University of British Columbia - Family Medicine - Rural Immersion - Quesnel
2026 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream for CMG
Last approved on September 11, 2025
Summary of changesAccreditation status : Accredited
Provincial Criteria
300-5950 University Boulevard
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z3
Program Contacts
Important Information
Prospective residents should refer to the UBC Family Practice Postgraduate Program website for ongoing updates, deadlines and detailed information.
IMPORTANT: **In order to be considered for any sites in the Rural Immersion program you need to directly contact the co-site director, Dr. James Card, to express your interest at james.card@unbc.ca**
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.
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.
Supporting Documentation / Information
• Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence in Canada
• Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)
• Certificate of Indian Status / Aboriginal Status or Makivik Society Card
• Canadian Citizenship Card (both sides of card)
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.
• IELTS
• Occupational English Test (OET) - Medicine
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) - General
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:
- IELTS Academic - Minimum score of 7 in each component. IELTS scores are valid for a period of 2 years from the date taken.
- OET Medicine Examination - Minimum grade of B in each component. OET results are valid for a period of 2 years from the date taken.
- CELPIP General Examination - Minimum score of 9 in each component. CELPIP results are valid for a period of 2 years from the date taken.
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.
- Regardless of reference source, reference letters should speak to an interest in Family Medicine and aptitude for the discipline.
- Using anecdotal narrative, if possible, letters should provide evidence of attributes and abilities well suited for a career in Family Medicine.
- These attributes and abilities are also evaluated in our interview process (see interview criteria and components).
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.
- We will accept reference documents completed by any physician able to support the applicant’s candidacy.
- We will not require reference letters from physicians practising in the same discipline as the program.
- Applicants are required to submit two (2) reference documents but are permitted to submit up to the maximum of three (3).
Your medical school transcript can be submitted through one of the methods below:
- Obtain your medical transcript from your school and upload it directly to your CaRMS Online account. Follow your school’s policy regarding accessing or requesting your transcript;
- Ask your medical school to upload your medical transcript through their CaRMS Undergraduate Portal account; or
- International (IMGs) and United States (USMGs) medical graduates can transfer their transcript from their physiciansapply.ca account.
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:
- Candidates are strongly encouraged to include this supporting document when they apply to a rural site.
- Completion of the rural questionnaire will identify the applicant as someone with a special interest in rural training and practice.
- If you apply to both urban and rural sites, completion of the rural questionnaire will not prevent applicants from being considered for an urban placement.
- A score attributed to the questionnaire will be provided to Site directors at rural sites for consideration after the interview period. This will be a stand-alone metric and does not contribute to the total file review score.
- The following sites are considered rural and will use the rural questionnaire score when generating their site rank list:
- Kelowna Rural
- Kootenay Boundary
- Northern Rural
- Northwest - Terrace
- Northeast - Fort St. John
- Okanagan South
- Prince George
- Strathcona
- Rural Immersion
- Quw'utsun
- Note: Training at the Indigenous sites include about 50% rural training, but will not use the rural questionnaire in their ranking
Rural Questionnaire:
(Answer the following questions. Please write your responses under each question; 250 words max per question)
- Describe your personal rural background and/or rural involvement and experience, both prior to and during medical school.
- What has led you to apply for a residency in rural Family Medicine and why would you value a rural residency position?
- Describe the type of future rural practice that would fit you best.
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.
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
The national interview period is January 17-February 08, 2026.
UBC interviews will take place between the dates of January 17-27, 2026.
Please note that candidates will be interviewed once, regardless of number of training sites you apply to.
If you wish to add a new program/site to your rank list after your interview, you must update your CaRMS application by our Program deadline, January 28, 2026. This date will be posted here as soon as it is determined.
Any additional sites added to your application after this date will not be considered for ranking.
Important: you must also link your documents to any newly ranked site.
Regardless of the number of sites to which you apply, one final score will be generated after the interview.
If you are matched, the program will be unable to facilitate transfer from one site to another.
