Une initiative de
Dr. Leah Peters
Directeur(trice) du programme
Shannon Rankin
Faits saillants
The University of Manitoba campuses are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. The Department of Family Medicine additionally participates in clinical programs in Inuit communities. We respect the Treaties and Agreements that were made on these territories, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.
Mandatory Orientation Sessions
The mandatory full day Postgraduate Medical Education Orientation for all residents will be held on Friday, June 26, 2026
The mandatory full day Family Medicine Residency Orientation will be held on Monday, June 29, 2026
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Prior to the commencement of training, matched applicants must provide proof of ACLS certification that is current as of July 1, 2026. The ACLS Provider course must be certified by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or the American Heart Association. ACLS training that is not certified by one of these two organizations and/or is completed entirely through an online course will not be accepted. Applicants are responsible for all costs associated with obtaining ACLS certification. We provide a re-certification course in your second year of residency prior to graduation.
Family Medicine Professional Choices (FMProC)
The Family Medicine Professional Choices (FMProC) testing is mandatory for all applicants. It is a situational judgement test designed to evaluate your professional reasoning, communication skills and aptitude for responding effectively to diverse clinical situations. It primarily consists of two types of questions: ranking and rating scenarios.
FMProC registration for the first round of CaRMS 2026 will be open on September 10, 2025. More details: https://fmproc.com/
Situational judgement tests are designed to assess applicant’s judgement regarding situations encountered in the workplace or during training. Applicants are presented with a set of hypothetical based scenarios and asked to make judgements about possible responses. Applicants responses are evaluated against a pre-determined scoring key to provide a picture of their situational judgement in that particular context.
The development and modification of the scenarios in FMProC involved input from several leaders with different perspectives, roles and experiences. This included family physicians, educators, family medicine residents and medical students, Indigenous health, rural and remote family medicine, 2SLGBTQ+, anti-racism, international medical graduates and more. This specifically included groups under-represented in medicine to ensure, as much as possible, that no group is disadvantaged by the test format or content.
Vacation Allowance
Vacation in PGY1 can be taken in the following ways:
Two weeks in each of two blocks in conjunction with an approved elective or Family Medicine Block Time in the remaining two weeks of the same blocks
Vacation in 1 week blocks can be taken during Family Medicine Block Time
One 4 week vacation block
*Vacation is not allowed in Block 1 in PGY1.
Though the program tries to accommodate residents’ specific vacation period requests, constraints of scheduling often requires flexibility and not all requests will be approved.
Interview Dates
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Thursday, January 22, 2026
Program will notify all applicants through CaRMS Online and will send email invitations directly to applicants selected for an interview. Applicants who are invited for interview will participate in one structured interview, regardless of the number of sites to which you have applied. The structured interview may have questions specific to the sites to which you have applied. The interview is conducted as a 3-person panel interview and typically consists of 1 physician, 1 interprofessional faculty member, and 1 resident. Candidates will be invited to attend one of the three interview days. The interview itself lasts 30 to 40 minutes.
Program Goals
The University of Manitoba is committed to the social justice principles of equity, access and participation and to promoting opportunities for systemically marginalized groups who have been excluded from full participation at the University and the larger community including Indigenous, Black, racially marginalized Peoples, persons with disabilities and those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, questioning, intersex, asexual and other diverse sexual identities) and women.
A broad knowledge base and clinical skill sets enable family physicians to work in diverse settings such as patients’ homes, outpatient clinics, emergency departments, labour and delivery suites, hospital wards, and nursing homes. Family medicine often serves as the main entry point to the health care system and the hub that provides continuity of care throughout the life cycle. As such, family medicine is the central medical discipline. The importance of primary care in quality of health and the value Canadian society places on family physicians in the delivery of this care are well known.
The goal of our residency program is to train family physicians who are able to provide comprehensive, high quality, continuous care in urban, rural, or remote settings.
