GIM Electives

Internal Medicine Residents must contact the Internal Medicine Residency Training Program to organize electives.  Please email Melissa Nightingale.

GIM Residents (PGY-4 and 5 (or IM residents who will be a GIM Resident at the time of the elective)) looking for GIM Rotations in BC should contact Andrea Toker.  Following is a detailed process for applying for a General Internal Medicine Elective at UBC.
  1. Contact Andrea Toker. Ensure you include your PGY level, your home university, the planned dates of the elective and your site preference if you have one. If you wish to undertake a community General Internal Medicine elective, please ensure this is clearly marked.
    • For Community Rotations: Advise Andrea of the community you are interested in or reach out for ideas. We have rotations in the following cities, but they are often utilized by Internal Medicine as well as General Internal Medicine, so not all sites are available.

Campbell River, Cranbrook, Comox, Duncan, Kamloops, Nanaimo, Nelson, Penticton, Salmon Arm, Terrace, Trail, Vernon, Victoria

We also have community rotations within the lower mainland, again, these are shared with Internal Medicine.

Abbotsford Regional Hospital, Burnaby General Hospital, Langley Memorial Hospital, Mt. St. Joseph’s Hospital (Vancouver) Ridge Meadows Hospital (Maple Ridge), Richmond General Hospital, Surrey Memorial Hospital

You will be provided with contact details and are responsible for setting up the rotation directly with the supervisor. You will need to complete the UBC Application for Postgraduate Resident Elective form, and obtain a letter of support from your community supervisor. See #4 for details on the final step. Your community supervisor will be responsible for setting up hospital/computer access for you.

  • For CTU Rotations: Andrea will help you organize this rotation based at one of the four CTU sites we use (Vancouver General Hospital, St. Paul’s Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital or Royal Jubilee Hospital (Victoria)
  1. Once the rotation is set up and you have approval from a supervisor, we will have you complete the UBC Application for Postgraduate Resident Elective form and return it to Andrea.  She will then apply to Dr. Tessaro, the GIM Fellowship Program Director for his approval and we will submit the UBC Elective Form and the approval email to the PGME Office for you.
  2. The Postgraduate Dean’s Office will contact you to confirm the elective, and advise you how to register with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC in order to become licensed. For further information, visit the CPSBC Resident-Elective
  3. For CTU rotations, one month before the start of your elective, contact the Chief Medical Resident at the site you will be working to confirm your schedule etc., where to report etc. You can reach the CMRs at the following addresses:
  4. Computer Access
    • St. Paul’s Hospital: For a SPH elective, Cerner access is set up automatically by the PGME Office.  The Cerner office will contact you directly regarding training.
    • Vancouver General Hospital: For an VGH elective, access is organized online. A letter of support is also required; please contact Andrea once you have completed the necessary training and she will arrange the letter from the CTU director at VGH.  It is best to apply for this after you have your CPSBC ID #.
      • For transcription services at VGH, you will require a CPSID from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. As soon as you are given a CPSID number, contact transcription services at transcriptionalerts2@vch.ca or call 604-806-9696.

For out-of-town residents:

Upon arrival in Vancouver, you need to complete/arrange the following;

  1. Report to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC to pick up your temporary educational license;
  2. Pick up a temporary hospital ID as follows:
  3. Useful Links

Browse other training programs below:

GIM Fellowship