CaRMS Online Applicant help guide Phase 1: Logging into CaRMS Online and filling in your application July 22, 2015
This guide is designed to facilitate your use of the CaRMS Online system. Browser compatibility CaRMS supports the following browsers: For PC: Chrome (recommended for the best user experience) Firefox 14.0 or higher Internet Explorer 9* For MAC: Chrome (recommended for the best user experience) Safari 5.0 or higher * If you have upgraded to the newer Internet Explorer (IE) 10, you will experience some difficulties accessing the CaRMS Online system. Activating Compatibility view under Tools in the browser is recommended. IE8 also has limited functionality. If you are not using a supported browser, unexpected errors will occur. We apologize for any inconvenience, and recommend that you upgrade to a supported browser. Contact If you have any questions about this guide, please contact communication@carms.ca.
Table of Contents Registering for a match... 5 Participating in a match in CaRMS Online... 6 My information... 7 Profile... 7 Personal information... 7 Language skills... 8 Licensure... 8 Achievements and interests... 8 Education... 8 Non-medical education... 8 Medical education... 9 Clinical electives... 9 Postgraduate training and internships... 9 Residency electives... 10 Non-clinical training and certifications... 10 Examinations... 10 Physiciansapply.ca transfers... 10 United States Medical Licensing Examination... 11 Language... 11 Assessments... 11 Certifications... 12 Experience... 12 CaRMS Applicant help guide 3
Work... 12 Scholarly activities and research... 12 Observerships... 13 Volunteer... 13 Clinical practice... 13 Fellowships... 14 Publications and presentations... 14 My documents... 14 Personal letter... 14 Letters of reference... 15 Attach documents... 15 Document tracking... 15 Translation requests... 16 Document return... 17 My application... 17 Declaration... 17 CaRMS Applicant help guide 4
Registering for a match Before you register for a match, you must first ensure you are eligible to participate in the province(s) you wish to apply in. You can consult the provincial criteria for each match on CaRMS.ca. If you have already participated in a match on CaRMS Online, you do not need to register. Once CaRMS Online opens for the match, you will be able to log in using your previous username and password. If you have never participated in a CaRMS match, you can register on CaRMS.ca using the steps below. 1. Visit carms.ca to register for the match you wish to participate in. 2. Under RESIDENCY, select the match you are interested in, then click Registering. 3. Carefully review the detailed instructions and register for the match. 4. Once on the registration page, select No (New User) when asked if you have a CaRMS Online account. 5. Enter the email address you wish to use for your CaRMS Online account. 6. Enter your MCC candidate code (if you have one) and click REGISTER. 7. Review the Welcome text and click NEXT. 8. Select the country in which you graduated from medical school. Select the name of the medical school from which you graduated. If you graduated from more than one medical school, enter the information pertinent to your most recent school. 9. Select the date you obtained your medical degree. This is the date you received your diploma. If you are unsure of the specific date, select the first date of month you received your diploma. Review the information and click NEXT to continue. CaRMS Applicant help guide 5
10. Complete the Personal Information section of your registration. Mandatory fields are marked by a red asterisk (*). 11. Complete the CaRMS Information section of your registration. Mandatory fields are marked by a red asterisk (*). Postgraduate training in Canada or US does not include internships. 12. Carefully review CaRMS Policy Agreement statement. Select I Agree and click NEXT to continue. 13. Create a username and password for your CaRMS Online account. You must also set three security questions for your account. Please select real questions and answers for yourself as we cannot reset them on your behalf. 14. Complete the Payment and Payment confirmations sections of the registration. Once you have registered, you will receive an e-mail with confirmation that we have received your information. Once the match opens, you will receive a confirmation of your username and instructions on how to create a password and log into CaRMS Online. Participating in a match in CaRMS Online When you receive your access confirmation/token, click the link in the email. Read the instructions, follow the steps and pay the application fee to begin filling in your application in CaRMS Online. You will also have to select the language of your application; English, French, or both English and French. You will be able to modify this information later in the Personal Information section of your application if you change your mind. Once you have filled in this information, you have to participate to the match of your choice. CaRMS Applicant help guide 6
1. To participate in a match, select match participation under the MY APPLICATION menu and select the match of your choice. 2. Carefully read the instructions and click NEXT to continue. 3. Carefully review the applicant contract. Check the box and click ACCEPT to continue. 4. Enter your credit card number and expiry date. Click PROCESS TRANSACTION to continue. My information Once you have paid your match fees, you will be able to start filling in your application. If you have participated in a previous match on CaRMS Online, the information and documents you have submitted from previous years will still be available in your account. Profile Personal information In this section, you can choose your application language, enter information designated for your future employer as well as your medical identification numbers. You can continue to update most fields in this section throughout the match. 1. Fill in the requested information. Mandatory fields are marked by a red asterisk (*). Note: you will receive a Licentiate of the Medical Council of Canada (LMCC) number when you pass the MCCQE2. If you are scheduled to take the exam, enter six zeroes CaRMS Applicant help guide 7