Selection Process Goals
An inclusive, open and diverse community is essential to excellence and fosters voices that have been ignored or discouraged. To address the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences commitment to equity, access and participation, and in recognition of the underrepresentation of members of historically and currently excluded groups, our program has taken the following proactive measures as part of our selection process:
Implicit bias training for all selection committee members, diverse representation of selection committee members, inclusion of interview questions targeted to assess applicant commitment to EDIA, offering necessary accommodations during the interview process, second pass/review of applicants below interview and rank order list cut off to review for possible bias in scoring, orientation to all assessors to scoring rubrics, file review completed by dedicated, trained group.
We strive for diverse perspectives and cultural safety throughout the hiring process (resident selection committees, short-list of applicants, interviews). We ask all applicants to include an EDIA statement in their personal letter with evidence demonstrating their own commitment to EDIA in their work and training thus far.
Transport
As you will need to move frequently about the city and province between training sites, you will need to secure a means of transportation. You may find it easiest to maintain a personal vehicle.
Additional Points to Consider:
· Cost of living is one of the most affordable in Canada.
· Full access to University of Manitoba library and its electronic resources, including UpToDate.
· Competitive resident salaries with a solid resident contract including a well-supported maternity/paternity leave policy. http://www.parim.org
· Membership and registration fees are covered for University of Manitoba, College of Family Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba, Canadian Medical Protective Association, and the initial membership in the College of Family Physicians of Canada for PGY1 year.
· Annual two day resident retreat held in a community outside of Winnipeg.
· All mandatory course fees are reimbursed upon successful completion. Examples of mandatory courses include: NRP, ALARM, ATLS, BLS and ACLS recertification. Mandatory courses vary between programs.
· Travel costs and accommodation are provided for mandatory offsite rotations.
St. Boniface
The heart of Manitoba’s Francophone community
Succeeding cultures of Indigenous Peoples lived in the area for thousands of years before European exploration. It was an area of historic Ojibwe occupation. Fur traders and European mercenaries hired by Lord Selkirk to protect his fledgling Red River Colony were among the area’s first European settlers. In 1818, St. Boniface began its role in Canadian political and cultural history – as mother parish for many French settlements in Western Canada; as the birthplace of Louis Riel and fellow Métis who struggled to obtain favorable terms for Manitoba’s entry into Confederation; and as a focus of resistance to controversial 1890 legislation to alter Manitoba’s school system and abolish French as an official language in the
province (see Manitoba Schools Question).
French-speaking religious orders, including the Sisters of Charity of Montreal (better known as the Grey Nuns), who arrived in 1844, founded the early educational, cultural and social-service institutions, such as St. Boniface Hospital, the first in Western Canada.
St. Boniface was incorporated as a town in 1883 and as a city in 1908. In 1971, St. Boniface was amalgamated, along with several neighboring communities, into the City of Winnipeg. As one of the larger French communities outside Québec, it has often been a centre of struggles to preserve French-Canadian language and culture within Manitoba. A walk in the heart of St. Boniface along Provencher Boulevard and Taché Street will take you past many signs and landmarks of the area’s illustrious history and unique architectural heritage. An exciting blend of the old, the new and the future
The past is visible throughout St. Boniface, but the community’s real beauty lies in the exciting blend of the old, the new and the future. The more modern side of St. Boniface, with its unique shops, interesting eateries and vibrant arts and entertainment scene, is also well worth checking out.
Culture and Attractions:
Fort Gibraltar – The Fort is a reproduction of the original built by the North-West Company around 1810. During the fur-trade era the Voyageurs, also known as “coureurs des bois”, worked tirelessly for companies like the North-West. During the summer season, many costumed characters will be pleased to guide you on an interpretive tour as you go back to the early 1800’s. It is also the principal site for the famous Festival du Voyageur, held every February.
St. Boniface Cathedral – The current cathedral is actually the fifth built on this site since 1818. The 1908 structure, which preceded the current building, was a splendid basilica that was destroyed by fire in 1968. The new building, designed by renowned Franco-Manitoban architect Étienne Gaboury, incorporates the façade and remaining walls of the 1908 building. An unusual architectural achievement, the Cathedral attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Canadian Museum for Human Rights – The first museum solely dedicated to the evolution, celebration and future of human rights. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights will take you on a journey of education and inspiration unlike anything you’ve experienced before.
