Resources

Resources for PGME Trainees

These are resources to support all PGME trainees—residents & fellows.

For residents:

  • Rural Family Medicine Residents have access to apply to RhPAP's Housing Program for housing accommodations at rural locations

Residents:

As per the PARA website: AHS Employee benefits are administered through Alberta Blue Cross. You can access your plan # through your ePeople account. Alberta Blue Cross mails ID cards directly to the employee’s home address (as listed on their ePeople Account).

For inquiries about your AHS employee benefits contact:
Phone: 1 (877) 511-4455
Email: HRContactCentre@albertahealthservices.ca

For information regarding making a claim, contact an Alberta Blue Cross agent:
Phone: 1 (800) 661-6995
Web: www.ab.bluecross.ca

 

Fellows:

Fellows are completely responsible for their own healthcare coverage. 

If you (and your dependents) are eligible for the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP), you may apply for it immediately on arrival to Alberta. 

Fellows may also purchase an insurance plan that provides coverage during the application period for AHCIP, if eligible. Fellows in the past have purchased travel insurance from a provider in their home country or current country of residence. Some airlines, travel agents, credit card companies, and employers provide travel insurance.

Understanding insurance:

Groceries:

Student Service's Guide on Food and Shopping in Calgary includes information on household goods, clothing, and groceries around the city.

Avenue Calgary also has two lists around obtaining groceries:

If you are experiencing food insecurity, the City of Calgary has an extensive list of Community Food Resources that will provide cheap and inexpensive meals and groceries.

The Student's Union Food Bank on UCalgary's main campus hosts the Good Food Box initiative, which sells inexpensive boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables from local farms. On Foothills Campus, you can purchase inexpensive fresh fruits and vegetables from Fresh Routes Mobile Market every Wednesday between 11am and 1pm.

Mobile/Cell Phone:

Check out the Student Service's Guide to Setting up Your Mobile/Cell Phone and the options of carrier and plans you have available to you.

 

Obtaining an Alberta Driver's License, Driving & Purchasing a Vehicle:

Student Services has a thorough guide to how to obtain an Alberta's driver's license, purchase a vehicle, and driving in Calgary, with links specifically on how to purchase a vehicle from different types of sellers and how to request an inspection & history when considering a vehicle.

For those inexperienced at winter driving, check out Transport Canada's guide on driving safely in winter. Due to the increased risk of road emergencies, many Albertans have an Alberta Motor Association (AMA) membership that covers roadside assistance for a discounted annual rate. AMA also offers driver training courses, including a winter driving one.

Discounted Transit Pass:

UPass: A UCalgary UPass allows full-time PGME trainees to have unlimited access to Calgary Transit services. All eligible trainees can access their UPass directly on their mobile devices through the My Fare app, available on Google Play (Android) or the App Store (iOS).

PGME Trainees will be required to Opt-In to UPass which will cover Calgary Transit for 4 months. The Opt-In option is in your Student Centre, under "My Financials". A detailed job aid is available.

All PGME trainees have access to PFSP and their program called P4P (Physicians for Physicians) where they will help those who call the Assistance Line to a family physician who has agreed to participate in the P4P program.

The Province of Alberta and Alberta Health Services also has the Find a Doctor website to assist those in search for an available family physician.

Both the University of Calgary's Main Campus as well as Foothills Campus have gyms that can be accessed with a membership or day fee. 

For residents:

Limited Access Memberships: A special membership option for medical residents to access the Foothills Campus' two gyms (Kinetix Fitness and HSC gym) for a discounted rate of under $10 a month.

PGME trainees:

You may open a Canadian bank account without being a Canadian citizen. Verify the ID requirements on the Government of Canada's guide to opening a bank account. If you are arriving on a work permit, you will likely need to go to the bank in-person and show your work permit.

All trainees who earn an income in Canada must file a tax return to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) every year by April 30. The CRA has an updating list of webinars that review benefits and credits that you may be eligible for.

For residents:

The PARA website has financial resources on how to read your paycheque and track your calls, and can answer questions on current salary rates as per the agreement.

While it does get cold and snowy in the winter, it is expected that people will still go out and conduct their daily activities as usual. It is very rare for services to shut down due to excessive cold or snow. Check out the City of Calgary's website for updates on snow and "Snow Emergency" event declarations. Check the driving tab above for driving in winter resources.

Activities in Winter:

Tourism Calgary is always updating with a list of activities to do with family and friends every week! For a specific list of winter activities, check out their curated lists:

Dressing for Winter:

Check out Avenue Calgary's guide on how to dress for winter when you're out and about.

Newcomer Family Resources:

Calgary is home to over 400,000 immigrants, and has a number of associations dedicated to welcoming newcomers. While you may not be a newcomer, if your spouse or children are new to Canada, it may be helpful to note the resources available to them:

Centre for Newcomers: provides services in multiple languages for learning English (with childcare support), gaining employment skills, connecting with prospective employers, and financial literacy.

Immigrant Services Calgary: provides services around learning English, interpretation for appointments with governments and other organizations, citizenship classes, support for expecting families or families with babies and/or toddlers, pre-school, and counselling.

Diversecities: offers financial literacy courses, after-school programs for children, law and advocacy programs and seniors social circles to reduce social isolation. Some programs are available translated into Cantonese, and written resources are available in Traditional Chinese.

Daycare/Childcare:

Medical trainees can apply to the UCalgary Childcare Centre. The UCCC requires proof of full-time status in association with UCalgary. Medical trainees can ask the PGME registration team at pgmeregistration@ucalgary.ca for a confirmation of enrolment letter on UCalgary letterhead that specifies full-time status. Note that the UCCC is in high-demand so apply early (around 18 months from start date minimum).

Medical trainees can also apply for child care subsidies to help with costs of childcare. Check the Government of Alberta's eligibility criteria and application process.

The Government of Alberta also has a detailed guide on finding and choosing child care, including the different types of childcare, pricing, and a childcare lookup tool.

Nannies:

Should you need more involved and longer-term childcare, you can hire a nanny or au-pair (live-in caregiver). Many have used the CanadianNanny database to find local, available nannies. Check their guides around employment agreements and salary expectations. For example, those hiring nannies are expected to pay into their employee's Employment Insurance and Canadian Pension Plan. 

Schooling in Calgary:

There are two Calgary-wide school districts: CBE (Calgary Board of Education) and Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD). Parents must choose to enrol their child in one school district or the other.

Calgary Board of Education's new student registration guide: the public school board that runs schools from kindergarten to Grade 12. They have a separate registration page for non-Canadian citizens. Free language interpretation services are provided over the phone.

Calgary Catholic School District new student registration guide: the Catholic school board that runs schools from kindergarten to Grade 12. Prioritizes Catholic parents and their children in the school's attendance area; however will enroll non-Catholic students if there is space and resources at the requested school.

Calgary always has events happening all through-out the year, no matter how hot or cold it is outside! Visit Tourism Calgary's website for a constantly-updating list of events each month, containing filters for seasons, location, and types of events you may be interested in checking out. A good place to start would be their list of 100 Things To Do In And Around Calgary.

Calgary Public Library: has an ongoing list of programs that include activities for toddlers (starting at 6 months old) all the way to teens and adults. The CPL also hosts Newcomer programs focused on learning English, connecting expecting parents or those with young children with health service supports such as nurses and dietitians.

Live and Play Calgary: check out and register in the city's registered programs (such as swimming, hockey, dance, and art), drop-in activities, and recreation facilities. Swimming courses are available for toddlers as old as 4 months, while other sports & fitness courses are available for children as young as 5. There are numerous classes also geared towards adults.

Trico Centre for Family Wellness: offers a number of registered programs for children ranging from 2 years old to 17 years old.

Genesis Centre: has a number of family and youth-centered programs & events every month, as well as drop-in sports facilities for those who choose to purchase a membership. 

Calgary Attractions: has a list of family-friendly attractions that are open or available year-round to experience. Also contains an updating list of deals and coupons available.

Are you dealing with a crisis situation? Or have confidential matters to discuss? Or concerns around mistreatment or maintaining work/life balance?

Check out the 'Who do I contact?' sheet: it maps who you can contact and the supports you have in these situations.

We have developed a Parenting in Residency Guide. You can help future parents in residency by completing this short survey

Listed are the Lactation room locations at the 5 Calgary hospitals

  • Information about whether there is a sink, fridge, and furniture for each lounge can be found on the AHS intranet available to employees.

You can also access the Family Planning for Canadian Physicians website.

Listed are the Multi-Faith Locations at the 5 Calgary Hospitals.  

The University of Calgary works with chaplains and faith representatives from a myriad of traditions. They are here to provide spiritual/religious support and crisis support to the UCalgary community regardless of their beliefs or outlook. Many faith representatives/chaplains also engage in building communal opportunities for gathering, worship, growth and reflection. The UCalgary faith representatives have agreed to include residents in their support. You can read about the Faith Representatives and connect with them.

Check out the Food tab above for details on obtaining groceries and inexpensive fresh fruits and vegetables around campus and the community.

We have created a Nutrition resources on managing and maintaining a healthy diet during residency, which includes a Cookbook made by UCalgary trainees for other UCalgary trainees that include all their favourite recipes.

Transition to practice:  

Specialty-specific:

  • The Canadian Medical Association profiles each medical specialty, including information such as workload, income and satisfaction, educational requirements, supply, and demographics.
  • The Association of American Medical Colleges has an online self-assessment tool that incorporates your interests, values, skills, and personality to provide information about planning your medical career.
  • The College of Family Physicians of Canada offers similar career resources for ‘The First Five Years’. 

PGME offers a number of awards and grants available to medical trainees.

