Resident Funding & Reimbursement

Residents have access to up to $900 per year in Resident Professional Development (RPD) funding for professional development and training purposes:

• Starting in the 2024-2025 academic year, the PGME office will be distributing the eligible allocation to each resident through Bear Tracks in the fall. Residents are eligible for $900 per appointment year. If program length is less than one year, these funds will be prorated to the number of months. Contingent on ministry funding, the maximum allowable amount per resident is equal to the standard length of the training program.

• By accepting these funds the resident is agreeing to only use the funds for eligible expenses. Residents must ensure their personal and banking information is current in Bear Tracks. It is the responsibility of each resident to keep receipts supporting the funding received and associated spending in case the University of Alberta requires documentation for audit purposes.

These funds are eligible for the following expenses:

• Educational conference and workshop expenses (registration, travel, accommodations).

• Textbooks.

• Educational and/or Stats Software.

• Professional memberships (if allows access to free or reduced cost professional development opportunities).

• Study guides and exam preparation course fees.

• Journal subscriptions.

• UpToDate.

These funds are ineligible for the following expenses:

• Fees and expenses for electives.

• Items of clothing (eg., lab coats, hoodies).

• Computer hardware.

• Expenses related to RCPSC or CFPC certificate exams (eg., exam fees, travel expenses, accommodations, etc).

• Equipment and devices such as stethoscopes and loupes.

• Mobile devices.

• Tuition.

Residents have access to up to $350 in funds that can be applied for from the Department of Pediatrics (DoP):

• These funds are available as a top-up amount in addition to the $650 from PGME. Unlike the $650, which will be directly deposited into the accounts of eligible residents through Bear Tracks or delivered via cheque, the $350 must be applied for by individual residents using the fund request and reimbursement process described below.

These funds are eligible for the following expenses:

• Conference and Workshop expenses (registration, non-airfare travel, accommodations)

• Textbooks

• Educational and/or Stats Software

• Professional memberships (if allows access to free or reduced cost professional development opportunities)

• Study guides and exam preparation course fees

• Journal subscriptions

• UpToDate

• Equipment and devices (e.g. stethoscopes, loupes, etc.)

• Costs associated with certification exams

• Costs associated with elective rotations

These funds are ineligible for the following expenses:

• Items of clothing (e.g. lab coats, hoodies)

• Computer hardware

• Mobile devices

• Tuition

Women & Children's Health Research Institute (WCHRI):

• Funding of up to $750 is available for in-training members to share their research outcomes in women and/or children’s health. Research outcomes supported through this program include in-person (oral or poster) abstract presentations at conferences and scientific sessions or publication in peer-reviewed journals. This funding program is non-competitive and offered as a benefit of WCHRI membership.

• Refer to the WCHRI website for eligibility and application information.

Prestigious Research Presentation Bursary:

• The Prestigious Research Presentation Bursary is open to all trainees in the Department of Pediatrics, to help off-set the costs related to presenting at a prestigious conference/meeting. In order to be eligible, trainees must exhaust PGME and WCHRI funds. There are up to ten bursaries available (with a maximum of $2000 per bursary) per academic year. Applications are reviewed and approved by the Stollery Fellowship Finance Committee a minimum of 60 days prior to conference/meeting, on a case by case basis. If approved, the amount of the bursary can only be used by trainees during their training year(s).

• Refer to the University of Alberta’s Prestigious Research Presentation Bursary info document for requirement info and use the Prestigious Research Presentation Bursary Application Form to apply for the bursary.

Department of Pediatrics Innovations Bursary:

• The DoP Innovations Bursary serves to support support innovative and scholarly activities that are not currently eligible for funding by other PGME or DoP grants.

• Refer to the Department of Pediatrics Innovations Bursary info document for eligibility and application information.

Your program may provide other funding outside of those listed above. Please check the Research Funding Resources page, and discuss with your Medical Education Program Coordinator (MEPC).

Step 1: Fill out Fund Request Form:

• Download a Fund Request form and complete it in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.

• Submit the Request Form to your Medical Education Program Coordinator to verify for appropriate expenses. The MEPC will obtain the required approval from the Program Director and submit the form to Pediatrics Finance (pedsfin@ualberta.ca), who will confirm funding availability, approve the expense, and provide the appropriate SpeedCode(s).

Step 2: Complete an Expense Claim on PeopleSoft:

• Ensure that Bear Tracks has your current address and personal information

• After the travel/expenditure has been incurred, head to the University of Alberta’s Enterprise Applications webpage and click on Financials to log in to PeopleSoft using your CCID and password.

• Submitting expense claims:

  • For travel-based expense claims, visit the University of Alberta’s Travel Expense Claims webpage and follow the instructions listed.

  • For non-travel-based expense claims, visit the University of Alberta’s Non-Travel Expense Claims webpage and follow the instructions listed.

  • Regardless of whether the expense claim is travel-based or non-travel-based, expense reports MUST NOT BE SUBMITTED prior to being reviewed by Finance.

• Once the expense report has been filled out, save your progress (DO NOT CLICK SUBMIT), and contact pedsfin@ualberta.ca to allow Finance to review your claim and advise you of any changes required prior to submission.

• Once Finance has reviewed your expense claim, and if no adjustments are required, they will notify you to submit your claim.

• You can expect to be paid for the amount you are claiming on the Wednesday following approval of the claim. Your reimbursement will be deposited to your bank account, providing that you have set up your banking details on Bear Tracks and you are an active employee.

• An itemized receipt or invoice must be attached, showing a detailed description of the goods/services, payment in full, and the method of payment, including the last 4 digits of a credit or debit card (if applicable).

• A PDF of your receipt is preferred over other file types such as images or documents because not all file types can be opened by the approvers or reviewers.

• Debit or credit card slips, unless accompanied by an itemized cash register receipt or invoice are NOT acceptable as a receipt.

• Credit card or bank statements are NOT acceptable as a receipt, unless used to support foreign exchange fees along with an invoice or detailed receipt.

• If you paid an expense in foreign currency, you will need to attach an itemized cash receipt or invoice showing payment in full in the foreign currency and a copy of the credit card or bank statement showing exactly what was charged by the vendor, converted to CAD funds.

• For travel-based expense claims, more details about the supporting documentation needed for each expense type can be found in the University of Alberta’s Travel Processes & Expense Procedure Appendix A: Schedule of Allowable Travel Expenses document.

• Request Forms for conferences are to be submitted at least 30 days prior to the date of travel.

• Expense claims for travel-based expenses must be submitted within 30 days upon completion of the specified trip or they become non-reimbursable.

• Expense claims for non-travel-based expenses that are over $100 CAD should be submitted within 90 days from the date the expense was incurred or by fiscal year-end, whichever comes first, or the expense will not be reimbursed.

• Small-dollar receipts and incidental charges should be compiled until a minimum threshold of $100 CAD, or a time period of 90 days is met.

• If expenses exceed the approved amount, enter and submit only up to the amount that was approved for funding. If you submit more than the approved amount, the claim will be sent back to you for revision, and your claim will be delayed.

• The total value of a single receipt for goods or services cannot exceed $500 CAD. Multiple receipts may be submitted on a single claim.

• All expenses incurred before Fiscal Year-end (March 31), must be submitted before March 31 or they will not be reimbursed.

• All expenses incurred after Fiscal Year-end but before Academic Year-end (June 30), must be submitted at-least 2 weeks prior to June 30 or they will not be reimbursed.