The Forks – Experience an exceptional array of dining options, fantastic local makers and retailers, a constantly changing slate of entertainment and events, and many unique attractions that encompass the site’s natural, historic and built features.
Festivals and Events:
Festival du Voyageur – In addition to being Western Canada’s largest winter festival, Festival du Voyageur is also “The World’s Largest Kitchen Party”! This unique ten-day festival celebrates the joie de vivre of Voyageurs from the fur trade era. It also showcases French-Canadian culture, traditional cuisine, a host of musical entertainment, and jigging and fiddling contests. With its magnificent snow sculptures, Festival du Voyageur also celebrates winter fun with lots of outdoor activities for the entire family. The great winter gathering is held every February in St. Boniface, the heart of Winnipeg’s French quarter. He ho!
Folklarama – French Canadian Pavillion – Winnipeg’s Folklorama is the largest and longest-running multicultural festival in the world! It lasts two full weeks and presents forty-plus pavilions that celebrate the diverse cultures found in Manitoba. The highly popular French-Canadian Pavilion (Pavillon canadien-français) features traditional dancing and jigging as well as mouth-watering French-Canadian specialties like tourtière (meat pie), pea soup and sugar pie. Folklorama typically draws over 400,000 visitors each year.
Restaurants:
Inferno’s Bistro – An upbeat French Bistro with summer patio. Inspirational creative cuisine at a reasonable price.
Le Resto Gare – Formerly the old train station of St. Boniface, this Winnipeg landmark was the arrival point in Manitoba for many immigrants, and remained a busy centre of the community until its closure in the 1950s. Reopened in 1969 as a Continental cuisine restaurant, Le Resto Gare is considered to be among Winnipeg’s finest restaurants, specializing in French cuisine.
La Belle Baguette & Le Croissant- Fresh bread, pastries, sandwiches, quiche, etc.
Notre Dame de Lourdes
A sun-kissed location in the Pembina Hills makes Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes ideal for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers all year round. Within a short distance there are six golf courses, a provincial park, swimming pools, mountain biking, groomed snowmobile and ATV trails. Outside of school and work, there are many chances to socialize. A church, community hall, sports arena complex, seniors club and several member-based organizations give residents an opportunity to participate and get to know one another, making for a close-knit and safe community.
Deeply inspired by European traditions, the people of this community established in 1891, preserve and promote their French and Swiss origins, giving Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes its decidedly European flavour – one that is still hinted at in their accents and experienced in the warm hospitality. Proud of their origin, the residents, the town and the parish of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes work effectively to preserve and promote their French culture.
The community proudly offers health services, municipal services and community services in both official languages. The community hospital, clinic, health specialist and ambulance service have made the village an important health centre in the region. From water and sewage services to garbage pick-up and a 20-members volunteer fire brigade, Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes assures its citizens receive quality municipal services in both official languages while preserving the village’s affordable cost of living.
Ste. Anne
The Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne is one of the earliest settled areas of Manitoba. The first settlers arrived at Pointe-des-Chênes (where the oaks meet) from Quebec in 1856 in search of farmland. The initial settlement to the area consisted of 198 families and the main industry at this time was devoted to supplying lumber for the construction of the St. Boniface Cathedral, in Winnipeg.
The area underwent substantial change with the construction of the 850 kms long Dawson Trail – the first all-Canadian highway linking the East with the Prairies. The trail was surveyed in 1858 with construction taking place from 1868-1871. The trail was pushed through from Fort William to the Red River. A plaque situated outside of the Ste. Anne municipal building in the town of Ste. Anne tells the story of this first water and land route starting west from the Northwest Angle of the Lake-of-the-Woods through the present town of Ste. Anne to St. Boniface.
The Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne was incorporated in February, 1881, but not for long. In 1890, it was amalgamated with the Rural Municipality of LaBroquerie. It later became reestablished by an Act of the Legislature in 1908 which happened to be the same year the municipal building in Ste. Anne was erected. That 2-story historical building remained the RM of Ste. Anne municipal building until 2013 when a new modern building was erected just south of the Town of Ste. Anne off Provincial Highway #210. The old building was sold to a local business with the intentions of preserving the historical site.
Geographical Traits – Where the Prairies Meet the Canadian Shield
The Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne encompasses a population of approximately 4500. The area stretches from the Trans-Canada Highway south about 15 kilometers toward LaBroquerie, just west of Ste. Anne to the Sandilands Provincial Forest and includes the settlement centres of Richer, Giroux, La Coulee and Greenland. The western part of the municipality is primarily agricultural. Dairy, beef, hog and poultry make up a highly intensive livestock
industry to complete the agricultural picture. The Municipality of Ste. Anne is located only 20 minutes to the east of Winnipeg just off the four-lane Trans-Canada Highway and only about 10 minutes north of Steinbach – ‘The Automobile City’ – just off the four-lane PTH 12. The scenic Seine River winds through the municipality bordered by magnificent Oak trees and other hardwoods.
Lifestyle and Amenities
Health care is quite present within the community as it consists of the Ste. Anne hospital, Seine River Medical Centre and a seniors home. The hospital has an emergency room, x-rays unit, ambulance services and provides various other services. While the medical centre has several doctors, a dentist and a pharmacist.
The municipality has two well-equipped and trained volunteer fire brigades in Ste. Anne and Richer and the area is
part of the East Man Area Mutual Fire Aid System. The town and municipality of Ste. Anne offer schooling in Français, English as well as French Immersion. The community also has a public library available at no fee to the residents of the municipality. The Catholic churches have been a major force in the historical development of the area. Ste. Anne’s impressive stone church, dating from 1895, is among the oldest in the province. There is also a catholic church in Richer, now a historical site, as well as churches of varying denominations throughout the municipality.
Recreational facilities can be found within the municipality as well as in the town of Ste. Anne. The municipality has several privately owned scenic and enjoyable public golf courses; Oakwood (18 holes), Ridgewood (9 holes), Girouxsalem (9 holes) and Quarry Oaks (27 holes). Seasonal camping is very popular in the well-treed eastern part of the municipality with five privately owned campgrounds: Lilac, Wild Oaks, Rock Garden, Ridgewood and Cherry
Hill. The town of Ste. Anne provides facilities such as an indoor arena, a four-sheet curling rink, baseball, soccer fields and two tennis courts. With the abundant forests and parks, there is truly something for everyone within the municipality!
Community Spirit
In recognition of Ste. Anne’s Dawson Trail heritage, Ste. Anne each year celebrates its Dawson Trail Days on the September long weekend with slow-pitch tournaments, live entertainment, beer gardens and fireworks. The Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne is at the centre of the Eastman region of Manitoba and at the crossroads of major highways. It combines the charms of a rural setting with easy access to a major metropolitan center. It is an ideal region for business, industry and settlement. The Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne is a region where people live, work, play and connect.
ABOUT WINNIPEG
Winnipeg is a vibrant city in the heart of Canada with a population over 850,000. It is the largest city in the province of Manitoba and is near the longitudinal centre of Canada, located 110 kilometers north of the Canada / USA border. Winnipeg is well known for being one of the most culturally diverse cities anywhere, with over 100 languages spoken. The city is named after nearby Lake Winnipeg, the 10th largest freshwater lake in the world. The name Winnipeg comes from the Western Cree words for muddy water. Winnipeg is family friendly with plenty of charm, many green spaces, parks and activities for children. The city boasts dazzling arts, theatre & indie music scenes, one of the most extensive & diverse food scenes in Canada, multiple professional sports teams and is home to many festivals.