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
- To graduate residents who have developed the competencies needed to begin independent family practice in diverse community settings
- To deliver an effective academic, clinical and scholarly educational program
- To graduate residents who are inspired, resilient, and balanced
- To graduate residents who demonstrate evidence-based and reflective practice
- To provide working and learning environments that ensure residents, faculty and staff feel respected and supported
Selection process goals
- 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
- Identify individuals with a demonstrated solid foundation of clinical skills and clinical approach which equips them for Postgraduate Education training.
- Identify individuals who have consistent professional behavior; who interact appropriately with patients, colleagues and staff.
- 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
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. |
Elective criteria
Interview 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 |
Information gathered outside of CaRMS application
Specifically, we may consider:Ranking process
The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :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.
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.
**In order to be considered for any sites in the Rural Immersion program you need to directly contact the co-site director to express interest, james.card@unbc.ca**
Introduction
Hi, welcome to the Quesnel Rural Immersion site. The Rural Immersion program will be entering its third year and is unlike any other family practice residency site out there! If you see yourself practicing in a small rural community following graduation, or if you are looking to better hone the skills necessary to become a total clinician, please read on!
Why choose this site?
- more resident autonomy with a focus on flexibility
- more responsibility and hands-on training from the beginning and throughout the two-year residency, compared to other rotational schedules
- education that is tailored to smaller communities requiring a larger skillset, optimizing preparation for practice in those environments
-experience longitudinal medicine, where better understanding of care is developed and follow up with patients is ensured
- build strong relationships with your preceptors, patients, and local healthcare team in a smaller, close knit setting - you will be a member of the team, and a member of the community
- the opportunity to live in an amazing small rural community!
Description:
As a resident at this site you will be based in Quesnel for the duration of your residency. There will be opportunity for any needed experience in larger centers throughout the two years depending on exposure gaps identified. The learning is independent and autonomous, where schedules are developed alongside the family practitioners within the community.
Your residency experience is very much a unique individual training experience. Unlike other rotational components, the curriculum will be managed through a checklist approach, with overall objectives aligning with the other UBC sites. There are no specific or planned rotations. The curriculum will be achieved through an integrated longitudinal approach where residents work in numerous rural family practice roles (rural FPs do it all!).
It is anticipated that the vast majority of curriculum objectives will be achieved in Quesnel with rural family physicians training future rural family physicians!
The site would primarily be supported by the administration team based in Prince George [Prince George and Northern Rural]. There would be local administrative contacts as well. Academic time would be shared with the Prince George programs, with in-person attendance for hands-on sessions, and virtual attendance otherwise. Resident events such as the CARE course, scholar day, and resident retreats would be shared with the other two Prince George programs. As travel is more frequent in this stream, there is a more flexible approach to travel reimbursement. Quesnel is also involved in training medical students as a hybrid ICC sites, offering ample teaching opportunities for the resident. There is currently a FP R1 (will be R2 July 2026) based at the site as well as Quesnel.
Thanks for reading this through!
Please reach out with any questions. This is a great opportunity for applicants that are looking for a career in rural practice and want to be actively involved in helping to shape their own education by tailoring the residency experience towards their own learning goals.
Email me with any questions, james.card@unbc.ca
James
I am James Card, the co-site director for the Prince George, Northern Rural, and Rural Immersion Family Practice Programs. I am a Northern Medical Program graduate and a graduate of the Prince George Family Practice Residency Program. I am currently a rural physician with my clinical practice in the small community of Valemount. I am passionate about full-service family practice and Rural and Remote medicine and I love the North! It is my goal to create a program that excels in transitioning residents into competent and confident physicians for Northern and Rural British Columbia.
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. SIM sessions are frequently part of the weekly academic time.
In June of each year, residents will come together for a mandatory Site Specific Scholarship Day in Prince George.
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 our local [Prince George] scholarship Day.
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.
Training Sites
I am more than happy to provide information about any of the individual Rural Immersion communities. I'm also happy to connect you with one of the residents who are currently in the program across our multiple sites, including a current resident at the Quesnel site.
Please feel free to reach out to me by email:
james.card@unbc.ca
Summary of changes
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