FAQ

1. WHEN WILL I BE NOTIFIED OF AN INVITATION TO INTERVIEW?

All applicants, whether successful or not, will receive notification on January 27, 2023.

2. WILL I KNOW WHO MY INTERVIEWERS ARE PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW?

You will not have information with respect to your interviewers prior to the start of your interview.

3. IS THERE A CHIEF RESIDENT OR ANOTHER RESIDENT I CAN CONTACT WITH RESPECT TO PROGRAM-RELATED QUESTIONS?

The program offers live sessions (listed under the Live Session page) where you will have the chance to ask questions. If you are unable to attend the sessions and cannot find answers on this website or in the program description, please forward your question to Kristen at imadmin@uvic.ca. Your questions will be forwarded to one of the Chief residents.

4. IF I AM NOT SHORTLISTED HOW CAN I APPEAL TO HAVE MY FILE REVIEWED AGAIN?

Files are not re-reviewed . The Department of Medicine receives a large number of excellent candidates and it is extremely difficult to develop a shortlist. We do feel, however, that we have developed excellent criteria for development of a shortlist. We receive many requests from applicants asking us to review their files again and out of fairness to all applicants will decline to do this.

5. MY REFEREE HAS NOT SENT MY REFERENCE LETTER TO CARMS BY THE DEADLINE DATE. CAN I SEND YOU A HARD COPY?

We do not take hard copies of any file materials. The selection process is completely electronic. No paper copies are printed and our faculty work directly from the electronic CaRMS site.

6. I WILL BE IN VANCOUVER FOR AN ELECTIVE PRIOR TO THE INTERVIEW DATES. IS IT POSSIBLE TO SET UP AN INTERVIEW AT THAT TIME?

No interviews will be set up prior to the shortlisting process or the formal interview dates. Our process is intended to be equitable to all applicants.

7. IS THERE ANY SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR THE PERSONAL LETTER?

The personal letter should demonstrate an awareness of Internal Medicine, the UBC program and its distributed site here on Vancouver Island (Victoria).

8. IF MY PERSONAL LETTER IS LONGER THAN THE REQUESTED ONE PAGE WILL IT NEGATIVELY IMPACT MY APPLICATION?

No - UBC, however, receives over 200 applications each year and we are attempting to keep the paperwork down to a minimum for the file reviewers. Please keep your personal letter to one standard page, single spaced. The Vancouver Island (Victoria) program receives a large number of applications and we appreciate your skills in being brief.

9. WILL THE INTERVIEWERS HAVE ACCESS TO MY FILE ON THE INTERVIEW DAY?

No - the files will already have been reviewed and scored. The interview scoring is based solely on the interview.

10. I HAVE HEARD A RUMOUR THAT UBC RANKS THEIR OWN TRAINEES FIRST. IS THIS CORRECT?

No - UBC has never had a policy of ranking their students first. We believe in ranking the best applicants we can regardless of where they trained.

11. IS IT EASY TO FIND RESEARCH MENTORS AND OPPORTUNITIES?

Our research office assists residents in connecting with faculty with related research interests.

12. IF I HAVE FAMILY COMMITMENTS WILL I STILL BE REQUIRED TO DO ROTATIONS AWAY FROM THE LOWER MAINLAND AREA?

Yes - all residents are expected to do mandatory and mandated rotations in Vancouver and community block on Vancouver Island outside of Victoria.

13. WHAT IS THE CURRENT ACCREDITATION STATUS OF YOUR PROGRAM.

The UBC Postgraduate Program (which includes Vancouver Island site) is fully accredited.

14. HOW MUCH OUT OF PROVINCE ELECTIVE TIME IS ALLOWED?

Three months during the core three years of training. This is negotiable for special requests.

15. HOW MUCH RESEARCH TIME IS ALLOWED?

Three months during the core three years of training.

16. HOW MANY RESIDENTS CURRENTLY IN THE PROGRAM?

We currently have 165 Core Medical Residents. The Vancouver Island (Victoria) program currently has 15 core residents.

17. ARE FELLOWSHIP POSITIONS GUARANTEED?

Residents are guaranteed four years of funding. Fellowship positions are competitive and residents are not guaranteed of a position at UBC.