OUR MISSION

Our Mission in the Postgraduate Medical Education office 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 AND FELLOWS

Are you unsure whether you are classified as a resident 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.

Residents

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

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

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

  1. 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 AFC are accredited by the RCPSC, they do not lead to primary specialty certification.
  2. A Clinical Fellowship Program: A clinical fellowship program is a training program with the purpose of obtaining specific experience which is not currently accredited as a specialty or AFC by the RCPSC. This can include Canadian trainees who completed their specialty/subspecialty training requirements or International Medical Graduate who meet application requirements. 
  3. A clinical training program in which a trainee with a PhD degree can do additional clinical training in area not currently RCPSC accredited.
  4. A Clinical Research or Research Fellowship. A trainee with a medical degree who is performing research with clinicians that has a minor element of patient contact (Clinical Research Fellow) or no patient contact (Research Fellow).

AHS ACADEMIC MEDICINE REQUIREMENTS

AHS Academic Medicine will also be sending you a welcome email with requirements that you must fulfill for them. You must complete these according to the deadlines they provide. PGME does not track these requirements, but we are notified if you have not completed them as you will be unable to begin your residency or fellowship training.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL TRAINEES

There are several mandatory requirements you must complete in order to begin your training as a resident or fellow. Specific deadlines for each requirement is outlined in the welcome email you would have received from our office.

Letter of Engagement

You will receive your Letter of Engagement (LOE) from us via email. You are required to sign and return this document by the return date noted in the email. 

PGME Registration Form

Please note that you only need to complete a PGME registration form if you were offered a seat in a residency or fellowship program outside of a CaRMS match. This will be emailed to you directly. You will need to complete it and return by email:

PGME Consent Form

This would have been emailed to you with your welcome email. Please complete this form on your computer (do not handwrite!). You will need to sign it digitally and return them by email:

CPSA Licensure

Application for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) is completed online. 

You should access your application as soon as possible as there are a number of documents required to complete the application. If you are graduating from Medical School this year, please do not wait for your medical degree, as processing the applications usually takes 3-4 weeks and waiting could result in a delay of your license for July 1. One of the required documents for CPSA licensure is a Criminal Records Check (including Vulnerable Sector Search). Please begin the process of getting this immediately, as it can sometimes take 8+ weeks to process.

You must have your CPSA licensing application and all associated/required documentation submitted no later than June 1.

CMPA Registration

Registration with the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) is mandatory. To prevent any delays in your start date please submit your application as soon as possible with only the CPSA registration number remaining outstanding. Once you have your CPSA number you can add it to finalize your application. 

Residents: Fees to CMPA are the responsibility of the resident with application. Per Article 30.01 of the Resident Physician Agreement, you will receive reimbursement of $1500. All active residents receive $125 monthly from AHS for reimbursement for CMPA. Residents can monitor their pay advice on AHS's ePeople payroll system. There will be a line that says something like "[month] [year] CMPA reimbursement" next to the stipend amount.

Fellows: Fees to the CMPA are the responsibility of the fellow with application.

University Registration

The Office of the Registrar will be emailing instructions to access your file on Bear Tracks. On this site you will find your timetable for fees as well as logon and password information for your university email account.

If you already have an @ualberta.ca email address and CCID, it will not change or be deactivated and you will not be assigned a new one. It will automatically be added to your residency file. If you do not yet have a CCID, you will receive an email notice with an assigned CCID that you will need to activate.

You will be assessed a tuition fee per the University of Alberta's fee calendar. Please note that you must pay this fee to be registered with the University of Alberta; maintenance of your CPSA license on the educational register is contingent on your University of Alberta registration.

Please make sure to update the following information in Bear Tracks once you have access:

  • Mailing Address
  • Preferred Name
  • Gender
  • Banking/Direct Deposit Information (not for payroll, but for expense reimbursements throughout residency)
AHS ID Badges

We want to make sure that your ID badges can be made and ready for you to pick up prior to the start of your training.

Students (moving from MD to Residency) from the UofA and the UofC:

  • You will be required to surrender your current photo card to have it replaced with a new card changing your status in the system from student to resident. If your photo card is not returned you could be subject to a replacement fee by AHS.
  • You will retain the white access card; do not return this card to PGME or AHS. 

Residents/Fellows continuing PGME training at the UofA:
If you are continuing residency training or are moving from residency to fellowship training at the UofA, no further action is required. 