(000000) as a temporary LMCC number. This will enable you to submit the exam section of your application. Language skills In this section, you can enter all languages that you speak and write fluently. 1. To add a language, select a language by clicking the + in the right column next to the language. If a desired language is not listed in the right hand column, type it into the Other Language(s) field. 2. Click SAVE to save your list of languages. Licensure In this section, enter information pertaining to your license to practice medicine. Canadian medical graduates (CMGs) will not usually have a medical license until they have completed their residency training and all MCC exams. Many international medical graduates (IMGs) will have a medical license. Note: completing all MCC exams and obtaining your LMCC certificate does not necessarily mean that you have your license to practice medicine in Canada. Achievements and interests In this section, list any academic achievements or awards. 1. To create multiple entries, click on + Add record and fill in the fields. Education Non-medical education In this section, enter your non-medical undergraduate education, including CÉGEP. Undergraduate education is any schooling you received after completing high school and before beginning medical school. Graduate education is any schooling you received after completing your undergraduate education. CaRMS Applicant help guide 8
The most common types of education in this category are: Bachelor s degree CÉGEP Pre-med Master s PhD To add multiple entries, click SAVE, then + Add record. Medical education In this section, enter any information pertaining to your medical degree. Please contact CaRMS if you have attended more than one medical school and we will add an additional field. Clinical electives In this section, enter any electives you have, or will have completed during your medical education. An elective is defined as any rotation during your medical education training that was not mandatory. If you wish, you can also enter electives you will complete in the future. You may also enter mandatory rotations in this section, if desired. Mandatory rotations are, as a rule, covered in the MSPR. Postgraduate training and internships In this section, enter any accredited postgraduate medical residency training in which you have participated. Postgraduate training is defined as any medical residency training after completing a medical degree, in a clinical setting, with supervised patient contact, that may lead to a general license and/or specific practice. CaRMS Applicant help guide 9
Residency electives In this section, enter any residency electives you have, or will have, completed during your residency training. A residency elective is defined as any rotation you have done during residency training that was not mandatory. Most Canadian medical graduates will not have done any residency training and will therefore not have any residency electives. Non-clinical training and certifications In this section, enter any training/certifications you have completed that are not directly linked to your medical education. This includes, but is not limited to, CPR, ACLS and BCLS. If you are unsure of where to record training because it does not fit in any other category, it can be entered in this section. Examinations Physiciansapply.ca transfers In this section, follow the steps below to retrieve your examination results and documents directly from your physiciansapply.ca account. Once you connect to your physiciansapply.ca account, you will find a list of documents and information that you are allowed to share through CaRMS Online directly on this page. You will be able to share your latest Medical Council of Canada (MCC) and National Assessment Collaboration (NAC) examination results currently in your account. You will also be able to share examination applications for which results are not yet available. 1. Connect to your physiciansapply.ca account. CaRMS Applicant help guide 10
2. Select the documents and information that you wish to transfer to CaRMS and then click CONFIRM. 3. Once you return to your CaRMS Online account, your examination information will be immediately transferred to your CaRMS application. Shared documents, if available, will be transferred within one business day and documents not yet available in physiciansapply.ca will be transferred when available. United States Medical Licensing Examination In this section, enter any United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) you have taken. The USMLE is not a requirement for the match, but you may include your results with your application if you wish. Language In this section, enter any language examination(s) you have taken to indicate your proficiency in either English or French. If your language of instruction during medical school was not English or French, some provincial or program criteria may require you to take, and provide the results of, a language assessment exam. Please refer to the program descriptions and provincial criteria on CaRMS.ca for more information. Assessments In this section, enter any provincially administered assessments you may have taken. CaRMS Applicant help guide 11
Certifications In this section, enter any certification examinations that you have taken in order to be able to practice medicine in a field or discipline. To provide proof that you have successfully completed these examinations, upload the corresponding document(s) in the Attach Document section of your application. Experience Work In this section, enter any work experience that is not considered clinical practice, including work that was done prior to obtaining your medical degree. We encourage you to record work experience that is not necessarily linked to the medical field in this section. Scholarly activities and research In this section, enter any scholarly activities and research experiences, including participation in research, organized clinical discussions, rounds, journal clubs and conferences. For the purposes of this application, scholarly activities are defined as opportunities to participate in research, organized clinical discussions, rounds, journal clubs and conferences. The research experiences you list here do not have to be published works, simply research in which you were an active participant. Please input your published research experiences into the 'Publications / Presentations' section. The ECFMG defines a scholarly activity as an opportunity for residents/fellows and faculty to participate in research, as well as organized clinical discussions, rounds, journal clubs, and conferences. CaRMS Applicant help guide 12
