keeping options open

[Guest haloo]

Here's another question about family med.

 

Now, if I understand correctly it is possible to be doing another residency, say surgery, but to write the exam to practice family medicine after the first two years. Is this true?

 

Another question.

 

If you want to do an R-3 do you have to apply for the 3 year residency with carms or do you apply for the R-3 later on? Can you do the regular 2 year family med residency and do an R-3 year a few years down the road?

 

This may have been discussed elsewhere, if so I apologize for my redundancy!

[Guest Ian Wong]

Only selected residencies allow you to write the Family Medicine exam. Many residencies don't, because they don't have the required months in rotations like OB/GYN, Peds, or Psychiatry, which are mandatory for a Family Medicine residency. Additionally, I have only heard of this in BC; I do not know if other provinces offer this option. I also think that if you were to do a residency like Ophthalmology in BC, where the first two years DOES allow for one to write the Family Medicine exam, that general license you obtained is only good in BC, and not necessarily in Alberta, Sask, etc.

 

The PGY-3 spot is applied for during your Family Medicine residency, and is not done through CaRMS. I assume you could always apply for the PGY-3 spot after graduating from residency and working for a few years, but I don't personally know of anyone who has done that.

 

Ian

[Guest marbledust]

I don't know about other provinces, but in Alberta it is possible to apply to the R3 Emergency year after you have been out practicing. A family doctor from my hometown did this after practicing for 9 years. There is no restriction that you must do the R3 year immediately upon completion of the two year family med residency.