- Postgraduate training -

Personnal accounts – Canada, British Colombia

CANADA, BRITISH COLUMBIA

Geriatric Cardiology

ACADEMIC
Start	Fall of R5 year Chose to complete her exams before leaving on the fellowship
Support	Sought advice from staff physicians in Geriatrics on how to approach different sites: emailed several institutions (Cardiology program directors) Also approached a Cardiologist specializing in the field, director of the Geriatric Cardiology program at McGill (the only officially recognized program in Quebec)
Choice of site/specialization	Chose subspecialty out of personal interest, with experience in Geriatric Cardiology rotation at McGill Relevance of this field for her future position Consulted a cardiologist who had completed a fellowship in Geriatrics at UBC whose practice is geared to older clientele
Interview	No formal interview, the supervisor was interested in hosting a Geriatrics fellow for 1 year Telephone chats helped develop a program geared to her needs
Exams	English test (only the IELTS is recognized in BC) Letter of reference required for UBC Two letters of reference to obtain the BC permit to practise
Pay/bursary	Fellowship not currently paid Possibility of self-financing (for her, practising Geriatrics), at the fellow’s discretion. She was given opportunities to practise to help pay for the fellowship
Prior rotation	None required
Work permit/visa	N/A (Canadian province)
Visitor’s visa	N/A
PERSONAL
Health insurance	Form to be sent to RAMQ with planned dates of stay in BC, to obtain coverage during the year outside Quebec (usually covered for 6 months only) She recommends starting the process very early, because she had to deal with a lot of red tape
Car
Bank account
Accomodation	Expect to pay a lot for accommodation in Vancouver
Driver’s licence	Easily accessible with Quebec licence
Quebec Health Insurance Board (RAMQ)	See section on health insurance