Am I eligible for the CIP?

• Your medical residency must be in an RCPSC accredited specialty or sub-specialty program and registered with the University of Calgary's PGME.
  *Family Medicine residents are not eligible.
• You must be a current or recent Royal College resident (prior to beginning any paid employment).
• All candidates must be eligible to be Royal College certified (FRCPC or FRCSC) in their primary specialty in order to be eligible to receive the Attestation of Completion of the CIP.
  *The Subspecialist Examination Affiliate (SEAP) and the Diplomate programs are not considered Certification by the Royal College, and therefore are not eligible for CIP.
• You must be eligible to co-apply to a thesis based University of Calgary Faculty of Graduate Studies program OR are currently enrolled in a MSc, PhD or Postdoctoral program.
• Your research must be primarily conducted in Calgary, and you must dedicate 80% of your time to this research.
• Your Supervisor must be on faculty at the UofC.

Note: Eligibility may vary depending upon your unique situation, these are the basic eligibility requirements.

When is the application deadline?

CIP Application Deadline:  see the Application page for the current deadline.

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Can my graduate program be course-based?

• No, at the UofC only thesis based research programs are acceptable. The research must be related to your residency program and can be any project from clinical research to medical education to basic science research. See Graduate Science Education (GSE) for some possible graduate programs.

I'm interested, what are the first steps?

Before vetting supervisors, committee or research project, potential applicants should:

• As soon as your interest is piqued, arrange an in-person meeting with the CIP administrator by emailing cip@ucalgary.ca .
• After meeting with the CIP admin, meet with the CIP Program Director, 3 months before the application deadline. The CIP Admin can help arrange a meeting.
• Seek approval from your UofC residency clinical Program Director.

What if I already have a PhD? Is there a postdoctoral program?

• You do not have to take another graduate degree if you already have a PhD. For the postdoctoral stream, a program of individualized research training is undertaken, with appropriate scientific rigor for a resident who already holds a graduate degree. Postdoctoral training plans require the approval of the CIP resident program committee.  A meeting with the CIP Director is required before you submit your application.

At what point during my residency should I apply?

• Entry is possible during your RCPSC accredited specialty or sub-specialty residency training (typically after your second residency year).
• As every program is different, with different required EPAs. Discussions with your clinical PD will help you determine the best time for your entry into CIP.
• You can also begin the CIP after your residency is completed, IF you apply within 6 months of completing your residency. For example, if you complete your residency in June of 2023, you must apply to CIP no later than the October 2023 application deadline.

What about funding?

• A limited number of 2 year Ministry funded positions (at your PGY level) are available. After two years, other external funding for MSc or postdoctoral programs would have to be found.
• For CIPs in a PhD program, limited CSM funding is available after the first two years of Ministry funding.
• CIP trainees are required to apply for external funding, check here for potential sources. CIP trainees who receive external funding during the first two years will receive a ministry top up to PARA levels.

Are residents in the AFC diploma programs eligible for CIP?

• No, the Area of Focused Competence (AFC) diploma programs (e.g. adult cardiac electrophysiology) are not eligible for CIP.

Where do I start my search for the right supervisor?

• Read Standard B4 (pg 4: Research Supervisor) of the Royal College Standards of Accreditation for the CIP
• Graduate Science Education (GSE), Cumming School of Medicine, provides a list of potential supervisors here. 

This paper by Yoon et al.* discusses six specific recommendations for finding the right supervisor, compiled from CITAC/ACCFC.

•   Yoon et al.  "It begins with the right supervisor: Importance of mentorship and clinician-investigator trainee satisfaction levels in Canada." Clinical & Investigative Medicine 36.6 (2013): 269-276.

Check Institutes for potential supervisors.

• Check the membership of relevant Research Institutes such as Libin (cardiovascular), Children's Hospital, Snyder (chronic diseases such as asthma, Crohns's, arthritis etc and infectious diseases), Charbonneau (cancer), Hotchkiss (neurosciences), McCaig (bone and joint) and O'Brien (public health) .
• Research your potential supervisor. Inquiries that do not reference research by the faculty you are contacting will likely not receive a response.

Can you tell me something about the different pathways?

• Only the Continuous and Fractionated Training pathways are available at the UofC. For more information on the CIP pathways check here.
• Other universities which offer the CIP program may have different eligibility requirements, location requirements or available pathways.

Are there any other CIP programs in Canada?

Specific eligibility rules and funding vary between universities.Please contact the relevant program directly.

• Western Canada (University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, University of Saskatchewan, University of Manitoba)
• Ontario (Western University, McMaster University, University of Toronto, University of Ottawa, Queen’s University)
• Québec & Maritimes (McGill University, Dalhousie University, Université de Montréal, Université de Sherbrooke, Université Laval)