Starting Training

photo of three learners in scrubs sitting and looking at a notebook together

Starting Postgraduate Medical Training

Welcome to Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Alberta! Our goal is to ensure you have a smooth transition into residency, AFC training, or fellowship.

Starting PGME Training

Welcome from the Associate Dean, PGME

Welcome! The University of Alberta respectfully acknowledges that we are situated on Treaty 6 territory, the traditional lands of First Nations and Métis people. We are a school serving the North, and as such, we welcome the diversity of your backgrounds as you represent the diversity in our patient population.

You are a valued addition to our Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, and we hope you will assist us in our continued efforts to enable our values of equity and inclusion. We support the work of our certifying bodies, The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), in their initiatives in Indigenous Health.

On behalf of everyone in the PGME office, I extend to you a warm welcome as you embark on the next phase of the journey in your medical career.

Lawrence Cheung, MD, MMEd, FRCPC
Associate Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education
Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta

Our Mission

Our mission is to produce competent, caring physicians who will meet the needs of society and through research training, contribute to the development of new knowledge. To do that, we assist in the educational planning and functioning of more than 60 postgraduate programs located throughout Central and Northern Alberta. We also provide a wide variety of clinical and research fellowship programs to Canadian graduates and to those from other countries.

We enable resident physicians to obtain certification from the College of Family Physicians of Canada or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada by working in collaboration with national accreditation bodies, the provincial licensing authority, Alberta Health and Wellness, Alberta Health Services, the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta, foreign governments and other agencies. We are dedicated to the provision of a quality educational experience to enable the success of each postgraduate trainee.

Residents, AFC Diploma Trainees, and Fellows

Are you unsure whether you are classified as a resident, an AFC diploma trainee or as a fellow? Click the + button of each term below for a definition. There are distinct differences that impact the registration process and who you should contact for support.

Trainees are residents, regardless of funding source, if they are registered in:

A core specialty residency program (e.g. internal medicine, pediatrics, general surgery, family medicine, etc.) accredited by one of the accrediting colleges (CFPC or RCPSC).
A subspecialty residency program (e.g. respirology as a subspecialty of internal medicine).
An enhanced skills residency program (e.g. family practice anesthesia, care of the elderly, etc.)

As a resident, your primary PGME Office contact is pgres@ualberta.ca.

An AFC Diploma Trainee is a trainee who, regardless of funding source, is registered in an Area of Focused Competence (AFC) program. An AFC is a highly specialized diploma training program either provides additional competencies that build upon a trainee’s certification (specialty or subspecialty) or is a highly specific or narrow scope of additional practice. While AFCs are accredited by the RCPSC, they do not lead to primary specialty certification.

As an AFC Diploma Trainee, your primary PGME Office contact will be pgfellow@ualberta.ca.

Trainees are fellows, regardless of funding source, if they are registered in:

A Clinical Fellowship Program: A training program with the purpose of obtaining specific experience not currently accredited as a specialty or AFC by the RCPSC. Canadian trainees who completed their specialty/subspecialty training requirements or International Medical Graduate who meet application requirements can pursue clinical fellowships.
A clinical training program in which a trainee with a PhD degree can pursue additional clinical training in areas not currently accredited by the RCPSC.
A Clinical Research or Research Fellowship: Training for researchers with medical degrees who are supervised by clinicians and have a minor element of patient contact (Clinical Research Fellow) or no patient contact (Research Fellow).

As a fellow, your primary PGME Office contact is pgfellow@ualberta.ca.

What's Next?

There is a lot to do before you begin your training! To make sure you are well-prepared and to prevent any delays in your start date, PGME keeps this page (and its subpages) up to date to ensure you have a smooth transition to your new program and to our institution.

Hoping to get a head start?

To help you plan ahead and make sure you're tackling all the necessary tasks that need completing prior to starting training, PGME and AHS Academic Medicine have collaborated to create a reference checklist of all the things you need to do. It's important to note that detailed information and relevant deadlines are provided via your welcome emails from PGME and AHS.