

 

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

The Kootenay Boundary Program is ideal for a highly motivated and independent resident who is comfortable living and working in rural, isolated sites. It is located 630 km from Vancouver. Travel between several of the training locations and communities is required, and so experience in mountain winter driving conditions and having a 4-wheel/AWD drive vehicle is essential. The area is remote and often difficult to access by air, especially in the winter, so an understanding of the difficulties in traveling to and from the site must be appreciated. The site attracts residents who are motivated to practice in isolated areas, who enjoy what rural life has to offer, and who seek the challenges of experiential, independent, self-directed learning. Our residents thrive on trying new things and being flexible and willing to adapt. While the area excels in offering premier recreational and outdoor activities, as well as artistic and musical events, it may not suit those who are more comfortable with greater cultural opportunities and more diverse social networks.

The first year of the program delivers the majority of the curriculum in the two communities of Trail and Nelson (70 km distance), and so significant driving is involved. This involves having to stay away from a primary residence to participate in on-call responsibilities. The residents are attached to family practice clinics clustered around Nelson and Trail but must travel between the two sites for structured learning opportunities delivered in both Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital and Kootenay Lake Hospital. At the end of the first year, a two-month remote rural rotation is undertaken in the communities of Grand Forks and Nakusp, and residents will need to live in these communities during this time. The second year gives residents the opportunity to customize their learning opportunities to each site, but realistically significant travel will still be involved.

Residents who do well in our program enjoy self-directed learning, meaning they are comfortable working in a hospital where they need to take the initiative to get involved with patient care to meet their personal learning needs. In the R1 year, because we are not a full service-based hospital, the level of responsibility may be less on some rotations compared to other programs, but in the R2 year, responsibility is closer to the level of a practicing rural physician, with the support of preceptors. Residents need to be able to motivate themselves in the R1 year so that they are not overwhelmed in the R2 year.

Residents who struggle in our program tend to be those who have difficulty being away from their partner or family. Travel to and from a larger center is often arduous and complicated by weather conditions, and so weekend trips away are difficult to arrange. Due to the remote locations and travel involved, it is preferable that a resident’s partner or family be mobile and able to move with them.

Our program delivers curriculum in a mainly block format over two years with the first year involving more structured learning in acute presentations and management and the second year allowing more flexibility for electives and focuses on individual learning requirements for competency.

The final 10 weeks of the program are in the Family Practice Home Clinic with a goal of supporting residents in learning all of the skills inherent in working in Community Family Practice.

Family physicians primarily deliver the program in their private offices, and in several rural, community and regional hospital settings and a variety of other outpatient community healthcare clinics and facilities, e.g., Primary Maternity Care, Mental Health and Chronic Pain Clinics, and Geriatrics in residential care centers. The specialty core content is delivered by a supportive contingent of specialists who work directly with family physicians.

The resident will be based in a family practice clinic with one or two preceptors for the full two years and will be rotated through more rural family practice clinics during scheduled rural elective blocks to broaden their experience. After an initial two months based in family practice, on a weekly basis, the resident will spend a one day every two weeks in the family practice office and will be encouraged to develop their own “mini-practice.” The remainder of the week is allocated to specialty exposure or tailored learning needs.

Purpose/Objectives

As reflected in the Department's Mission Statement, we welcome applicants who are committed to meeting the rural medical needs of British Columbia and Canada. We train residents to be prepared for full-service family practice including obstetrics and inpatient care. This site specifically trains residents to practice in rural areas, utilizing experienced and community-based faculty as mentors.

Principles

• We provide community-based training.
• We encourage experiential learning in an academically monitored environment. 
• We foster self-confidence and skills necessary to allow graduates to function effectively in a rural practice setting.
• We encourage residents to learn how to balance their personal needs with the demands of rural practice.
• We are committed to ongoing evaluation of the outcome and effectiveness of a rural training program.

 

Rural Training Program

A rural training program is ideal for you if you have:

• Motivation to practice in rural, remote locations;
• Commitment to meet the medical needs of these types of communities;
• Understanding of and an interest in family medicine;
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and also the ability to be self-directed;
• Reference letters which attest to your ability and interest in family medicine, as well as your specific interest in rural medicine;
• A willingness to live in a geographically isolated region of the province and to travel to several remote rural sites for training;
• The ability to adapt to learning in a non-traditional non-academic center;
• The ability to function psychologically and socially in remote settings;
• The ability to take rational risks ('Rational Risk Takers'), while maintaining a sense of professionalism; and
• A strong sense of social justice and accountability.

PGY1 and PGY2 Overview

We take a total of 5 residents each year. 3 residents will have “Trail” as their home site and 2 will have “Nelson”. Residents will complete the same core rotations whether they are “Trail” or “Nelson” residents. The main difference is the site at which ER call will be taken when on Family Practice blocks.

