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Program Highlights
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.
Transportation
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.
The City of Winkler and City of Morden are scenically located on the Pembina escarpment and approximately 20 minutes north of the U.S. border. Both Morden and Winkler offer a wealth of fun opportunities outside of the work setting such as:
Sporting activities throughout the year ranging from curling, hockey, squash, tennis, baseball, basketball, volleyball (indoor and beach) and archery to name just a few.
For the golf enthusiasts, there are two beautiful 18-hole golf courses, one in Winkler and the other just outside of Morden which host many popular golf tournaments.
Colert Beach in Morden and the Winkler Aquatic Centre offer camping and swimming.
The beautiful, rolling Pembina Hills provide quick access to hiking, camping, golfing, biking, boating, and cross-country skiing.
For the avid fishermen/women we have goldeye, carp, catfish, sucker, rock bass and walleye in local waters, to name a few.
Cultural activities are available in both communities year-round, and there are active community bands that are always in search of musicians.
Two major festivals are celebrated annually, the Winkler Harvest Festival and the Morden Corn and Apple Festival.
Websites of Interest:
http://www.cityofwinkler.ca
Home
http://www.winklergolfcourse.com
Home
http://www.mordenmb.com
http://www.agassizmedicalcentre.com
http://www.golfminnewasta.com
Southern Health-Santé Sud
Major Strengths of the Boundary Trails Rural Stream
University of Manitoba rural residents have demonstrated that they are prepared for rural practice. Since 2010, the majority of our graduates have entered into rural practice; many of which have also completed enhanced skills programs.
University of Manitoba was recognized in 2005 as one of the top 3 rural medical school programs in Canada, through the Keith Award by the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (www.srpc.ca/KeithAwards2005.html). This award is based on analysis of graduates from the University of Manitoba that were practicing in rural communities in 1998 and 2004. We consistently demonstrate the ability to train rural family physicians to meet the medical needs of those 31% of Canadians who live in rural regions.
Boundary Trails residents who have graduated and went on to enhanced skills programs, have completed plus one programs in Anesthesia, Palliative Care, Women’s Health & Obstetrics and Sports Medicine.
An experienced and active rural teaching unit, with the lowest preceptor to trainee ratio possible, with little competition from other multi-level learners.
Large clinical volumes with excellent variety of patients.
Frequent opportunities to perfect your procedural skills through clinical encounters as well as procedural labs.
Diversity of training sites offers experience in rural medicine within small (population 1000) to larger communities (population 10,000).
Continuity of care within your preceptor’s practice is an educational priority, which we achieve through six blocks of Family Medicine Block time.
An integrated curriculum providing training in psychiatry, optometry, obstetrics, gynecology, geriatrics, community medicine, psychosocial counselling, nutrition, surgical skills, anesthesia, pediatrics and ER.
Monthly academic days in small group learning environments, rural Continuing Medical Education (CME), and resident-driven teaching rounds and journal clubs.
We ensure that residents receive exposure to our unique, rural industry and communities (i.e. agriculture, Hutterite colonies, etc) so as to enhance the understanding of farm injuries, access issues to health care, and lifestyle issues of the rural populations.
In keeping with trends in technology we now have our own website to showcase our program and communities: https://bthc-ctu.ca/
As Boundary Trails Clinical Teaching Unit is a home unit, residents are based here for their Family Medicine block time in both first and second years.
At this site, multiple learners will be together at the same time (typically 2 – 4 medical students, elective students & residents (airway, obstetrics, ER, palliative care, sports med), and 8 CaRMS-matched Family Medicine residents). This diversity of learners enhances the learning environment.
Boundary Trails CTU is a partnership between the C.W. Wiebe Medical Centre, Menzies Medical Centre, The Boundary Trails Health Centre, the City of Morden, the City of Winkler, the RM of Stanley, Southern Health Santé Sud and the University of Manitoba. Located in the beautiful Pembina Valley Region, the Boundary Trails CTU provides learners with a wide variety of opportunities while experiencing our exciting and diverse communities.
Learners placed within the Boundary Trails CTU are linked with one of the clinics, either Morden (Menzies Medical Centre) or Winkler (C. W. Wiebe Medical Centre). Both clinics host Electronic Medical Records (Winkler InputHealth, Morden Accuro), and are part of the My Health Care Team network. The clinics are community owned and host both contract and fee for service physicians.
