Postgraduate Fellows

In order to become a postgraduate fellow at UBC, a candidate must have successfully completed all the time and examination requirements which would allow them to be listed (registered) as a specialist in their home country.

• The candidate MUST supply a letter from the postgraduate specialty college in their home country (with a notarized translation if applicable) indicating that they have met the training requirements for a specialist in that country. The letter should indicate the number of years of training necessary to achieve specialist status in the program and examinations necessary to achieve specialist status.
• The candidate MUST provide proof (original with notarized translation if applicable) of successful completion of all examinations listed in the above letter.

Those candidates who do not meet the above fellowship eligibility criteria, but have sufficient postgraduate training to warrant admission to a postgraduate program at UBC, can further explore the website under the category, ‘Postgraduate Trainees’.

Note: With the exception of applicants in the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons (“Royal College”) Specialty Examination Affiliate Program (“SEAP”) clinical fellowship program, training provided as a Postgraduate (Fellow) will NOT be evaluated by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. This appointment will NOT be considered for positions as a paid physician assistant, nor postdoctoral research trainees, nor subspecialty residents.

The Application for Approval of Appointment of Postgraduate (Fellow) Form has been formulated so that the training of postgraduate fellows can be documented, and the information entered into the CAPER database and postgraduate templates.

Application Process

A completed application will include:

• Application Form with signatures
• Training Plan
• Training Agreement with Health Authority or University
• Application fees(s) (as applicable)

Applicant & Department/Division – Application Form

The Application for Approval of Appointment of Postgraduate (Fellow) Form must be completed and signed by the following individuals, in the following order:

• Postgraduate (Fellow)
• Training Supervisor
• UBC Department/Division Head
• Health Authority Department/Division Head/Chief Officer of training site(s)

Department/Division – Training Plan

The Department/Division head must appoint a training supervisor. The training supervisor, in consultation with the Department/Division Head, must set out the goals and objectives of the fellowship training in writing, and a copy of the training plan must be submitted as a part of the application.

Department/Division – Training Agreement

All applicants must have a written Training Agreement with the sponsoring Health Authority or University setting out the terms and conditions under which the training is provided. A copy of the Training Agreement must be submitted as a part of the application.

Applicant – Application Fee

The applicant must pay a $500.00 non-refundable, non-transferable administrative fee. The administrative fee can be paid online or by Internal Service Delivery (ISD). Extensions under six months do not require an administrative fee.

Applicant – (as applicable) SEAP Fee

The applicant must pay a $5000.00 per year non-transferable annual administrative fee. Please Note: the $5000 fee for SEAP is non-refundable after 6 months from the start of training. The administrative fee can be paid online or by Internal Service Delivery (ISD).
Foreign-sponsored fellows who come under an annual contractual agreement will not be required to pay the $5000.00 administrative fee.

Once a completed application has been prepared, signatures obtained, and the fee(s) paid, the Department/Division is responsible for submitting the application to the Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) Dean’s Office through the RMS-CFM for review and signature. Once a completed application has been submitted to the PGME Deans Office, it will be reviewed and processed as appropriate. Applications signed by the Postgraduate Dean will be uploaded to RMS-CFM. The Department/Division is then responsible for downloading the signed forms from RMS-CFM and obtaining licensure from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia.

All new users are required to complete the RMS Clinical Fellow Module online training and complete the quiz at the end of the training before granting access to the module. Please find this link for the training and contact pgme.clinicalfellows@ubc.ca after training completion to request for access.

Guidelines for Applications to Clinical Fellow Training.

Note: Complete application must be submitted to PGME a minimum of 8 weeks in advance of the training start date. Failure to meet this deadline will result to returned application.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC) requires that all physicians seeking medical licensure who have completed their medical education outside of Canada submit copies of certain documents to the Medical Council of Canada’s Physicians Apply for source verification.

Further information about CPSBC credentials verification requirements can be found here.

Any candidate for licensure in British Columbia must have the ability to speak, read, and write English to the satisfaction of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia’s Registration Committee.

Further information about CPSBC English Language Proficiency requirements can be found here.

Postgraduate Fellows are not registered as residents with the University and do not have to pay registration fees. However, they will be required to pay an annual licensing fee to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC.

Salary arrangements are the responsibility of the Health Authority or University Department/Division sponsoring the training and must be set out in the Training Agreement.

Questions regarding the appointments of Postgraduate Fellows can be sent to pgme.clinicalfellows@ubc.ca.  Please allow two business days for a response.