Three med students doing a scalpel exercise

Residency

The Department of Family and Community Medicine's (DFCM) Residency Program prepares future family physicians for comprehensive primary care in an evolving health care system. Providing them with the opportunity to practice anywhere in the province, the country or the world. 

Family medicine is the central component of learning at DFCM—residents see themselves as family doctors from their first day in the program. At present, all residents spend at least eight months of the 24-month program in family medicine and continue half-days of family medicine during all rotations to promote continuity of care with patients. 

Dr. Stuart Murdoch

Our program is recognized nationally and internationally for its excellence. We are the second family medicine residency program in the world, and first in North America, to be accredited by the World Organization of Family Doctors (WONCA). Read the accreditation report here.

Our learning opportunities are superior in breadth and quality—and are flexible to meet your learning needs and expectations. We hope you will join us.

Dr. Stuart Murdoch
Director, Postgraduate Education
Department of Family and Community Medicine

Contact DFCM Admissions for any questions.

Prospective residents

Three program streams with diverse sites
Learn about our 3 streams, curriculum and program highlights and read FAQs. See what DFCM has to offer.

Instructions and FAQs
Information for Canadian and international medical graduates, sponsored visa trainees and transferring residents.

From urban to mid-Ontario communities
Read about each teaching site, find links to site websites and view a sample rotation schedule.

Current residents

What you need to know
More information on residency requirements and what you need to know prior to commencing your training.

Expanding your residency experience
Provides 25% of core Family Medicine training for all 2nd year residents.

Enhanced skills training in Family Medicine
Curriculum-based clinical training at 3rd year resident level. We offer one of the largest selection of enhanced skills programs in Canada.

Developed to meet the goals of the Triple C Curriculum
Our curriculum is Comprehensive, Focused on Continuity and Centred in Family Medicine, in accordance with the accreditation standards by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).

Enhance your residency
Take one of our various programs and courses: Procedural Skills Course, Rural Northern Initiative Program, ALSO Advanced Life Support Obstretics Course, Part-time Training Option and Teaching Residents to Teach Program (TRT).

Celebrating Excellence in Family Medicine Education and Research
See a list of awards available to DFCM residents. There is a trajectory of awards starting with program level awards, moving to departmental Awards of Excellence, and finally external awards.

Mar 24, 2023
For their contributions to the pandemic response, DFCM faculty Dr. Brian Schwartz and 12 other leaders of the OST were recognized with a U of T President’s Impact Award.
Mar 8, 2023
After a storied hockey career that culminated in being inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Hayley Wickenheiser pursued another childhood dream: becoming a doctor. “I always knew I needed a life after hockey and thought that would be a good one,” says Wickenheiser.
Feb 13, 2023
Not only do Toronto's northwest communities face some of the most inequitable outcomes in the city, it has also been described as a primary care desert. To address what is quickly becoming a dire situation in primary care in the area, Humber River Hospital has recently joined DFCM as their newest teaching hospital site.