The ORAPW personally administers the Dr. Marnie Hinton Resident Wellness Award. If there is a resident that is improving the health and wellness within your program, we would encourage you to nominate them for the award.

Listed are the Gender Neutral Changerooms for the 5 Calgary hospitals.

Program Directors and Program Administrators listed their tips on supporting trainees' wellbeing.

Residents also listed their tips on supporting their fellow Residents' wellbeing.

The University of Calgary has a number of on-campus offices that are available to medical trainees as support:

Directors of Resident Support (DRS): a confidential resource who can listen, support, and guide a trainee on a variety of topics, including mistreatment, conflict in the workplace or personal struggles. Though they are named DRS, both fellows and residents can access them.

Advocacy and Accountability around Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: a list of supports if you are experiencing experiencing harm, violence, discrimination, or harassment.

Safe Reporting at the CSM: you can report concerns of mistreatment or misconduct to the Protected Disclosure and Research Integrity Office through webform or phone.  

Sexual and Gender Based Violence Office: if you have been impacted by sexual and gender-based violence, the SGBV Office can connect you with services, inform you of your rights, talk through your options, or just listen. 

UCalgary Recovery Community: The UCRC is an inclusive, peer-driven space supporting all pathways to recovery, building community, and reducing addiction stigma on campus.

Faith and Spirituality Centre: a space dedicated to encouraging cultural and religious literacy, community building, and social change; offering religious events and multi-faith spaces 

Indigenous Health Program: an initiative by the Indigenous, Local and Global Health Office committed to supporting Indigenous learners and confronting the issues faced by Indigenous people both in the healthcare system and in our own institution.

Centre for Mindfulness​: drop-in mindfulness with gentle guidance provided.

PGME Learner Support Office: the first stop to getting information on how to go about supporting learners through times of struggle or difficulty

While all PGME trainees can always access our counselling & occupational therapy services, as well as the Physician and Family Support line, there are a number of community supports as well that you or your family can access.

Urgent crisis supports:

9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: offers bilingual support for individuals who are dealing with thoughts of suicide or are worried about someone who is struggling.

The Distress Centre: provide a 24 hour crisis line, online chat, and counselling with registered social workers for individuals, children/youth, families, couples and groups.

AHS Urgent Care Mental Health: urgent mental health services with no appointment required.

AHS Mental Health Help Line: offer a 24-hour helpline to provide support, information, and referrals for Albertans experiencing mental health concerns.

Counselling:

Hope for Wellness Line: immediate telephone and online culturally competent counselling for Indigenous peoples across Canada

Eastside Community Mental Health Services: offers immediate, no-cost, mental health support from an integrated ethnocultural team via phone, livechat and walk-in. Counselling available in Arabic; Cantonese; Farsi; French; Hindi; Korean; Malayalam; Punjabi; Spanish; Tagalog; Urdu.

Jewish Family Service Calgary: Services open to all individuals needing mental health support. Includes short-term therapy provided by a registered psychologist. Three sessions are free of charge, thereafter a sliding scale is used for up to 10 sessions.

Canadian Muslim Counselling: provides online counselling from holistic, empathetic, and Islamic perspectives. Limited capacity to provide sliding scale services. Multiple languages available.

Kindred (formerly Catholic Family Service of Calgary): rapid access counselling for all on an affordable fee model. Counselling is free for families, individuals under 18 and caregivers to individuals under 18.

Naseeha Mental Health Helpline for Muslims: provides 24/7 helpline, online therapy programs, and educational initiatives. Free and low-cost options available.

Calgary Counselling Centre: provides affordable and sliding scale counselling with minimal wait times to individuals, families and groups.

Carya Calgary: offers sliding scale counselling services focused on family wellness and seniors. Also offers courses around Child Development and Financial Education.

Insight Counselling and Therapy Services: offers reduced rate counselling to individuals, couples, families, and youth, as well as formal assessments to assess and diagnose disorders around cognitive disabilities, autism, and learning. 

Gender Violence and Sexual Abuse:

Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse: provides support to anyone impacted by sexual violence, including support people, using a trauma specialized approach. Offers free counselling for up to 14 sessions.

YWCA: Offers individual, group and family counselling with a focus on the prevention and treatment of family violence. Counselling provided on a sliding scale. Also offers shelter services.

Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter: has a 24-hour helpline and online chat 365 days of the year to provide crisis counselling, safety planning, referrals, and screening for emergency shelter placement. Resources are also available to men who would like to discuss their relationships and safety.

Looking for more?

The UCalgary's Women's Resource Centre has a Searchable Resource Database that has an extensive list of City-wide services that can help support you in whatever you need, whether that is education, immigration or housing, amongst other concerns.

The ORAPW is working to fulfill Wellness Accreditation Standards with our offerings.

Our office has developed printable PDF handouts to put up around offices and medical learner spaces for easy access to resources. Please feel free to print them out for your use: