The UBC Fraser Health Greater Vancouver Psychiatry Residency Program (UBC-FHGV) is located in the Greater Vancouver Region, encompassing the City of Vancouver and its surrounding communities. Consistently recognized as one of the world’s most liveable regions, the Greater Vancouver Region offers an exceptional quality of life alongside a dynamic and diverse clinical learning environment.

Fraser Health serves more than two million residents, making it the largest and fastest-growing health authority in British Columbia. With the province’s highest concentration of children, youth, and young families, Fraser Health continues to expand its hospitals and mental health services to meet the evolving needs of its rapidly growing population.

Our program is anchored at two major regional teaching hospitals, Royal Columbian Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital, and includes training opportunities at several additional sites across the region. Our residents live throughout the Lower Mainland, including Vancouver, Richmond, Burnaby, New Westminster, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, Surrey, and surrounding communities as both teaching hospitals are easily accessible by SkyTrain and are well integrated into the broader Greater Vancouver community. Royal Columbian Hospital, located in New Westminster, is approximately 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver and sits directly on the SkyTrain rapid transit line. Surrey Memorial Hospital, located in Surrey, is approximately 25 minutes from Vancouver and is also readily accessible by public transit. 

 

Our program has a longstanding reputation for excellence in psychiatric education and clinical training. Many of our faculty members have received awards and recognition for their contributions to teaching, mentorship, and resident education. Clinical rotations are consistently rated highly by trainees, and many graduates choose to remain within the Fraser Health system as staff psychiatrists following completion of their residency. Residents benefit from comprehensive clinical experiences across diverse patient populations and practice settings, providing broad exposure to the full spectrum of psychiatric care. Dedicated faculty members are deeply committed to supporting resident growth through individualized learning plans, extensive direct supervision, and meaningful mentorship.

Our academic curriculum is robust and highly regarded, featuring initiatives such as the Interviewing Course, Grand Rounds, Clinical Case Conference Rounds, and STACER preparation sessions. Residents consistently identify the strength of our academic programming, faculty engagement, and supportive learning environment as key highlights of their training experience.

As part of the UBC Department of Psychiatry’s distributed training model, residents participate in a shared academic curriculum with colleagues across all training sites. The academic day is held virtually every Thursday, allowing residents from throughout British Columbia to learn together while remaining at their home training sites. Once each month, residents have the option to attend in person in Vancouver, providing additional opportunities for networking, collaboration, and engagement with faculty and peers.

At UBC-FHGV, core residency training during the junior years (PGY1-PGY3) is primarily based at Royal Columbian Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital, with additional geriatric psychiatry experiences available at Burnaby Hospital. During senior residency (PGY4-PGY5), residents have access to a wide range of selective and elective opportunities across Fraser Health and Greater Vancouver, allowing them to tailor their training to individual career goals, subspecialty interests, and future practice plans.

In addition to postgraduate training, our program is actively involved in undergraduate medical education. We offer core third-year psychiatry clerkship rotations at Royal Columbian Hospital and Surrey Memorial Hospital, as well as fourth-year elective experiences at Royal Columbian Hospital. These highly regarded clinical placements provide medical students with meaningful exposure to psychiatric practice, opportunities to work alongside dedicated teaching faculty, and insight into the culture and strengths of our residency program.

 

Whether you are exploring psychiatry as a medical student or considering residency training through CaRMS, we invite you to learn more about the UBC Fraser Health Greater Vancouver Psychiatry Residency Program. Additional information can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section of this website, and we look forward to meeting you and sharing what makes our program an exceptional place to train.