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Saskatchewan Electives Support Program

A reimbursement program supporting medical residents with travel and accommodation costs for electives in eligible Saskatchewan communities.

Program Overview

The Saskatchewan Electives Support Program reimburses travel and accommodation expenses for medical residents completing electives in eligible Saskatchewan communities.

Residents may complete electives of up to four weeks and apply for reimbursement for multiple electives within the same academic year.

The program is offered by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) in partnership with the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA).

Funding

Eligible residents may receive:

  • up to $2,000 per academic year for University of Saskatchewan residents
  • up to $2,500 per academic year for out-of-province residents

Eligibility

Applicants must be completing an elective that meets the criteria set by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada(RCPSC) 

University of Saskatchewan (USask) resident applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • be enrolled in a medical residency program at the University of Saskatchewan, College of Medicine
  • complete the elective in an eligible Saskatchewan community
    • For family medicine residents, eligible communities include rural Saskatchewan communities with a population of 10,000 or less.
      • The following communities are not eligible: 
        • 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:
    • For Royal College residents, all communities are eligible except Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert

Out-of-province applicants must meet the following criteria: 

  • be enrolled in a recognized Royal College postgraduate or fellowship training program in Canada that is:
    • not currently a program offered at USask, such as otolaryngology (ENT), plastic surgery or urology; or,
    • a specialty identified as a current priority need in Saskatchewan, such as anesthesiology, psychiatry, or other specialties that may be approved on a case-by-case basis

Note: For more information on electives for non-USask residents, refer to the guidelines for Electives for non-USASK Residents. Not all Royal College disciplines are available in eligible regional communities. Resident feedback may be used to inform future program development.

How do I apply?

Applications should be submitted at least four weeks before the start of an elective or eligibility for reimbursement cannot be guaranteed.

Submit an application here.

Reimbursement

The program may reimburse the following expenses with receipts:

  • mileage at the current SHA rate for up to one return trip per elective
  • accommodation expenses to a maximum of $70 per night, or $35 per night if accommodations are provided by family or friends
  • economy airfare for up to one return trip per elective for out-of-province residents only

The following expenses are not eligible for reimbursement:

  • incidental expenses
    • food, parking, rental cars, cab fare, internet, telephone charges, etc.
  • accommodations that are provided by the SHA or the community
  • daily or weekly commutes to communities.
  • expenses previously reimbursed by any other source.

To receive reimbursement after completing the elective, applicants must:

  • submit all expense receipts and proof of mileage within 30 days of completion of the elective (e.g., screenshot of mapped route with kilometres travelled) 
  • provide third-party confirmation of the elective 
  • complete a short post-elective evaluation
  • maintain an updated profile on healthcareersk.ca
  • consent to the sharing of information (name, email, program and elective dates) with the SHA, community representatives and other provincial healthcare organizations for program administration, eligibility verification and community and recruitment opportunities

Adjudication

Applications are reviewed by the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) and are subject to available program funding. The number of approved applications per residency program may be limited to accommodate a range of specialties.

 Applications are prioritized by:

  • resident physicians who hold a return-of-service agreement with the province of Saskatchewan
  • Royal College specialists and sub-specialists who 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

This program may be modified, amended, suspended or terminated at any time. 

All applications approved prior to any change(s) will be honoured in accordance with the program parameters that were in place on the date of approval.

Questions?
For more information, contact:

Saskatchewan Health Authority
Provincial Practitioner Staff Affairs
physicianincentives@saskhealthauthority.ca