Saskatchewan Electives Support Program

Explore what Saskatchewan has to offer during residency!

Interested in exploring new communities in Saskatchewan? The Saskatchewan Electives Support Program can help you cover costs for travel and accommodations and keep you focused on making the most out of your elective.

The Saskatchewan Elective Support Program, offered by saskdocs in partnership with the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA), is available to offset travel and accommodation expenses for residents pursuing electives in eligible communities throughout Saskatchewan.

Pursuing electives in new communities not only aids in gaining new skills; it also provides exposure to the benefits of establishing practice in different communities throughout the province.

If you are a University of Saskatchewan (USask) resident physician or an out-of-province specialist resident physician the Saskatchewan Elective Support Program may be for you!

Eligibility Criteria

USask Residents – Family Medicine & Royal College

Reimbursement of up to $2,000 per educational year under the Electives Support program may be available to you if you meet the following criteria:

• Enrolled in a medical residency program at the USask, College of Medicine.
• Pursuing an elective in an eligible community:
  • Family Medicine residents – eligible communities are rural communities in Saskatchewan with a population of 10,000 or less*, with the exception of Balgonie, Clavet, Dalmeny, Delisle, Emerald Park, Langham, Lumsden, Martensville, Pense, Pilot Butte, Rosthern, Warman, and White City
    • *Family Medicine residents may apply to receive funding for urban electives (in Regina or Saskatoon) if they (1) are training in one of the Distributed Medical Education sites (outside of Regina and Saskatoon); and, (2) have been awarded and signed the return of service contract for the SMA’s Family Medicine Resident bursary.
  • Royal College residents – eligible communities are all communities in Saskatchewan, with the exception of Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert.
• The elective satisfies the definition of an elective as outlined by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

Out-of-Province Residents

Reimbursement of up to $2,500 per educational year under the Electives Support program may be available to you if you meet the following criteria:

• Enrolled in a recognized Royal College post-graduate or fellowship training program in Canada that is:
  • Not currently a program offered at USask. (e.g. Otolaryngology (ENT), Plastic Surgery, Urology, etc); or,
  • A specialty that has been identified as a current priority need in Saskatchewan (e.g. Anesthesiology, Psychiatry, or other specialties that may be approved on a case-by-case basis).
• Pursuing an elective in a community anywhere in Saskatchewan
• The elective satisfies the definition of an elective as outlined by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).

Program Details

The program may reimburse travel and accommodation expenses for eligible electives of up to four weeks in duration. Residents may apply for reimbursement for multiple electives each year.

The program may reimburse the following expenses (with receipts):

• Mileage at the current Saskatchewan Health Authority rate for up to one return trip per elective, and/or;
• Economy airfare for up to one return trip per elective. This is applicable to residents training out-of-province only.
• Accommodation expenses, to a maximum of $70 per night, or $35 per night if accommodations are provided by family or friends.

The following expenses are not eligible for reimbursement:

• Incidental expenses, such as food, parking, rental cars, cab fare, internet, telephone charges, etc.
• Accommodations that are provided by the Saskatchewan Health Authority or the community.
• Daily or weekly commutes to communities.
• Expenses previously reimbursed by any other source.

Reimbursement

To receive reimbursement following completion of your elective, you must also:

• Submit all applicable expense receipts and/or proof of mileage (e.g. screenshot of mapped route with kms travelled) within 30 days of completion of elective.
• Provide third-party confirmation of the elective (e.g. preceptor confirmation of elective).
• Complete a five-to-ten minute evaluation at the end of the elective.
• Have an updated profile on saskdocs.ca
• Consent to the sharing of information (only including name, email, program and date of elective) with Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), community representatives, or other provincial healthcare organizations to establish eligibility and administration of the program, offer exposure to the community, and to discuss potential career options.

Note: For further clarification on non-Sask residents doing electives in Saskatchewan, refer to the guidelines for Electives for non-USASK Residents. We understand that not all Royal College disciplines currently practice in eligible regional communities. We will evaluate responses from residents regarding their elective(s) experience and the impact this funding had on their decision to partake in an elective in communities in Saskatchewan.

Application

Applications are encouraged to be submitted prior to the commencement of an elective or eligibility for reimbursement cannot be guaranteed. Please submit applications at least four weeks prior to the start date.

Adjudication

saskdocs will adjudicate your application under the following considerations:

• Application approval may be subject to budgetary limitations. In that event, applications will be prioritized as follows:
  • Resident physicians that hold a return of service agreement with the province of Saskatchewan;
  • Royal College specialists and sub-specialists that are identified as a provincial priority based on the conditions at the time of application;
  • Rural and regional electives for specialties with service delivery outside of Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert.
• The number of approved applications awarded per residency program may be limited in order to accommodate a variety of specialties.
• This program may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated without notice. In the event that a modification, amendment, suspension or termination of the program occurs, all applications approved prior to the change(s) will be honoured in accordance with the program parameters that were in place on the date of approval.

Questions

Contact us at info@saskdocs.ca.