Residency Program Roles

Faculty Advisors

Each resident must have a Faculty Advisor. In many cases the role of preceptor is merged with that of advisor, but all residents have the option of having an advisor who is not directly responsible for assessing that resident. 

The role of the faculty advisor is to:

• 1. Orient the resident to the discipline of family medicine

  2. Discuss with the resident the program objectives and the resident’s own learning objectives, and design an appropriate educational plan

  3. Review this plan regularly and assist the resident in finding the resources within the program necessary to meet his or her unique learning needs

  4. Help the resident:

     • • • • • a) Reflect on program choices to be made

             • b) Understand assessment feedback

             • c) Set and revise learning objectives

             • d) Define career plans

 The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), Specific Standards for Family Medicine Residency Training Programs Accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (2016). Retrieved from http://www.cfpc.ca/Residency_Program_Accreditation/

Site Administrators

Each site has a designated Site Administrator. The Administrator acts as a liaison between the department and the site, and is the first point of contact for residents. Administrators communicate and coordinate regularly with departmental Program Assistants. Their responsibilities vary slightly per site, but generally include ensuring the daily operations are carried out smoothly, implementing and managing resident training schedules and evaluations, arranging academic training, tracking resident rotations, and processing necessary departmental paperwork on behalf of residents, such as vacation and leave requests.

Program Adaministrators (FMPA)

As residents progress through their program, the Program Administrator is responsible for monitoring the overall advancement of each resident through their individual program. Liaising primarily with Site Administrators, Academic Coordinators, Resident Support, PGME, and maintaining occasional communication with individual residents, the Program Administrators track and provide assistance in ensuring residents successfully complete their program requirements.

Integrated Curriculum Administrator

The Integrated Curriculum Administrator coordinates, maintains, and supports the integrated blocktime and related activities in the family medicine curriculum. The Integrated Curriculum Administrator also coordinates a variety of workshops and other activities, MSK, and general horizontals.

Enhanced Skills Administrator 

The  Enhanced Skills Administrator supports the overall Enhanced Skills program as well as the individual programs of Family Practice Anesthesia, Family Medicine Addictions Medicine and Family Medicine Emergency Medicine.

Reproductive and Sexual Health Administrator

The RSH Admin supports the overall Reproductive and Sexual Health component of the program, which includes the longitudinal integration of women's health throughout the Family Medicine residents' first year.  They are also responsible in attending to both the undergraduate medical students and second year residents who are interested in exposure and experience under the umbrella of Reproductive and Sexual Health.   

Resident Support Administrator

The Support Administrator works closely with the Assistant Program Director-Resident Support and the Program Director in all activities related to supporting resident health and well-being during residency.

CFPC & eCBAS Administrator

CFPC Administrator works to ensure accuracy and alignment of the program with the CFPC standards of residency training and ongoing quality improvement. Additionally, the Administrator helps maintain the eCBAS platform. 

Residency Coordinator

The Residency Coordinator is responsible for the management of the day-to-day administration of the Residency Program. Emphasis is placed on being a resource person to the Director, as well as to program staff and family medicine residents. The Coordinator also interacts externally with a variety of agencies such as the Canadian Resident Matching Service, College of Family Physicians of Canada, Alberta International Medical Graduate Program, and individuals interested in applying to the Family Medicine residency program. Along with the assistance of the residency team, the Coordinator plans activities such as seminars, evaluation processes, recruitment, references, and committees. The Coordinator also completes scheduling for the first year residents.

Site Directors

The primary function of a Site Director is to manage the clinical, educational and administrative activities occurring on site and with any affiliated community based clinics. Working with the Site Administrators, Faculty Advisors, and preceptors, a Site Director oversees the implementation of required educational activities, training opportunities, and necessary support. Liaising with the Assistant Program Directors and the Program Director, Site Directors play a comprehensive role in ensuring there is continuity in programming and objectives are achieved.

Assistant Program Directors, Urban and Distributed

The role of an Assistant Program Director involves working primarily with the Program Director, other Assistant Program Directors, and the Site Directors in managing various aspects of the residency program such as: site assessments and teaching; monitoring and assisting residents and preceptors with the full range of activities, including difficulties; and addressing and managing issues arising from specific academic and clinical experiences. Assistant Program Directors are also deeply involved with the residency operations and execution of successful programming.

Assistant Program Director, Resident Support

This role involves identifying residents who may be struggling followed by coordinating the appropriate resources and implementing actionable plans. Residency is a demanding and comprehensive program and a resident’s success can be affected by academic, medical or personal challenges. By recognizing these challenges early on and working closely with faculty advisors, the Office of Advocacy and Wellbeing (OAW) and the Postgraduate office, the program strives to provide added support and guidance when needed in order to train safe and competent family physicians.

Program Director

The Program Director is responsible for overseeing all educational activities and programs within the family medicine residency program. Working directly with the Assistant Program Directors, the academic staff, the administrative staff, and the site directors of all distributed sites, the Director is involved with several aspects of the department’s planning and operations such as resident admissions, assessments, and competencies; advisor and preceptor instruction and feedback; developing and reviewing new and existing programming and policies; academic research and development; and other activities.