Admissions

Eligibility

We require all candidates to satisfy the following criteria:

  1. CCFP certification, or
  2. 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.

CMG Applicants

CMG applicants include current CMG R2s, and return-entry physicians (including IMGs who have completed their Return of Service).

 

Application Process (2024-2025 Intake)

Obstetrical Surgical Skills or Care of the Elderly Program

Both of these programs are currently still taking applications for the 2024-25 year from re-entry physicians. Please submit the requirements below to apply.

Application requirements:
  1. Completed Enhanced Skills Category 1 Application Form, which includes:
    • Current Curriculum Vitae
    • Personal Statement, stating reasons for desiring enhanced skills
  2. 3 Letters of Personal Reference in support of the requested training.
  3. 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 directly to Lindsay Gowland, Enhanced Skills Coordinator.

Clinician Scholar Program

This program is also currently taking applications for the 2024-25 year. Please view application form and requirements here.

All other Category 1 Programs

The remaining Category 1 Programs have been filled for the 2024-25 year. Applications for the 2025-26 year will open in August of 2024. Please refer to CaRMS for timeline and application details.

The formal application process for Category 2 programs has completed, but the program still has available funding in several areas. Please contact us if you are interested in applying - lindsay.gowland@familymed.ubc.ca

Application requirements:
  1. 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
  2. 3 Letters of Personal Reference in support of the requested training (should emailed directly to the Enhanced Skills Coordinator from the referee)
  3. 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.

IMG Applicants

Please note that all IMG applicants need to attain approval from their Ministry of Health prior to applying.

Application Process (2024-2025 Intake)

The 2024-25 Category 1 CaRMS match has now passed. Please refer to the CMG section above for information about unfilled spots.

IMG Applicants are eligible to apply to Category 1 programs once they are completing their Return of Service. Please note the following requirement:

  • Letter of Approval from Ministry of Health Return of Service Program giving approval to defer or pause their Return of Service commitment for the duration of the training. This letter must be attached in addition to any other required documentation on the CaRMS application

BC Applicants: To request approval and for all other questions regarding the specific IMG requirements, please contact the Ministry of Health: ReturnofService@gov.bc.ca 

The formal application process for Category 2 programs has completed, but the program still has available funding in several areas. Please contact us if you are interested in applying - lindsay.gowland@familymed.ubc.ca

Applicants require a letter from their Health Authority granting approval for the pause in their Return of Service commitment.

Application requirements:
  1. 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
  2. Letter of Approval from Ministry of Health Return of Service Program giving approval to defer or pause their Return of Service commitment for the duration of the training.
    BC Applicants: All BC IMGs interested in applying may contact the Ministry of Health at ReturnofService@gov.bc.ca to request approval.
  3. Letter of Approval from Health Authority giving approval to defer or pause their Return of Service commitment for the duration of the training
  4. 3 Letters of Personal Reference in support of the requested training (should emailed directly to the Enhanced Skills Coordinator from the referee). If a letter of community support is included, it can be considered as one of the 3 letters of reference.
  5. 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, including those from the Ministry of Health and Health Authority, 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.

The formal application process for Category 2 programs has completed, but the program still has available funding in several areas. Please contact us if you are interested in applying - lindsay.gowland@familymed.ubc.ca

Applicants require a letter from their Health Authority granting approval for the pause in their Return of Service commitment.

Application requirements:
  1. 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
  2. Letter of Approval from Ministry of Health Return of Service Program giving approval to defer or pause their Return of Service commitment for the duration of the training.
    BC Applicants: All BC IMGs interested in applying may contact the Ministry of Health at ReturnofService@gov.bc.ca to request approval.
  3. Letter of Approval from Health Authority giving approval to defer or pause their Return of Service commitment for the duration of the training
  4. 3 Letters of Personal Reference in support of the requested training (should emailed directly to the Enhanced Skills Coordinator from the referee). If a letter of community support is included, it can be considered as one of the 3 letters of reference.
  5. 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.

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.