Applicants

The University of Alberta Experience

We pride ourselves on the quality of our programs and provide our trainees an unparalleled training experience. Explore all that PGME has to offer, with sixty-three (63) accredited core/primary specialty (direct entry) and subspecialty residency programs, five (5) accredited Area of Focused Competence (AFC) diploma fellowship programs, and 100+ fellowship programs, we offer something for everyone.

Our programs are designed to prepare you for practice by equipping you with the tools you need to offer patient-centred care, expand your knowledge, and hone your skills. Our faculty, inter-professional partners, and trainees of all levels bring a wide range of skills and cultural diversity that serve to enrich our programs and build connections for life.

We offer excellent training and innovative clinical experiences. With opportunities to train in a mixture of major urban tertiary care, community health, rural health, and family practice settings, our trainees work collaboratively with dedicated educators, researchers, clinical experts, and multi-disciplinary teams to provide the best possible care to our communities.

New to Edmonton?

Edmonton is a vibrant city full of festivals (more than 50/year!), restaurants and bakeries, the arts (theater, opera, ballet, galleries), sports facilities and teams (try surfing at our indoor wave pool or cheer on the Oilers NHL team), and boasts a rich multicultural community. The River Valley park is the largest urban park in Canada with more than 160 km of trails ready to explore by foot , bike, cross-country skis, paddle board, or canoe. Jasper or Banff, two beautiful national park communities known for skiing, hiking, and wildlife nestled in the Rocky Mountains, are each only a 3-4 hour drive away. As we are one of the sunniest places in Canada with long summers and many cloudless winter days, there is always an opportunity to take advantage of all of the activities Edmonton has to offer!

Residency

Residency training leads to certification by either the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). Residents at the University of Alberta work side-by-side with expert faculty members dedicated to teaching while serving a large and diverse patient population. Those pursuing research during residency will find opportunity, mentorship, and access to our in-house research training course. In one-on-one and group learning experiences, unique and customized learning environments, and dedicated patient care, our faculty support our residents in ensuring they develop as medical experts, communicators, collaborators, leaders, health advocates, scholars, and professionals to become well-rounded clinicians.

In addition to our specialty and subspecialty programs, we also offer the Clinician Investigator Program (CIP), which allows our residents to complete either a Masters or PhD while conducting research.

Fellowship

Fellowship training is post-certification training outside of the core specialty or subspecialty training requirements of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). With the exception of our RCPSC-accredited Area of Focused Competence (AFC) diploma fellowship programs, which can lead to a certificate from the RCPSC in specific areas of training, a fellowship cannot be credited toward national certification requirements and do not lead to any type of Canadian certification.

We offer a full breadth of clinical fellowships encompassed within surgical disciplines, pediatrics and neonatology, subspecialties within medicine, critical care, anesthesia, oncology, pathology, ophthalmology and so much more. Many of our fellowships occur within large academic hospitals with access to community hospitals and clinics who serve a large number and diverse patient population; as such, these fellowships lend themselves to rich learning experiences, unique training opportunities and academic/research achievements. Research Fellowships are also offered in select programs.

Observerships

Please note that Observerships, sometimes known as job shadowing, have no University of Alberta/PGME status. Observers do not register with PGME. Due to the high volume of requests that PGME receives on this topic, we ask that inquiries be directed to AHS Academic Medicine / Medical Affairs at EDM.AcademicMedicine@ahs.ca.

Clinical Medical Graduates may apply for the Physician Enhancement Program (PEP) offered by the Office of International Programs, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Alberta.

Otherwise, please consult the following for additional information:

• CPSA Advice to the Profession on Medical Practice Observation/Experience
• AHS Job Shadowing Policy