Vancouver - Family Medicine

University of British ColumbiaVancouver, British ColumbiaCMG stream

Program websiteWebsite CANPREPP 1CANPREPP 1 CANPREPP 2CANPREPP 2

Open on carms.ca

CaRMS program description, 2026 match, last approved 11 Sep 2025

From the 2026 match (R-1 2026). See the 2027 version

Positions (approx. quota): 13 positions
Length: 2 years
Stream: CMG
Discipline: Family Medicine
Applications per year: 601+
Applicants offered interviews: 76–100%
Accreditation: Accredited
CaRMS program ID: 29179

Bands are 5-year averages the program reports to CaRMS. They describe past cycles, not your odds.

Summary

The UBC Family Medicine Residency Program at St. Paul's Hospital offers a comprehensive two-year training experience in urban health, focusing on diverse clinical settings and patient populations. Residents gain extensive experience in areas like Addiction Medicine, LGBTQ2S Health, HIV/AIDS, and Primary Care Maternity through a flexible, longitudinal curriculum that emphasizes independent learning and clinical skill development.

Training

Research

Residents complete a scholar project and present their work at a local Scholarship event, with support for primary care research.

Training setting

Urban training environment in downtown Vancouver, primarily at St. Paul's Hospital, a 450-bed tertiary referral hospital with additional training at BC Children's Hospital and various community clinics.

Teaching approach

Competency-based medical education emphasizing evidence-informed healthcare, progressive independence, and resident-as-teacher approach with a focus on self-directed learning and tailored training experiences.

Setting types

Tertiary care center
Academic medical center
Community clinics

Focus areas

Urban Health
Addiction Medicine
LGBTQ2S Health
HIV/AIDS
Palliative Care
Primary Care Maternity
Indigenous Health
Care of the Elderly

Patient populations

People experiencing health inequities
Patients facing oppression and discrimination
Urban and inner-city populations
HIV patients
Addiction medicine patients
LGBTQ2S patients

Highlights

Distributed program with 23 training sites
Mandatory 2-month rural rotation
Longitudinal second-year curriculum
Quality improvement project
Scholar project presentation
Out-of-province/international elective opportunities
Enhanced Skills program options

Strengths

Comprehensive distributed training program
Strong academic and administrative support
Diverse clinical exposure
Emphasis on resident wellness
Flexible second-year curriculum
Multiple enhanced skills opportunities

Enhanced skills

Emergency Medicine
Care of the Elderly
Anesthesia
Palliative Medicine
Sports and Exercise Medicine
Addictions
Clinician Scholars Program

By year

PGY-1

Electives3x2 week blocks6 weeks
Family PracticeJuly Foundations of Family Medicine Course4 weeks
Family PracticeFP preceptor block4 weeks
Family PracticeThree Bridges Community Health Clinic4 weeks
Family Practice Teaching ServiceMount Saint Joseph's Hospital4 weeks
Primary Maternity CareSt. Paul’s Hospital4 weeks
EmergencySt. Paul's Hospital4 weeks
Pediatrics EmergencyBC Children’s Pediatrics Emergency4 weeks
Internal MedicineSt. Paul's Hospital4 weeks
PediatricsOutpatient4 weeks
Vacation2x2 week blocks4 weeks
SurgerySt. Paul's Hospital2 weeks
Obstetrics/GynecologySt. Paul's Hospital2 weeks
Palliative CareSt. Paul's Hospital2 weeks
R1 Longitudinal ½ day Academic Half Day morning plus Family Practice Preceptor ½ day back in office (afternoon)Every Thursday

PGY-2

Family Practice (longitudinal)Done part-time over approx. 30 weeksIncludes research, admin, study time14.3 weeks
Rural Family PracticeVarious locations in BC8 weeks
Electives (longitudinal)Done part-time with FP longitudinalIncludes conference leave4.8 weeks
Block ElectiveScheduled by resident4 weeks
VacationScheduled by resident4 weeks
Mandatory Academic CurriculumLongitudinal, MAC every Thursday morning3.3 weeks
PsychiatryBlock or longitudinal, St. Paul’s or alternative2.4 weeks
Procedural skills/ Surgery selectivesLongitudinal or block2 weeks
Care of the ElderlyLongitudinal, various locations2 weeks
Family Practice PracticumFP Preceptor’s Office1.8 weeks
Outpatient GyneLongitudinal, various locations1.6 weeks
Family Practice Teaching ServiceMount Saint Joseph's Hospital1.6 weeks
NICU Level 2BC Children’s Hospital1.6 weeks
Winter HolidaySpecific days set0.6 weeks

From the program's rotation list.

Selection

What the program looks at

File review (20%)
MMI interview (75%)
FMProC score (5%)

Applications per year

601+

Applicants offered interviews

76–100%

Interviews

Dates (2026 match): 17, 17–27, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 and 28 Jan 2026; 8 Feb 2026

Programs can change interview dates. Confirm on carms.ca.

Pay

Provincial scale, last updated 2 Sep 2026 · check the current agreement(opens in a new tab)

Salaries from April 2027.

Annual salary by PGY level, British Columbia
Level	Annual salary
PGY-1	$71,390 / year
PGY-2	$79,571 / year

One provincial scale for British Columbia, set by the resident agreement, so every program there pays the same. Showing the 2 levels this program covers.

