Enhanced Skills
Our Enhanced Skills (PGY3) Program offers a wide range of options if you are a resident interested in pursuing additional training after your core 2-year Family Medicine Residency.
The Enhanced Skills program is a third year residency program meant to prepare family physicians who are responsive to the needs of their community. The program is designed to provide family medicine residents with training in a specific area they feel they require additional training in or training required to help them service a specific community need.
For more information on which programs offer rural / regional experiences, please see our programs information below.
Important Message about COVID-19
Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, McMaster DFM realizes clinical rotations including electives are dramatically affected. We understand this and know that applicants are concerned about their CaRMS applications being affected. According to our Best Practice in Application and Selection (BPAS) statements, electives function to demonstrate your diversity of training and academic excellence.
Given the broad scopes of practice our programs offer, there are many clinical rotation options that are applicable to each practice (Care of the Elderly, Emergency Medicine, Family Practice Anesthesia, Palliative Care, Sports Medicine). Any rotation is an opportunity to demonstrate academic excellence, either reflected in the evaluations, reference letters or your Program Director’s letter.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you have – Emergency Medicine Program contact: Melissa Hymers hymers@mcmaster.ca, all other programs contact: fmpgy3@mcmaster.ca
Admissions Deadlines
| 2021 Family Medicine/Enhanced Skills Match Timeline | |
| 4 August 2020 at 12:00 (noon) ET | Application Opens |
| 15 September 2020 at 12:00 (noon) ET | Applicant document submission deadline |
| 8 October 2020 | Interview status updates in CaRMS Online |
| 16 October 2020 – 30 November 2020 | National interview period (exact interview days by program TBD) |
| 16 December 2020 at 12:00 (noon) ET | MATCH DAY |
| For more details, please refer to https://www.carms.ca/match/family-medicine-enhanced-skills-match/applicants/timeline-fmes/ | |
Eligibility
The Enhanced Skills Program will review applications from current PGY2 residents who are registered in a Canadian Family Medicine Residency Program at the time of their application. Residents must start their PGY3 year within 12 months of completing their PGY2 year.
(Practicing physicians must apply separately through the Re-Entry Program of the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, and not directly to the university. Applications from practicing physicians will not be accepted for the Enhanced Skills Program. Please view information about the Re-Entry Program here. Different timelines apply to Re-Entry Applicants.)
For IMG applicants, please review information related to eligibility and ROS here
Program Options
Our Enhanced Skills Program offers a wide range of options for residents that would benefit from additional experiences in preparation for their future practice. Interested Residents in their second year will apply to either Category 1 or Self-Designed programs based on career intentions.
Category 1 programs are those designated by the CFPC as programs leading to a Certificate of Added Competence. The majority of these programs are offered in Hamilton (FPA excepted), but many offer elective opportunities in other urban settings and/or rural/regional contexts. For sample schedules, please see our program descriptions below.
Self-Designed are intended to help the resident gain additional experiences in an area of interest, or enhance learn skills designed to fill the needs of a rural / regional community. The department is committed to preserving the community-in-need focus of Enhanced Skills and to promote flexible specialized training options to allow our interested graduates to pursue practice opportunities in rural, remote and regional settings. NO Certificate of Added Competence at completion. All PGY2s are eligible to apply, independent of residency home-base.
Any Family Medicine PGY2 currently training in Canada, independent of residency location, is eligible to apply for any of our Enhanced Skills programs. For sample schedules, please see our program descriptions below.
| CATEGORY | PROGRAM | CERTIFICATE OF ADDED COMPETENCE | MONTHS / POSITIONS AVAILABLE |
PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTING |
| CATEGORY 1 | Care of the Elderly | Yes | 12 Months | Hamilton Area |
| Palliative Care | Yes | 12 Months | Hamilton Area | |
| Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) | Yes | 12 Months | Burlington / Hamilton | |
| Emergency Medicine | Yes | Five 12-Month Positions | Hamilton
KW Niagara |
|
| Anesthesia (FPA) | Yes | Two 12-Month Positions | Rural / Regional / Brantford / Hamilton | |
| SELF-DESIGNED | Rural/Regional Self-Designed | No | 3 – 6 Months (6 to 8 positions) |
Rural / Regional |
| Research / Scholarship | No | 12 months | Hamilton Area |
The Department is able to offer the rural / regional placements through its partnerships with ROMP and MacCARE. For further information on Rural/Regional program experiences offered, please see our rural/regional information page.
Please Note: All Enhanced Skills Category 1 Program applicants apply through CaRMS. Please see the CaRMS website for more information.
***Applications for the 2021/2022 year are not open yet***
For Self-designed programs, please save and fill out the Enhanced Skills Self-designed Program Application form and submit along with your CV and Letter of Intent-Please note: The PDF form is not fill-able when opened in your web browser. Please make the subject line of your submission “last name, first name – 2021/2022 Application”. You will also need to have a letter of support from your Program Director and two letters of reference sent directly to us. If you have any questions, please contact our Education Team at fmpgy3@mcmaster.ca.
Checklist:
- Updated Curriculum Vitae – including any advanced life support courses and electives
- Completed Application Form
- Letter of Intent including the following:
- Your goals and objectives for the program
- How the added experience will fit with your future practice needs
- The ways you might be better enabled to contribute to the community, the Department of Family Medicine, or the discipline of Family Medicine in general
- Letter of Support from your Program Director (or Site Director, where more appropriate) which speaks to your academic performance and professionalism*
- Two letters of support from referees who can speak to your professionalism and interpersonal skills*
*Please have reference letters sent directly to the following via mail or e-mail:
Department of Family Medicine
c/o Connie Shen – Enhanced Skills Application
David Braley Health Sciences Centre
100 Main Street West, 2nd Floor
Hamilton, ON L8P 1H6OR
Email: fmpgy3@mcmaster.ca
Do I need to have elective in the field I wish to apply for?
Electives are not required but are strongly encouraged where possible to gain exposure and test your interests in a certain area of focus.
I am a practising physician outside of Canada. Can I apply?
The Ministry of Health and Long Term care will only provide funding for residents and physicians who are either practising in Canada, or are completing their residency in Canada.
What is the difference between Category 1 and Category 2 / Self-Designed programs?
Category 1 programs lead to a Certificate of Added Competence, as recognized by the CFPC.
If I want to practice in a rural setting afterwards, which programs will support that goal?
Our Self-Designed programs are designed to provide a resident with the skills and experience to support a rural / regional practice. Discussions with your Program Director will help determine which experience will best suit your interests and the needs of the community in which you hope to practice.
For more information, please see our programs page or contact Fmpgy3@mcmaster.ca