Winnipeg experiences four distinct seasons. Nothing beats a prairie summer under our big sky! Manitoba summers are typically very sunny and hot. Our legendary winters provide opportunities for various winter sports. We have over 2,300 hours of sunshine per year – among the highest of all Canadian cities. Enjoying all four seasons is easy to do as Winnipeg is close to numerous lakes, parks and beaches which provide great areas to camp, fish and hike. Winter activities include cross country skiing, skating, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, ice hockey, ringette and tobogganing.
There are several professional and amateur sports teams including the Winnipeg Jets (NHL), Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL), Winnipeg Goldeyes (baseball), Valour FC (Canadian Premier League Soccer), Winnipeg Sea Bears (Canadian Elite Basketball League) and Manitoba Moose hockey (AHL).
Winnipeg is home to many festivals including Folklorama, the largest and longest running multicultural festival in the world. Other popular festivals include Festival du Voyageur, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, the Winnipeg International Children’s Festival among many more. The Forks is a national historic site at the intersection of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, with warehouses converted to shops and restaurants, plus ample green space dedicated to recreational, historical and cultural events such as festivals, concerts and exhibits. The Canadian Museum for Human Rights is appropriately situated at the Forks. Nearby, the Exchange District is known for its well preserved, early 20th century architecture and numerous art galleries, trendy shops, cafes and restaurants. Some of Winnipeg’s other diverse neighbourhoods include the boho chic Osborne Village, Corydon Village also known as “Little Italy” and the historic St. Boniface, the heart of Manitoba’s Francophone community.
Known as the “Gateway to the West”, Winnipeg is a railway and transportation hub with a diversified economy. It is a very affordable place to live in Canada. Resident salaries are higher than in most provinces and items such as food, gas, rent and car insurance are typically less.
Websites of interest:
http://www.tourismwinnipeg.com/
https://www.tourismwinnipeg.com/events/annual-festivals-and-events
http://www.travelmanitoba.com/
http://jets.nhl.com/
https://www.bluebombers.com/
https://goldeyes.com/
http://valourfc.canpl.ca/
Home
https://www.seabears.ca/
https://www.theforks.com/
Winnipeg’s Original Downtown
st-boniface-1
https://humanrights.ca/
https://www.economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com/
http://www.gov.mb.ca/
http://www.wrha.mb.ca/
https://sharedhealthmb.ca/
https://umanitoba.ca/ongomiizwin/
Please note: Your interview will be conducted in both French and English.
In addition to meeting the residency program’s English language requirements, fluency in written and spoken French is a requirement of the bilingual stream.
If you graduated from a French-language institution, please provide the name of the secondary school or post secondaryinstitution you attended in your personal letter.
Your ability to communicate verbally in French will be informally assessed during the interview. This will not in any way affect your overall interview score, particularly if you are applying to multiple streams, but only to determine your suitability for the bilingual stream.
Your experience while at Centre de Santé will include a wide range of Family Medicine practice. You will have exposures in outpatient care, home visits, and following maternity patients through pregnancy and delivery. In both rural sites, Notre Dame de Lourdes and Ste-Anne, you will be practicing a wide range of family medicine skills. Hospital work at these sites includes emergency room coverage, in-patient admissions, surgical assist, postpartum care, and palliative care. You will also participate in office based practice at the primary care clinics established in these communities, serving a wide variety of patients of all ages. You may also be participating in home visits and Personal Care Home visits.
PGY-1
Six months of Family Medicine Block time is completed between Centre de Santé and Ste-Anne. As of July 2024, the Foundation Block was initiated for all first year residents. Amongst clinic time, there are modules and classes through the university that are organized within the first 4 weeks of exposure. Our academic days are hybrid between sessions with the other two Southern Health sites (Steinbach and Boundary Trails) or with the bilingual
stream on it’s own.
Centre de Santé is a Francophone clinic in St. Boniface. This clinic focuses on primary health care and has the advantage of a multidisciplinary team to serve its patients, including family physicians, primary care nurses, nurse practitioners, dietitians, an athletic therapist, a psychiatrist, a social worker, and mental health workers. Physicians at Centre de Santé also provide obstetrical and newborn care at Hôpital St. Boniface Hospital, as well as nursing home
care at ActionMarguerite.
Ste-Anne is a rural Francophone town about 30 minutes southeast of Winnipeg. The busy clinic is complemented by a bustling rural hospital with a very active emergency department and surgical program. Residents here will be exposed to the full range of rural Family Medicine.
As a PGY-1 resident in the Bilingual Family Medicine program, you will be based at Centre de Santé, with two blocks spent in Ste-Anne. Your off-service rotations are done at either the Health Sciences Centre or St. Boniface Hospital and these are done in English. Experiences in Family Medicine include caring for outpatients, doing home visits, caring for your patients admitted to hospital, and following maternity patients through pregnancy. There is a wide variety of teaching sessions specific to community needs, rounds, and the integrated and nutrition programs.
PGY-2
In the second year you will spend 20 weeks practicing family medicine amongst our three sites: in addition to returning to Centre de Santé and Ste-Anne, you will be spending two blocks in Notre Dame de Lourdes, a town 130 km southwest of Winnipeg. In both rural sites you will be practicing a wide range of family medicine skills including hospital work: emergency room coverage, in-hospital admissions, postpartum care, and palliative care. You will also participate in both these towns’ clinics doing office based family practice where you will see a wide variety of patients of all ages. You may also be participating in home visits as well as Personal Care Home visits. In addition, our academic days continue in second year.
Ste-Anne:
Centre Médical Seine is a busy family medicine clinic situated across from Hôpital Ste-Anne Hospital. This is a 21 bed facility with a brand new, state-of-the-art operating room that includes 2 surgical suites, a scope room and 8 recovery beds. Presently there are 7 physicians working in Ste-Anne. The ER sees close to 10,000 visits/year. Due to the high volume of patients and the proximity of the hospital, residents are exposed to a wide scope of practice. From covering the ER and using procedural skills that this requires (sutures, casts, fracture reductions, trauma stabilization, codes, etc.) to doing office-based medicine and palliative care, it is a package deal! Residents are always assigned to one of preceptors and are part of the team. There is good opportunity for “horizontal” learning since OR and ER are part of this family rotation.
Notre Dame de Lourdes:
NDL has a busy family practice in a beautiful clinic where 5 family physicians work as well as one nurse practitioner. While in NDL residents get good exposure to small town family medicine. Situated 130 km from Winnipeg means providing ER coverage including all procedural skills that this requires. Palliative care is also an important aspect of rural medicine practice. In-hospital admissions are cared for by the physicians and residents gain this experience as well. Office-based medicine includes all age groups. Residents will also be participating in home visits and Personal Care Home coverage. While on rotation in NDL, residents will enjoy living in the rural community, in the rolling hills of a very picturesque town!
Centre de Santé:
Centre de Santé is a Francophone clinic located in the heart of St. Boniface. As an Access Centre, the mandate of this clinic is to provide primary care for complex patients within the catchment area as well as Francophones throughout Winnipeg. This multidisciplinary clinic provides patients with access to extensive Allied Health providers including a Social Work, Dietitians, Primary Care Nurses, a Clinical Pharmacist, an Occupational Therapist, Mental Health Counselors and a Respiratory Physiotherapist. The clinic serves a large immigrant and refugee population, as well as provides extensive mental health care with the support of a Shared Care Psychiatrist. Residents will also have exposure to longitudinal obstetrical care, including newborn care and breastfeeding support. Physicians also provide care in Personal Care Homes.
At all sites, our faculty members are committed to working with you in providing the best learning environment possible. We know that Family Medicine is an exciting, diverse and challenging profession – just like the program we offer at the University of Manitoba.
Overview of Department
https://umanitoba.ca/medicine/department-family-medicine
The University of Manitoba is committed to the social justice principles of equity, access & participation and to promoting opportunities for systemically marginalized groups who have been excluded from full participation at the University and the larger community including Indigenous, Black, racially marginalized Peoples, persons with disabilities and those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ (Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, questioning, intersex, asexual and other diverse sexual identities) and women.
