Getting Into Fm Programs Without Electives At Program

[Real Beef]

As per my title: which FM programs in Ontario can people verify one can get an interview at without having done an elective at that program?

 

I am an emerg guy so most of my electives are emerg/acute care med-centric but want to ensure that I have family medicine program to go into as a back up or if I ultimately choose the 2+1 route for emerg - which it is looking more and more the direction I am being pulled as I talk to more and more practicing emerg physicians.

 

Thanks.

 

Beef

[Knovecc]

Relax, most FM programs wont be stingy with (at least) their interview invitations. I am from QC and never did an FM elective out of the province. I got interviews in Toronto and Ottawa (Hamilton and Kingston rejected me, and I didn't apply for NOSM and UWO). I have a few friends matched to Toronto or Kingston FM without any local electives.

 

Just a little heads up about CCFP-EM. From my talks with my attendings and other recent grads, I can tell you as an R3 that the job market for the +1's isn't as bright as what is depicted in the forum here. Yes most urban centre ERPs are still CCFP-EM (or even just CCFP) instead of FRCP nowadays. But so many of them are there because they've been working in ER for so long that they grandfathered in. For the new +1 graduates, it is now harder and harder to find full time EM jobs in major cities.

That being said, there is always opportunity in secondary or regional centres.

[justletmein]

I did no electives in Ontario.

Got interviews at every school I applied, i.e. Ottawa, Toronto, Queen's, McMaster.

 

Don't worry, electives are more important for smaller programs.

The bigger FM programs interview hundreds of candidates.

[medici]

I'm curious, is there a reasonable chance of matching to FM without doing electives in it (you do FM with core rotations after all)?

[justletmein]

I'm curious, is there a reasonable chance of matching to FM without doing electives in it (you do FM with core rotations after all)?

 

Yes, I know of many people who have matched without doing electives.

 

However, I was asked about my elective choices in several interviews. They are clearly looking for people who have 3-4 electives in a single specialty and who are using FM as a backup. As a program director, you would tend to rank these people lower to ensure that you fill your spots.