Last year, the Government of BC announced the expansion of UBC’s MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) by 40 seats, and postgraduate medical residency training programs (PGME) by up to 88 seats, which will be phased in across the province beginning in 2023.This expansion will create greater access and opportunities for students and resident doctors to learn, train and stay on to practice in communities around B.C. This will in turn help meet the health care needs of families and communities across the province today and well into the future.
The MD Undergraduate Program Expansion consists of two phases:
Phase 1 (2022-2023 Admissions Cycle): 18 new seats will be added to the MDUP for a total of 306 seats. The seats will be regionally distributed across the province as follows:
- Island Medical Program by 4 (from 32 seats to 36);
- Northern Medical Program by 4 (from 32 seats to 36);
- Southern Medical Program by 4 (from 32 seats to 36);
- Vancouver Fraser Medical Program by 6 (from 192 seats to 198); and
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- 38 seats will be designated for the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program- Fraser Medical Cohort Year 3 Clinical Clerkship.
Phase 2 (2023-2024 Admissions Cycle): 22 new seats will be added to the MDUP for a total of 328 seats. The seats will be regionally distributed across the province as follows:
- Island Medical Program by 4 (from 36 seats to 40);
- Northern Medical Program by 4 (from 36 seats to 40);
- Southern Medical Program by 4 (from 36 seats to 40);
- Vancouver Fraser Medical Program by 10 (from 198 to 208); and
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- 48 seats will be designated for the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program- Fraser Medical Cohort Year 3 Clinical Clerkship.
We hope the following FAQ will answer some of your most pressing questions.
1. How will expansion affect the number of positions designated for Northern and Rural applicants?
We are pleased to share that the following seats in the MDUP will be designated for applicants applying through the Northern and Rural Pathway:
Phase 1 (2022-2023 application cycle):
- Northern Medical Program all 36 seats;
- Southern Medical Program up to 12 seats;
- Island Medical Program up to 3 seats;
- Vancouver Fraser Medical Program- Fraser Medical Cohort up to 2 seats
Phase 2 (2023-2024 application cycle):
- Northern Medical Program all 40 seats;
- Southern Medical Program up to 14 seats;
- Island Medical Program up to 4 seats; and
- Vancouver Fraser Medical Program – Fraser Medical Cohort up to 4 seats
2. How will expansion affect the number of positions designated for out-of-province applicants?
Up to 10 per cent of seats in the MDUP are designated for out-of-province applicants. This means that in the 2022-2023 application cycle up to a total of 31 positions will be available to out-of-province applicants. In the 2023-2024 application cycle up to a total of 33 positions will be available to out-of-province applicants.
3. Will postgraduate medical residency training programs (PGME) also be expanding?
Yes, UBC’s PGME programs will be expanded by up to 88 new positions.
Initially, the UBC Family Medicine Residency program will be expanded over the next two years, bringing the program total from 174 seats to 204 seats. These positions will be regionally distributed across UBC’s family medicine residency training locations throughout the province.
A further increase in residency seats, which mirrors the MDUP expansion, will be phased in to add another 48 postgraduate medical education positions for family medicine and other specialties, with a particular focus on the unique health care needs of communities across the province.