Enhanced Skills Residency Program

The Enhanced Skills Residency Program manages training opportunities for Family Medicine physicians who wish to supplement their comprehensive training with skills in a specialized area. A variety of six-month to one-year training programs are available. These positions are at a Postgraduate Year 3 residency level. Some of the positions are funded through the Alberta Rural Physician Action Plan (RPAP); acceptance into a RPAP funded position is conditional upon a Return-in-Service Agreement (RiSA) with a rural Alberta community. Other positions are funded as extensions of the core two-year Family Medicine Residency Program. Additional community funding support is available for physicians returning from practice to the Enhanced Skills Residency Program.

The Enhanced Skills Residency Program offers three types of learning experiences:

Category 1 Programs with nationally standardized curricula.
At the University of Alberta these currently include:

CFPC Emergency Medicine (12 month program)
Care of the Elderly (6 or 12 month programs)
Family Practice--Anaesthesia (FP-A) (12 month program)
Palliative Care (12 month conjoint program with the Royal College)

Category 2 Programs with established regional curricula.
At the University of Alberta these currently include:

Sports Medicine (12 month program)
Womens' Health (12 month program)
Surgical and Obstetrics Skills (12 month program)

Category 2 Customized Skills Programs. These are from three to 12 month programs and are specifically designed to meet the needs of communities or individual practitioners.