Observerships In this section, enter any observerships you have completed. An observership is a period of time spent observing clinical practice, usually with no patient contact.it is also sometimes referred to as a shadowing opportunity. Normally an observership lasts between one week and one month. It does not involve a service commitment or a salary and is non-accredited. Many IMGs will have experience that is very similar to the definition of an observership but includes a certain amount of patient contact. Such experience can still be entered in the Observership section but patient contact must be mentioned in the Description box. Volunteer In this section, enter any volunteer experience or relevant unpaid work for which you did not receive school credit. Volunteer experience does not have to be linked to the medical field. You may enter volunteer experience that took place prior to obtaining your medical degree. Clinical practice In this section, enter any clinical practice experience you have. This may include paid or unpaid work. CaRMS Applicant help guide 13
Clinical practice experience is defined as actively practicing medicine with an independent license without supervision. Fellowships In this section, enter any fellowship information you have completed. Fellowships are non-accredited programs that are considered additional specialized training experience involving patient contact. Clinical fellows must be able to provide evidence that they are recognized as specialists in the jurisdiction where they are currently practicing medicine. Training as a clinical or research fellow in a department of medicine is not accredited nor is it approved as residency training towards certification by the Royal College. Fellowships tend to be more research-oriented. Fellowships (and observerships) are not electives. Publications and presentations In this section, enter any presentations and/or publications. Once the information has been entered in this section, we recommend that you upload the corresponding abstract(s) in the Attach Document section. Posters may be included as supporting documents. Files should be smaller than 2MB and not exceed four pages. My documents Personal letter CaRMS Applicant help guide 14
In this section, you can create personal letters that you will submit to programs once you apply. Personal letters are intended to express your interest in the program(s) to which you are applying. You may create one personal letter and use it for all programs, or create multiple personal letters and tailor each letter to a specific school or discipline. Always refer to program descriptions for specific requirements. Letters of reference In this section, you can request letters of reference of or applicant support forms from your chosen referees. Prior to sending out reference requests, consult the program descriptions posted on carms.ca to determine each program s reference letter requirements (i.e., number and type). Note: a reference coversheet cannot be edited once it has been finalized. 2. Fill in the required fields, then click PRINT COVER SHEET or SEND. Attach documents In this section, add documents to your CaRMS Online application. You can upload most of the documents required for your application. The only documents you cannot upload are your MSPR, medical school transcript and letters of reference. International medical graduates (IMGs) can upload their MSPR and medical school transcript. You can also upload certified copies of all other types of documents. 1. Fill in the required fields, then click UPLOAD. Document tracking In this section, you will see a list of all the documents you have available or have requested in your application. If a document is in the Document Tracking section it CaRMS Applicant help guide 15
means that an entry has been created for it; however, this does not necessarily mean that the document is in place. You can check if the document is available in the Status column. All documents in the Current Documents section are available for you to assign to programs. The title you add to your documents will not be visible to programs. The Status of the document indicates whether it is present in your account. Options include: Submitted: The document has been submitted online. Scanned: The document was received by mail and the CaRMS Document Centre has scanned it into your account. Uploaded: The document was uploaded to your account. Created: You have created a request (coversheet) for a reference letter and it was saved but not finalized. Printed: You have printed your reference letter request (coversheet). Requested: You have sent a reference request (coversheet) to a referee. Finalized: A reference letter request (coversheet) has been finalized but you have not sent it to your referee via email or printed the coversheet. 1. If you would like to see a document, click on VIEW. Certain document types cannot be viewed, but this does not mean they are not in your account. Documents that cannot be viewed include your MSPR and letters of reference, as these documents must remain confidential. 2. If you would like to replace an existing document, click on EDIT to upload a new document. Translation requests You can request the translation of some of your documents through CaRMS translation service. Only reference letters, MSPRs and medical school transcripts can be translated. Translation is only available from French-to-English or English-to-French. Note: you must have a bilingual application in order to request translation through CaRMS Online. CaRMS Applicant help guide 16
1. Selected the document you would like to have translated then click on SUBMIT FOR TRANSLATION. 2. Review your selection and click Confirm to proceed with the translation. Document return In this section, you can request to have your original hardcopy documents returned to you. Note: we do not return documents that were created online, applicant uploaded or provided by a third party source. My application Declaration In this section, carefully read the information and complete the Declaration. This section is mandatory to apply to programs. CaRMS Applicant help guide 17
The Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) is a national, not-for-profit, feefor-service organization established in 1969 at the request of medical students seeking an independent entity to provide a fair and transparent application and matching service for entry into postgraduate medical training throughout Canada. carms.ca 300-171, rue Nepean Street Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0B4, Canada 613.237.0075 (Toll free / Sans frais) 877.CARMS.42