Benefits

Benefits as listed by CaRMS in 2022–2024; check the current agreement(opens in a new tab)

Annual vacation: 4 weeks
CMPA dues paid: Yes. Mandatory
Dental plan: 100% Premiums Paid
Educational leave: Yes
Extended health insurance: 100% Premiums Paid
Frequency of calls: 1 in 4 onsite/1 in 3 offsite
Life insurance: 100% Premium Paid
Long-term disability insurance: Yes 100% Premiums Paid
Maternity leave: 17 weeks, plus up to 78 weeks Parental Leave
Meal allowance: No
Provincial dues (% of salary): 1.5%
Provincial health insurance: 100% Premiums Paid
Sick leave: Yes
Statutory holidays: 2 x pay plus extra day with pay

Call

Call (provincial max): 1 in 4 in-house

The union agreement’s cap for all residents in the province; your program’s actual call schedule may be lighter. Check with the program.

RDBC agreement, 1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2029.

Teaching sites

St. Paul's Hospital
BC Children's Hospital

Hospital facts

Public figures for hospitals named above, each with its source and reference period. They describe the hospital, not the program, and are not a ranking. We match names to the province’s lists by name, so check each source before you rely on it.

St. Paul's Hospital

Matched to St. Paul's Hospital (Vancouver) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26: 8,691 All procedure groups, for the fiscal year (1 April to 31 March). Scheduled surgery only: emergency surgery is not in the file.
Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1: 2,240 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

BC Children's Hospital

Matched to BC Children's Hospital (Vancouver) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26: 7,396 All procedure groups, for the fiscal year (1 April to 31 March). Scheduled surgery only: emergency surgery is not in the file.
Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1: 1,910 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Sources and licences

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia.

Contacts

Contacts weren't collected for the 2026 match.

The current program director and contacts are on the 2027 version of this program and on the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab).

Location

Vancouver, British Columbia

About the city

Public statistics for the place named by this program’s location label, each with its source and reference period. They describe the place, not the program, and are not a ranking. Check each source before you rely on it.

Climate

Canadian Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Each value comes from the nearest weather station that reports it, not from the city itself.

January average: 5.3 °C Vancouver (Harbour), 5.7 km away
July average: 19.0 °C Vancouver (Harbour), 5.7 km away
Snowfall: 36.6 cm a year Vancouver International (Airport), 7.6 km away
Days below −20 °C: 0.0 days a year Vancouver (Harbour), 5.7 km away

People

2021 Census. Figures are for the municipality of Vancouver, not the metropolitan area. Statistics Canada rounds counts, so small places are approximate.

Population: 662,248 people up 4.9% from 2016
Official languages: English only 84.8% · French only 0.1% · English and French 9.3% · neither 5.8% Share of residents who can conduct a conversation in each. This is not the language spoken at home.
Immigrants: 42.2% of residents arrived 2016–2021: 6.4% · non-permanent residents: 6.6%
Indigenous identity: 2.3% of residents
How people commute: car, truck or van 56.2% · public transit 22.9% · walking or cycling 18.4% · other 2.6% Average commute: 25.3 minutes. Shares are of people who commute.The way Canadians commute was altered in 2021 by the pandemic, with lockdowns to slow the spread of COVID-19 and changes in how and where Canadians worked leading to 2.8 million fewer commuters, compared with five years earlier. Statistics Canada, The Daily, 30 Nov 2022(opens in a new tab)
Median household income: $82,000 before tax $72,000 after tax · income year 2020, in 2020 dollars

Rural and remote

This describes the place named by the program’s location label. Programs can train in several towns, so it is not every site.

Population centre: Vancouver, a large urban population centre (100,000 or more people) 2,426,160 people in 2021
Remoteness index: 0.062 0 is least remote, 1 is most remote. Statistics Canada calls this index experimental.

Housing, cost and work

Each figure names the area it covers. A missing line means the source publishes nothing for this area.

Rental vacancy rate: 3.7% October 2025 survey, Vancouver, British Columbia (census metropolitan area). The share of purpose-built rentals (three units and over) vacant, not a rent.
Basic cost of living: $64,351 a year Market Basket Measure 2025, Vancouver, British Columbia, for two adults with two children. A modest, basic basket (the poverty line), not a resident’s budget. A size-class region is not the town itself.
Unemployment rate: 6.5% September 2026, three-month average, seasonally adjusted, Vancouver, British Columbia (census metropolitan area); standard error 0.4 points. A survey estimate.

Job outlook

Employment and Social Development Canada’s rating for the occupation in the economic region. It is not a count of jobs, and says nothing about CaRMS positions or your match.

Outlook, 2025–2027: Moderate The employment outlook will be Moderate for general practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102) in the Lower Mainland - Southwest region for the 2025-2027 period.
Canada-wide, to 2033: Strong risk of Shortage ESDC’s projection for general practitioners and family physicians, 2024–2033. Recent conditions, 2021–2023: Strong signs of Shortage.

Sources and licences

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Cartographic Boundary Files.
Adapted from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Rental Market Survey, October 2025 (vacancy rates), and Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0130-01. This does not constitute an endorsement by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation or Statistics Canada of this product.
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS), 2024 to 2033 projections).
Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020).
Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada, 3-Year Employment Outlooks).
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Index of Remoteness (17-26-0001), 2021. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0459-01 Labour force characteristics by census metropolitan area, three-month moving average, seasonally adjusted, reference month 2026-09. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 11-10-0066-01 Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for the reference family by Market Basket Measure region, component and base year, 2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0011-01 Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0002-01 Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0057-01 Household income statistics by household type: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0173-01 Mother tongue by knowledge of official languages: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0266-01 Indigenous identity by Registered or Treaty Indian status: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0307-01 Immigrant status and period of immigration by place of birth: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0458-01 Main mode of commuting by commuting duration, time leaving for work, age and gender: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

Independent. Not affiliated with CaRMS or the program. Programs edit their descriptions during the match; confirm on carms.ca (opens in a new tab) before you apply. Data last updated on CdnMD 5 Oct 2026.