Please be advised the collection of the photograph complies with FOIPP regulations as outlined on the PGME Consent form and your Letter of Engagement. The photographs are delivered directly to AHS Protective and Parking Services, who will create the ID badge.

Submission Instructions for URBAN (Edmonton) Residents & Fellows:

  • Email subject line should be: “ID Badge Photo for PGME Residency”
  • Attach a passport-sized photo (must be colour on a white background) in JPEG format (do not send it as a pdf)
  • Include your full legal name in the body of the email
  • Send to Edmontonzone.cardaccess@ahs.ca

RURAL (GP, RD, YK) Residents:
You will receive submission instructions directly from your site program administrator. Please contact them directly for information. You do not need to submit ID badge photos using the instructions above.

Pagers

All residents and fellows should receive a pager information package and pager agreement via email. Please submit the completed Pager Agreement to Edm.AcademicMedicine@ahs.ca per the applicable deadline.

Please note:

  • If you are part of the AIMG program, please submit this agreement as soon as possible as you will need the pager in advance of your externship (clinical assessment).
  • If you are a rural-based resident in Red Deer, Grande Prairie, or Yellowknife, you do not need to complete/submit the pager agreement. You will receive different paging information from your home site.
University ONEcard

Your UAlberta ONEcard is your key to the campus. This is separate from other ID Photo cards you may have. The ONEcard acts as both a University campus ID, an access card to University-owned buildings, a student ID for discounts/etc., and an access card for opt-in services (e.g. Transit & Campus Recreation). 

If your program office and/or resident long is located in a University-owned building, your AHS ID badge won't give you access, so you may be given door entry access via your ONEcard (or via the virtual Onecard app).

For Rural-based Residents: you'll be issued a virtual ONEcard via the app.

UNIVERSITY CCID (EMAIL) USAGE EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL TRAINEES

Once the University has registered you, and you therefore have a university CCID and @ualberta.ca email address, our office and your residency/fellowship program office will only contact you using your @ualberta.ca email for the duration of your training. You are expected to check this email frequently to ensure you are not missing critical information.

You will also need your CCID in order to access the various systems used for assessment & evaluations.

Residents: You will automatically be subscribed to our PGME resident trainee digest, which is distributed twice monthly with important information. Please do not unsubscribe from this newsletter or you risk missing critical information, such as licensing information, national exam deadlines, and more.


ADVANCED LIFE SUPPORT COURSES (RESIDENTS)

The PGME office does not mandate any advanced life support training for residents. We rely on programs to identify the minimum requirement needed for their residents based on many variables, including site and unit requirements. 

Residents should confirm requirements with their home residency program for the most accurate, up to date information.

Per the Resident Physician Agreement, Article 34.02 (Advanced Resuscitation Courses), residents shall be reimbursed by AHS for 100% of the tuition and registration fees. For more information, please refer to the detailed information included in the Virtual Orientation.

BASIC CLINICAL TRAINING (RESIDENTS)

The Basic Clinical Training (BCT) program is a broad-based clinical year for the entire first year of residency training. Twelve (12) residency programs have incorporated the BCT program into their curricula.

The BCT program schedule is prepared and coordinated by the PGME Office. If your program participates and you have questions about your first year, please contact pglearn@ualberta.ca.

Participating programs include: Anatomical Pathology, Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Diagnostic Radiology, Emergency Medicine, General Pathology, Medical Microbiology, Nuclear Medicine, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Psychiatry, Public Health & Preventive Medicine, and Radiation Oncology.

INTAKE CHECKLISTS (RESIDENTS & FELLOWS)

Please pay close attention to all tasks and deadlines required. Missing a due date will not only cause you undue stress, but it may also hinder a smooth transition into residency.  Click on the checklist that applies to you.

2024 R1 & Re-entry Checklists

We've created checklists to help you keep track of what needs to be completed prior to the start of R1 and Re-entry Residency, Click the linked checklist below that applies to you!

2024 FM Enhanced Skills & Subspecialty Checklist

We've created checklists to help you keep track of what needs to be completed prior to the start of your Family Medicine - Enhanced Skills or Subspecialty Residency (Medicine, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Pathology). Click the linked checklist below that applies to you!

2024 Fellowship Checklist

If you are beginning an Area of Focused Competence (AFC) or non-AFC fellowship program, please use one of the following two intake checklists: