Welcome to the Postgraduate Medical Education
At the University of Toronto, we're proud to support medical graduates as they take the next step in their professional journey - whether that's through residency or fellowship training with our Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) Office.
Residency training is designed to lead to certification in a medical specialty or subspecialty through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or in Family Physician through the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). It's a foundational step towards becoming a certified physician in Canada.
Fellowship training, on the other hand, does not lead to certification by the RCPSC or CFPC. It offers a unique opportunity for certified specialists or family physicians to deepen their expertise. These clinical fellowships typically last one to three years and provide a rich, hands-on experience that builds on prior training.
We invite you to explore the wide range of training programs we offer. You can search our list of programs and links to their individual websites below. If there are any questions, please contact our office.
Types of Training at PGME
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. If you are interested in applying for a fellowship position at the University of Toronto, please visit the Fellowship training page.
Residency Training
Residency training is training which leads to specialty (or subspecialty) certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or to certification as a family physician by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). If you would like to apply for residency training at the University of Toronto, please visit the Residency training page.
Elective Training
As a postgraduate medical resident, you may register for an elective rotation at the University of Toronto in order to satisfy a specified part of the requirements of the ongoing residency training program in which you are enrolled at your home institution. Elective training is short-term training. If you would like to register for an elective rotation, please see the Elective training page.
Observerships
Observerships (also known as “shadowing”) have no University of Toronto status. Due to the high volume of requests that the PGME Office receives on this topic, however, our website offers some basic information about opportunities to observe patient care in clinical settings in Toronto.