Pre-Residency Program
- Family Medicine

Learners who match through the CaRMS process will be contacted by Touchstone Institute within one week of the CaRMS match date.

Family Medicine Matches:
If you are matched to a Family Medicine residency program in Ontario, your dates will be determined in discussion between you and your program. Upon confirmation from your program, we will connect with you with further detail about the Pre-Residency Program.

All other specialties:
If you are successful in matching, your post graduate office will forward us your information and we will subsequently contact you with pertinent program information. Your programming dates will be assigned to you by Touchstone Institute.

Please note: While we strive to ensure your transition to residency training is smooth and meets your needs, we are not able to accommodate every date request. It is important that before matching, you are aware of and prepared to be available for all potential program dates as you could be assigned to any of the possible modules. Both Foundations and Advanced Modules are required to be attended in full. Touchstone Institute is committed to ensuring you have as much notice as possible to arrange pertinent life matters accordingly.

The Foundations Module will be delivered virtually and can be attended from anywhere, so long as you have a secure internet connection. The Advanced Module must be attended in-person and there is no virtual option. All learners must attend this module in Toronto at Touchstone Institute. 

Please note all sessions are delivered in Eastern Standard Time for both modules. 

To provide a harmonized experience for all IMGs entering training in Ontario the program is centrally delivered at Touchstone Institute located in Toronto. Accordingly, there are no other location options for the Advanced Module. 

At the current time, all those entering our facility or attending our events are required to be fully vaccinated as defined by the Ontario Ministry of Health. We also strongly recommend everyone receive all vaccines/boosters they are eligible for in addition to this minimum requirement. Our policy is informed by Ontario Ministry of Health guidelines. Information on what safety precautions will be expected for in-person learning will be outlined in future communications. 

Our Learning Programs are designed as orientation programs that provide learners with an unparalleled opportunity to ensure they have access to and can practise foundational skills and knowledge that will be required for a successful residency in Ontario. Our learning programs are not evaluative in nature; however, a report of each learner’s attendance records, simulated client performance indicators, and completion of online modules will be passed on to post graduate and program offices.

Yes. Although you are a Canadian citizen, you have successfully completed your training in a healthcare system which invariably has its own nuances, guidelines, legal considerations, etc. Accordingly, every internationally educated physician accepted to a residency training program in Ontario is required to complete their Pre-Residency Programming requirements.

In certain circumstances, learners may contact their program director and apply to be exempt from the program before beginning residency should they meet specific criteria of training experience in a Canadian healthcare system. Touchstone Institute does not grant exemptions directly to learners.

We will be contacting you via email to provide you with the necessary details to access our Online Learning Management System (LMS) before you begin the program. You can expect to retain access to the LMS for 365 days after your participation in the program.

Online modules are available once the program begins. If applicable, a pre-reading list will be issued to you along with your schedule and syllabi prior to the program beginning. 

The majority of our programming is designed to be applicable for any physician entering training in Ontario. In addition to our core and family medicine curriculum, we are pleased to offer five elective in-class sessions:

• Communication & Conflict
• Foundations of Allied Health
• Internal Medicine
• Pediatrics
• Psychiatry

We also provide you an optional session to meet with the OMA during the program.

Synchronous programming runs Monday to Friday, typically from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm. You will have breaks scheduled throughout the day.

Family Medicine residents will also be required to complete asynchronous sessions outside of these hours.

You will find out specific timing for your weeks of programming prior to the start date.

The Pre-Residency Program is mandatory and is to be completed in its entirety as per the policy established by the Postgraduate Education – Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine; an affiliate of the Council of Universities. If you would like to review a copy of the attendance and exemption policy, please contact us upon registration for more information.

The integration of physician facilitators in our program is a key aspect of your learning in the program. Physicians are integrated in a multitude of ways, leading to a very blended model. 

Didactic Sessions: All sessions are developed and delivered by practising physicians and healthcare professionals who understand learner’s unique needs, and are considered to be subject matter experts in their field. Many of these sessions also involve various aspects of facilitation, which can include discussions with you r peers and interactive session activities. 

Simulation: Physician facilitators are also involved in Simulated Client Encounters that are developed for online and in-person learning. 

The program does include various forms of evaluation; however all evaluation is formative in nature.

Our goal is to ensure we provide you with:

• Information on your strengths
• Opportunities to improve
• Resources in order to ensure your readiness for your residency or fellowship training here in Ontario

Formative evaluation of your performance is designed to enhance your understanding of your skills in relation to those that you will continue to develop in residency.

Simulations

Any simulations in which you participate will involve evaluation of and feedback on your skills.

Learner Evaluation Report

A report – including simulated client performance indicators, online module completion and detailed attendance – is provided to your program director and/or sponsoring agency to ensure they are able to tailor your residency experience accordingly based on your strengths and opportunities to improve. Learners will be provided the opportunity to request a copy of their Learner Report. 

Our faculty are dedicated to your success both in the program and as you progress onward. If you ever have challenges or questions, the faculty will be pleased to provide you with support.

Additionally, you have the option to request a mentor. To help support a learner’s transition into training, our programs offer individualized mentorship upon request. Confidential consultations with mentors can include generalized discussion on practice in Ontario, to recommendations and supports that will assist learners in future training.

Touchstone Institute maintains strong relationships with all of the medical schools in Ontario and our staff are pleased to assist you with any questions that require the involvement of your matched school. If you approach or email any members of the team, we are happy to work with you in connecting you to the appropriate individuals to answer specific queries regarding your residency position or site.