Core Rotations	"Trail (KBRH) Resident"	"Nelson (KLH) Resident"
Family Practice (home) clinic	20 weeks	20 weeks
ER (Castlegar)	2 weeks	2 weeks
ER (Nelson - KLH)	2 weeks	4 weeks
ER (Trail - KBRH)	4 weeks	2 weeks
IM (KBRH)	2 weeks	2 weeks
Hospitalist (KBRH)	4 weeks	4 weeks
IM (KBRH)	4 weeks (2 wks focus on inpt IM)	4 weeks (2 wks focus on inpt IM)
ICU  (KBRH)	4 weeks	4 weeks
Surgery (2 weeks Ortho,+2 weeks Anes - KBRH; 2 week surgery selective (may be local or OOR)	6 weeks	6 weeks
Gyne (KBRH)	2 weeks	N/A
Family Practice OB (Aspen – KBRH)	4 weeks	4 weeks
Gyne (KLH)	N/A	2 weeks
Obstetrics (High Volume) BCWH	2 weeks	2 weeks
Peds NICU (RIH - Kamloops)  Peds ER (BCCH)	2 weeks 2 weeks	2 weeks 2 weeks
Pediatrics (Trail/Nelson)	*4 weeks	*4 weeks
Pain Management/Addictions (Nelson)	2 weeks	2 weeks
Mental Health (KBRH)	4 weeks	4 weeks
FP Oncology (Nelson/Trail)	2 weeks	2 weeks
Rural Remote (Grand Forks) Rural Remote (Nakusp) (each resident will do 8 weeks at one of these two sites)	8 weeks	8 weeks
First Nations	1 week, 1 month, or 2 months	1 week, 1 month, or 2 months
*Procedures Course (yearly for R2s)	1 week	1 week
*Academic Week (2 per year) (KB)	4 weeks	4 weeks
*Exam Prep - R2	1 week	1 week
*Practice Management (KB) - R2	1 week	1 week
Elective (4 wks can be out of province)	17 weeks	17 weeks
Total Weeks	104	104
Home Clinic - throughout all rotations while in region	Home Clinic - throughout all rotations while in region	Home Clinic - throughout all rotations while in region
*Academic Day (Site varies)	Full day once a month	Full day once a month
*Research and Scholarship	6 Half day sessions in R1	6 Half day sessions in R1
On Call (1 in 4 while in KB) - residents will work in ER 6-11 pm in their home community (KLH or KBRH) while on FP blocks and will work in ER when on speciality service if there is no service specific work/call available	In hospital 18:00-23:00	In hospital 18:00-23:00

• KBRH=Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital
• KLH=Kootenay Lake Hospital
• OOR=Out of Region
• *Academic/Non-Clinical Content

Highlights of Kootenay Boundary Site

• Lots of ER exposure!
• Flexibility to tailor call to your interest
• Generous elective time
• Minimal competition with other learners
• ICC ( 3rd year Medical Students) program allowing for resident teaching
• Fantastic Medical Staff across the region who are dedicated teachers and extremely collegial with each other
• Strong support from our local Divisions of Family Practice
• A unique area to practice medicine, with socially progressive citizens in a rural area.
• Both our patients and our specialist colleagues view Family Physicians as the backbone of health care
• A growing community of former residents working across the KB
• Obviously, the great outdoors!

Academic Days and Research

Residents attend mandatory academic activities – usually 1 full day per month. 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 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

The Kootenay Boundary area has a total population of approximately 80,000 and is located about 650 kms east of Vancouver and 650 Km west of Calgary in the West Kootenay Boundary Region of South Eastern B.C. It is nestled between the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges and is close to numerous rivers and lakes.

The very scenic West Kootenay is renowned for being an outstanding outdoor recreational area and is a destination site for all types of skiing with two well- known Ski Resorts (Red Mountain and Whitewater), extensive cross country ski trails and it is a mountain biking mecca. Road cycling, kayaking, fishing and a water sports are also major recreational sporting activities as is backcountry hiking –e.g. The Seven Summits Hike is listed as one of the top ten things to do in BC. This vacation paradise is appreciated for a multitude of other recreational activities such as paddling, fishing, rafting, hockey, softball, hiking, golfing, or simply relaxing at the lake or soaking in natural hot springs and attending many popular music festivals.

 

Resources

The Family Practice Residency Program is supported by all the of The Kootenay Boundary, 4 hospitals, one being a regional referral hospital, three community hospitals, and three community health care centers with ED facilities. There are several extended care and long term care facilities.

Primary care is delivered in Family Practice Clinics, Primary OB Clinics and there are Mental Health and Addictions Clinics and a variety of Chronic Disease Management Clinics. The Site and program are supported and endorsed by the local Divisions of Family Practice.

 

Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (KBRH - Greater Trail Area – population 19,000)

• 75 acute care beds and the regional referral hospital with 25,000 inpatient visits per year
• Six bed ICU/CCU
• 50 medical/surgical beds and 5 active ORs
• 12-bed Psychiatric Unit, 4 Pediatric, and 3 Birthing rooms with 4- bed special care nursery, regional 6-bed Renal Dialysis Unit

 

Kootenay Lake General Hospital (KLH – Nelson – population 26,000)

• 36 acute care beds with 1700 inpatient visits per
• Maternity Unit with three delivery suits and birthing tub, and 24/7 obstetrical and anesthesia consultation support with more than 320 births a year.
• Emergency Department with two resuscitation bays, four fast-track chairs, eight assessment beds, one seclusion room, one reverse isolation room, one ENT room, and one gyne room with 11,000 visits per year

 

Boundary & District Hospital (BDH – Grand Forks – population 8,791)

• 12 acute care beds with 600 in patient visits per year
• A busy emergency department with 8,500 visits per year
• A community hospital staffed by family physicians with advanced skill

 

Arrows Lake Hospital (ALH – Nakusp – population 4,866)

• Six acute care beds with 240 in patient visits per year
• An emergency department located in an isolated rural area that provides urgent care and often stabilization for transfer of critically ill patients with 2500 visits per year

 

Castlegar Community Health Center (Castlegar – population 13,725)

• A busy emergency department with over 11,000 visits per year
• Services provided by family physicians with advanced skills