Eligibility
We require all candidates to satisfy the following criteria:
- CCFP certification, or
- Eligibility for CCFP certification (current or expected to be obtained within the Enhanced Skills (ES) residency year); that is, a resident in their final year of FM residency, or a physician who is practice-eligible to sit the CFPC certification examination during the ES residency year.
Applications will be considered and approved in the following priority order according to training time and training spots available:
- Licensed physicians practicing in British Columbia for a minimum of 6 months seeking to develop enhanced skills to meet an identified community need.
- Physicians straight from a UBC residency program with an interest in a particular area of enhanced skills where there is a clear and urgent identified need (eg. addictions medicine) with or without links to a specific community.
- Out-of-province requests (Please note: The postgraduate programs of the Department of Family Medicine do not accept Visa trainees)
Note on funding:
Please note that Enhanced Skills is a third year residency program. Trainees are paid at the R3 level according to the Resident Doctors of BC Collective Agreement. Besides salary and benefits, residents training for 12 weeks or longer also receive some educational funding.
Residents are not paid to re-locate during their training. Category 1 residents are reimbursed for mandatory travel outside their home site, in accordance with the PGME Resident Mandated Travel and Reimbursement Policy. Category 2 residents do not generally qualify for mandatory travel reimbursement. If you have questions about travel reimbursement, please clarify before beginning your training.
Please visit our FAQ page for answers to some common admissions-related questions.
Application Process (2022-2023 Intake)
The application deadlines for the 2022-2023 academic year have passed. We do take late applications for certain Category 2 programs if spots are unfilled. Please contact the Enhanced Skills Coordinator Lindsay Gowland to inquire about late submissions.
Application Process (2023-2024 Intake)
Please note that the following Category 1 programs have now moved to a CaRMS selection process: Family Practice Anaesthesia, Care of the Elderly, Obstetrical Surgical Skills, Sport & Exercise Medicine, Palliative Care (year long program). For timelines, please visit the CaRMS Family Medicine Enhanced Skills match page.
The Clinician Scholar Program will not be matched via CaRMS. Please see application form.
Timeline:
Applications open: July 1, 2022
Applications close: November 15, 2022
Acceptance notification: December 14, 2022
Deadline for acceptance: January 9, 2022
Application requirements:
- Completed Enhanced Skills Application Form, which includes:
- Current Curriculum Vitae
- Personal Statement, stating reasons for desiring enhanced skills, the skill area desired, the amount of training time requested, and identification of specific community need
- Current Curriculum Vitae
- 3 Letters of Personal Reference in support of the requested training (should emailed directly to the Enhanced Skills Program office from the referee)
- Letter of Community Support (from hospital Chief of Staff, Chair of the CHC etc.) identifying the need and confirming the willingness of the community to utilize the skills of the physician once acquired. This letter is helpful but not absolutely required.
Please have all supporting letters sent via email to Lindsay Gowland, Enhanced Skills Coordinator.
Selection Process
Candidates will be selected based upon their personal merits, commitment to their community, and ability to meet community needs. Letters of support from members of the community (regional health board, hospital CEO, etc.) and local physicians, confirming the need and affirming support for the candidate in pursuit of these skills are an optional addition to the application package.
Please note that interviews are not held for our Category 2 Programs unless there are an extraordinary number of applicants. This means that you may not hear from us until notifications are sent out in December.
APPLICATIONS FOR 2023-2024 TRAINING FOR IMG APPLICANTS OPENS JULY 1, 2023
Enhanced Skills is now able to offer short term (up to 3 months) Category 2 opportunities to IMG grads from the UBC Family Practice Residency Program. These training opportunities are only available from March - June 2024.
Timeline:
Applications open: July 1, 2023
Applications close: September 30, 2023
Acceptance notification: October 16, 2023
Deadline for acceptance: October 31, 2023
Application requirements:
- Completed Enhanced Skills Application Form for IMG Applicants, which includes:
- Current Curriculum Vitae
- Personal Statement, stating reasons for desiring enhanced skills, the skill area desired, the amount of training time requested, and identification of specific community need
- Current Curriculum Vitae
- 2 Letters of Personal Reference in support of the requested training (should be emailed directly to the Enhanced Skills Program office from the referee)
- Letter of Community Support (from hospital Chief of Staff, Chair of the CHC etc.) clearly identifying the community need and confirming the willingness of the community to utilize the skills of the physician once acquired (should be emailed directly to the Enhanced Skills Program office from the referee)
- Letter from the Ministry of Health authorizing the release of the resident from their Return of Service agreement for a period of up to 3 months (should be emailed directly to the Enhanced Skills Program office from the referee)
- Letter from previous Family Practice Site Director confirming the completion of the residency program in good academic standing (should be emailed directly to the Enhanced Skills Program office from the referee)
Please have all supporting letters sent via email to Lindsay Gowland, Enhanced Skills Coordinator.
Please note, you can only match to a single Category 1 program through CaRMS. Should you match to a Category 1 program through CaRMS, this is a binding contract and you will need to relinquish or decline any subsequent Category 2 offers you receive. Should you receive and accept a Category 2 offer PRIOR to the CaRMS rank order list deadline, you will need to withdraw from the CaRMS match. Between the rank order list deadline and match day, you cannot accept any Category 2 offers. Any circumvention of this policy will result in a match violation and may result in disciplinary actions.