Fellowship Training

Fellowship training does not lead to certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or by the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Fellows are classified as either clinical fellows or research fellows.

Clinical fellowship training is ordinarily a one-year to three-year “topping off” experience for recognized specialists or family physicians. As short-term educational experience which does not lead to certification by the RCPSC or the CFPC, a clinical fellowship on its own is not a pathway to permanent practice as a specialist or family physician in Ontario.

Research fellows have no patient contact whatsoever. Unlike clinical fellows, research fellows have no obligation to register with the Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) Office.

Clinical Fellows

A clinical fellowship is an opportunity for a physician to obtain advanced training and/or to acquire more specialized expertise not normally acquired during residency training. Clinical fellows must be recognized specialists or family physicians.

As short-term educational experience which does not lead to specialist recognition by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), a clinical fellowship on its own is not a pathway to permanent practice as a specialist in Ontario.

Eligibility for Licensure as a Clinical Fellow

In order to be considered for clinical fellowship training, applicants must be eligible for a certificate authorizing postgraduate education (an educational-type medical license) from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), the body which regulates the practice of medicine in Ontario.

One of the CPSO’s key requirements for the licensure of clinical fellows is that the applicant must be recognized as a medical specialist/family physician in the jurisdiction where the applicant has been practicing medicine prior to the clinical fellowship.

It is possible to review the requirements for licensure in detail by downloading the application for clinical fellows from the CPSO website:

CPSO – Application Information for Clinical Fellows

Please note that medical graduates apply for educational licensure by the CPSO only after they have been accepted for clinical fellowship training by the University.

For Canadian Applicants

Note to Applicants:

If you have also applied to the U.S match through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), please be advised that the University of Toronto is a participating institution and adheres to the match policy. The policy states that “Applicants who have matched to a program or have accepted a position during the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP), shall not apply for, discuss, interview for, or accept a concurrent year position in another program prior to the NRMP granting the requested waiver.” More information is accessible in the Specialty Matching Services Match Participation Agreement.

Application Process for Clinical Fellowships

Medical graduates who are Canadian citizens/permanent residents and meet the CPSO’s requirements for licensure as a clinical fellow should contact the office of the Fellowship Program Director for information on opportunities for fellowship training.

For Non-Canadian Applicants

Note to Applicants:

If you have also applied to the U.S match through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), please be advised that the University of Toronto is a participating institution and adheres to the match policy. The policy states that “Applicants who have matched to a program or have accepted a position during the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP), shall not apply for, discuss, interview for, or accept a concurrent year position in another program prior to the NRMP granting the requested waiver.” More information is accessible in the Specialty Matching Services Match Participation Agreement.

Please note that medical graduates apply for educational licensure by the CPSO only after they have been accepted for clinical fellowship training by the University.

Application Process: Postgraduate Training Agreements

Postgraduate training agreements are currently in place between the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine and sponsoring agencies from the following countries:

Bahrain
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates

Applications for fellowship training from citizens of these countries must reach the PGME Office directly from the sponsoring agency. The application package sent by the sponsoring agency to the PGME Office must include all of the following items:

A letter from the sponsoring agency which confirms full financial support for the duration of the fellowship program
An up-to-date curriculum vitae which includes the applicant’s date of birth, citizenship and e-mail address
A copy of the medical degree (with English translation, where applicable)
A copy of the specialty certification (with English translation, where applicable)
Three letters of reference on letterhead, signed and dated within two years of the date of application

The PGME Office will provide successful applicants with documentation to enable them to apply for the appropriate work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Application Process: International Applicants

International applicants who meet the CPSO’s requirements for licensure as a clinical fellow should contact the office of the Fellowship Program Director for information on opportunities for fellowship training.