The Boundary Trails Health Centre (BTHC) is a 94-bed acute care facility providing quality health care services to the community and surrounding area of 40,000 – 50,000 people. BTHC is the largest regional health centre in Southern Health-Santé Sud providing progressive primary, secondary and community health care to the residents of Southern Manitoba. BTHC features a full complement of services, including home care, public health, mental health, emergency, ambulatory care clinics, intensive care, observation, diagnostics, laboratory, medical, surgery, day surgery, obstetrics, chemotherapy, dialysis, rehab/assess and rehab services, e.g. OT/PT, speech & audiology.
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
Bilingual
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
Emergency Medicine
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.
Family Medicine Training for Boundary Trails residents is done in the context of the rural community. As Boundary Trails Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) is a home unit, residents will do both first and second year Family Medicine block time here.
The Boundary Trails Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) in the Boundary Trails Health Centre is situated between the City of Winkler (population 12,005) and the City of Morden (population 7800). The Boundary Trails Health Centre serves as a regional referral centre for the south central area (regional population approximately 50,000).
For Family Medicine training, residents are paired with a primary preceptor and their busy fee-for-service rural practice at the Menzies Medical Centre or the C.W. Wiebe Medical Centre. The medical clinics in total have:
46 family practitioners (16 in Morden and 29 in Winkler)
4 general surgeons
5 orthopaedic surgeons
1 neurologist
4 gynecologists/obstetricians
1 pediatrician
Family physicians in these clinics have specialty training in areas such as:
– chemotherapy
– hemo-dialysis
– obstetrics
– addiction medicine
– palliative care
– women’s health
– anesthesia
– sports medicine
Family medicine experiences include outpatient clinics, opportunities to participate in hospitalist service for inpatients at BTHC, and home visits. Protected time is provided for horizontal experiences in the areas of psychiatry, psycho-geriatrics, geriatrics, sports medicine, gynecology, pediatrics and community medicine. We pride ourselves in our delivery of evidence-based medicine and our ability to allow you to develop your clinical and procedural skills essential to functioning as a rural family physician.
Winkler/Morden are medium-sized rural communities that have a wonderful blend of small-town doctor “culture” and well-resourced medical centres/hospital. You will become immersed in the community and will practice full-spectrum Family Medicine with a lot of hands on experience where you, the Family Medicine resident, are central to the structure. Please see our “Training Sites” section for more details on this site.
PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY
A four-week pediatric rotation is based in Winnipeg and includes time in the Emergency Department at the Children’s. There is a wide range of clinical experiences including consultation within the hospital and in the Emergency Department.
A second block is done horizontally at Boundary Trails Health Centre and in 2nd year there is a block of Pediatric In-Patients which includes care of children in the hospital and walk-in clinics, in addition to visits to a pediatrician’s office in Winnipeg.
ICU / CCU
This rotation is based in a Winnipeg community hospital with a focus on both coronary care and intensive care medicine. There are a wide range of clinical experiences including consultation within the hospital and in the Emergency Department.
INTERNAL MEDICINE
This two-block rotation is based out of Winnipeg with a focus on demonstrating knowledge, clinical and technical skills and decision-making capabilities pertinent to the management of patients with medical problems.
OBSTETRICS
This two-block rotation located at Boundary Trails demonstrates focus on providing pre-conception, pre-natal & intra-partum care. Residents learn essential skills to perform low-risk deliveries, recognize & manage common intra-partum emergencies & provide postpartum care. Along with these two dedicated blocks, obstetrics is also performed horizontally during FMBT.
PALLIATIVE MEDICINE
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. Currently, Boundary Trails CTU is developing a similar program.
SURGERY
One block based out of Winnipeg is dedicated to the diagnosis and pre and post-management of common surgical illnesses. Suturing materials and techniques are taught/practiced in addition to techniques of assisting, approach to excision of common lesions & the understanding of consent & obtaining consent.
BEHAVIOURAL MEDICINE
An integrated approach to behavioural medicine is utilized during your Family Medicine experiences.
Key areas include:
– Mental health concerns (curriculum in consultation with Department of Psychiatry)
– Helping patients develop coping skills
– Knowledge of community resources
– Communication skills
Psychiatric topics covered at Academic Days and Wednesday morning teaching sessions provide the didactic portion of this experience. You will also experience an additional one week (7-day) segment working with psychiatrists at Eden Mental Health Centre focusing on management of common mental health problems.
NUTRITION EDUCATION & CARE
Full-time dietitians in both the clinics and at Boundary Trails Health Centre provide experience in office management of nutritional concerns that are common to family practice such as:
Diabetes
Cardiovascular Illness
Weight Management
In addition, there are opportunities for enhancement of health promotion skills through education to community groups.