For more than 40 years, the University of Manitoba’s Department of Family Medicine has been positively influencing the health of individuals, families and communities across Manitoba. Through clinical work, teaching and innovative research, family medicine is making a difference.
We offer residents the chance to learn with interprofessional faculty, such as dietitians, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and other health care professionals. This collaborative learning model teaches our students and residents the basic principles of health care professions, when to use them in their care of patients and how to make appropriate referrals.
This program, accredited by the College of Family Physicians of Canada, promotes whole-person medicine through a combination of patient-centred care and structured seminars. During clerkship, learners are distributed in over 20 communities throughout Manitoba.
Family Medicine is a wide-ranging discipline, with the chance to impact a diverse spectrum of patients in various communities. Manitoba is one of the most diverse provinces in the country, providing an excellent opportunity to work with patients from a variety of backgrounds.
Training Passionate Family Physicians
After completing a four-year undergraduate degree in Medicine, students who enter the two-year Family Medicine residency choose a learning stream tailored to their practice interests.
Here is a video with a general overview of our Family Medicine Program at the University of Manitoba.
Streams:
Urban
Northern Remote
Northern Thompson
Bilingue
Rural – Boundary Trails
Rural – Brandon
Rural – Interlake Eastern
Rural – Neepawa
Rural – Parkland
Rural – Portage la Prairie
Rural – Steinbach
Integrated Clinician Scholar (3 year program)
Each stream provides a broad and balanced experience that prepares well-rounded family physicians who can practice with confidence in a variety of settings.
Enhanced Training
In addition to the postgraduate program, Family Medicine also offers enhanced skills training which allows Family Medicine doctors to continually shape and reshape their careers. Enhanced training is available in the following areas:
Addictions
FM Anesthesia
Cancer Care
Care of the Elderly
Médecine d'urgence
Obstetrical Surgical Skills
Palliative Care
Sports & Exercise Medicine
This training requires an additional 6–12 months of study. Residents finishing their second year and practicing family physicians may apply.
Inspiring Young Minds – Our Faculty
The Department of Family Medicine has over 500 faculty members who excel at sharing knowledge, building competencies, and maximizing learning opportunities for students.
Our faculty are integral participants in all stages of medical education. Some have major Undergraduate teaching roles, providing comprehensive Family Medicine and generalist content as well as their unique perspectives on health care.
Integrative Medicine in Residency Program Option
The Integrative Medicine in Residency (IMR) program is a two-year program of study exploring the integration of Complementary and Alternative therapies with conventional family practice in an evidence-based manner. This program is being offered in conjunction with the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, and is a 200-hour, interactive web-based curriculum that is completed longitudinally alongside the Family Medicine residency program. This program option is available to residents in all streams. Visit the Integrative Medicine in Residency Program page for full details.
Innovative Research
The Department of Family Medicine provides exciting opportunities to perform research with practical outcomes on the health of Canadians. The department promotes and supports the development of research skills and provides workshops to all Family Medicine residents.
Scholarly Curriculum*
Scholarly activities in our program include:
– participation in Journal Clubs
– presentations at patient case rounds and regular guideline appraisals
– didactic teaching
– formal Quality Improvement curriculum
– Critical Appraisal assignments
– PEARLS exercises as offered through the College of Family Physicians of Canada
– Academic Days throughout the year
– additional core curriculum as mandated by PGME for all postgraduate program residents
* subject to change
Courses Offered for Residents in Family Medicine*
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Prior to the commencement of training, matched applicants must provide proof of ACLS certification that is current as of July 1, 2026. The ACLS Provider course must be certified by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada or the American Heart Association. ACLS training that is not certified by one of these two organizations and/or is completed entirely through an online course will not be accepted. Applicants are responsible for all costs associated with obtaining ACLS certification. We provide a re-certification course in your second year of residency prior to graduation.
