Dear CaRMS Applicants and Colleagues,

Welcome to the Fraser Health Greater Vancouver UBC Psychiatry Residency Program Website.

The UBC Fraser Health Greater Vancouver Psychiatry Residency Program (UBC-FHGV) is located in Greater Vancouver (the City of Vancouver and its Suburbs), a city and region which The Economist recently declared the “World’s Most Liveable”. Our program is based out of two main Regional Teaching Hospitals (Royal Columbian Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital) and a number of other hospitals located throughout Greater Vancouver. Our teaching hospitals are easily accessible from anywhere in Greater Vancouver. The Royal Columbian Hospital is in New Westminster, 15 minutes from the City of Vancouver, and is located directly on the Skytrain Rapid Transit Line. Surrey Memorial Hospital is located in Surrey, 25 minutes from the City of Vancouver, and is also accessible by Skytrain. Our residents live throughout Greater Vancouver, including Downtown Vancouver, Richmond, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, New Westminster, Burnaby, Surrey, and others.

Our program has a record of excellence in resident education, with many psychiatrists who have won awards for teaching and education. Our clinical rotations are among the most highly rated by residents on a regular basis. Many residents who have trained with us have joined us after graduation as staff psychiatrist colleagues.

We offer highly individualized learning plans with extensive direct supervision and support from psychiatrists who value their role as mentors. Our academic program (i.e. Interviewing Course, Grand Rounds, Clinical Case Conference Rounds, STACER course, etc.) is very well developed and has been noted as a highlight by many residents who have trained with us. All residents attend academic days on Thursdays either in Fraser (RCH) or Vancouver (VGH). The Fraser Health Authority serves the largest (1.8 million) and fastest-growing population of all provincial health authorities.

Fraser Health has the highest concentration of children and young families in our province. Our hospitals and Psychiatry programs are growing to meet increasing needs. SMH underwent redevelopment and expansion completed in 2014 including a new Mental Health and Substance Use emergency department.  RCH has now completed a major redevelopment and expansion, with a new and unique Mental Health and Substance Use centre.  We offer an outstanding environment for clinical education and training with diverse populations which allow broad exposure to all areas of Psychiatry, and dedicated clinical faculty who are deeply committed to education and teaching.

The UBC Psychiatry Residency Distributed Programs available through CaRMS are: Fraser Health Greater Vancouver (7 positions), Vancouver (8 positions), Victoria-Vancouver Island (3 positions), North-Prince George (1 position). All of these programs are administered through the UBC Department of Psychiatry and all standards and training requirements are uniform across all distributed sites. Each program has an Assistant Program Director who is a member of the UBC Psychiatry PGE Committee. Medical students can indicate the UBC Psychiatry “Distributed Programs” they wish to apply to on their CaRMS application. Representatives of the different UBC Distributed Psychiatry Residency Program tracks will participate in a single set of interviews which will occur during the national CaRMS interview period in January and February.

For 2021, UBC-FHGV offers positions for clinical training through CaRMS. Core rotations in the junior residency (PGY1-3) are based at Royal Columbian Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital (with geriatric psychiatry also available at Burnaby General Hospital).  Selective and elective rotations in the senior residency (PGY4 and PGY5) are offered at a number of clinical settings in the Fraser Health Region and Greater Vancouver, based on residents’ career interests and goals.

At the undergraduate medical student level, we offer core 3rd year clerkship Psychiatry rotations at the Royal Columbian Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital, and 4th year elective rotations at the Royal Columbian Hospital. Both of these sites offer highly rated clinical psychiatry rotations. These experiences offer medical students the opportunity to spend time in our two main teaching hospitals, meet our psychiatrists, and find out more about our residency program.

The most commonly asked questions about our program are answered in the “FAQ” section of this website.

We hope to meet you soon.

Best,

Faiza Hameer, MD, FRCPC Fraser Health Greater Vancouver Assistant Program Director
Anson Koo, MD, FRCPC Fraser Psychiatry Program Regional Department Head/Program Medical Director