Advances in Labour and Risk Management (ALARM)
We mandate ALARM training during the residency and provide reimbursement upon successful completion.
Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
We mandate ATLS training during the residency and provide reimbursement upon successful completion for all non-urban residents.
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
We mandate NRP during residency and provide reimbursement upon successful completion.
Ultrasound Curriculum
Ultrasound curriculum is mandatory and provided for all residents.
We Will Take Good Care of the People
Indigenous Cultural Safety Training
*subject to change
This residency program is for 2 years.
Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.
The ability to practice in both official languages is essential in a number of rural Manitoba communities. To meet this need, the University of Manitoba offers the only English/French Bilingual Family Medicine program in Western Canada. Because our Francophone population is spread across Manitoba, we can offer residents the opportunity to experience practice in both rural and urban communities.
First year
Six months of block time are interspersed with off service rotations of Family Medicine Block Time at Centre de Santé and Centre Medical Seine in Ste-Anne, MB.* As of July 2024, the Foundation Block was initiated for all first year residents. Amongst clinic time, there are modules and classes through the university that are organized within the first 4 weeks of exposure. Our academic days are hybrid between sessions with the other two Southern Health sites (Steinbach and Boundary Trails) or with the bilingual stream on it’s own.
Centre de Santé is a Francophone clinic in St. Boniface. This clinic focuses on primary health care and has the advantage of a multidisciplinary team: family doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, dietitians, an athletic therapist, a psychiatrist, a social worker, and mental health workers. There are physicians at Centre de Santé that provide obstetrical and newborn care at Hôpital St. Boniface Hospital, while others see patients at the affiliated personal care home. Centre Médical Seine is a busy fee for service clinic 30 minutes east of Winnipeg. Physicians also provide hospital coverage including ER and in-patient care, as well as nursing home coverage.
The other six months involve training, usually in English, primarily at Hôpital St-Boniface Hospital for internal medicine rotations, adult emergency medicine, intensive care, and obstetrics. The pediatric emergency medicine rotation is completed at the Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg.
*Family medicine block time sites could vary based on the needs of the clinics.
Second year
The second-year family medicine training occurs amongst all three of our sites, with another two blocks at Centre de Santé, three blocks including longitudinal surgery in Ste-Anne, and two blocks in Notre Dame de Lourdes.* Notre Dame de Lourdes is a rural Francophone town 1.5 hours southwest of Winnipeg. All physicians provide care to inpatients and cover the emergency department at the local hospital. At all sites, residents practice all the tasks done by their preceptors: clinic appointments, minor procedures, prenatal and postpartum care, palliative care, home visits, nursing home care. In addition, our academic days continue in the second year.
*Family medicine block time sites could vary based on the needs of the clinics.
SURGERY – The development of the surgery program in Ste-Anne now enables us to include surgical training in a Francophone setting. You will spend the equivalent of four weeks completed longitudinally over the course of your time in Ste-Anne, working directly with the general surgeons.
PALLIATIVE CARE – Winnipeg has one of the longest-standing traditions in Canada in providing hospital and community palliative care to its citizens. The palliative care rotation has been evaluated by residents as one of the most rewarding and unique to their Family Medicine training. Skills taught by palliative care family physician specialists enable residents to gain skills essential to providing symptom based care to both patients struggling with chronic illness and during end-of-life care.
BEHAVIOURAL MEDICINE – An integrated approach to behaviour medicine is utilized during your Family Medicine experiences.
Your training includes:
– Sessions in psychiatry for the evaluation and care of patients in crisis, patients with chronic mental illness and those with problems of abuse or substance dependence;
– Exposure to community mental health resources
– Participation in Shared Mental Health (Shared Care in Mental Health) with a consultant psychiatrist, or mental health therapist
NUTRITION EDUCATION & CARE – Nutrition assessment, education and therapy are essential components to practicing family medicine. Staff at the Centre de Santé include dietitians who help train residents in nutrition knowledge.