anitoba’s medical graduates are the foundation of the future of healthcare in this province.

Recognizing the important contribution of locally trained physicians in providing high-quality health services that meet the needs of Manitobans, the Government of Manitoba established the Medical Student/Resident Financial Assistance Program (MSRFAP) for eligible medical undergraduates and medical residents in May 2001.

The MSRFAP provides financial assistance in the form of a conditional grant, to students studying medicine in the Province of Manitoba, or to physicians establishing a practice in the Province upon graduation.

• Program Description

• Educational Assistance Option

• Enhanced Practice Assistance Option

• Application Process

Program Description

There are two components to the MSRFAP:

• The Educational Assistance Option, which assists medical undergraduates and medical residents during their medical training; and
• The enhanced Practice Assistance Option, which assists physicians upon graduation from an approved residency program who have established a family medicine practice in Manitoba.

Applicants are eligible to participate in both options, providing they do not exceed the maximum of four (4) grants in total under both program options.

Upon completion of their training, physicians who have participated in either the Educational Assistance Option and/or the enhanced Practice Assistance Option will work full-time in the Province of Manitoba for a period of one (1) year for each grant they receive. Physicians who do not fulfill their return of service commitment are required to repay the full amount of the financial assistance received, plus interest accrued from the date the financial assistance was first provided.

Who may apply for the Educational Assistance Option?

• Third and fourth year medical students studying at the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Medicine;
• Manitoba students attending third and fourth year medical studies in French at the University of Ottawa;
• Medical residents at the University of Manitoba enrolled in a postgraduate program approved by the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC);
  NOTE:  Other postgraduate medical training programs may be considered by the MSRFAP Review Committee;
• MD graduates from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine and Manitoba MD graduates from the University of Ottawa who are in approved postgraduate medical programs at other Canadian and American universities.

Who may apply for the enhanced Practice Assistance Option?

Graduates of a Manitoba medical residency program or Manitoba medical graduates (MD) who have completed a CFPC approved postgraduate medical training program in another Canadian province, and who may have also received financial assistance under the Educational Assistance Option (EAO) of the MSRFAP may apply for assistance under the enhanced Practice Assistance Option, providing they have not received the maximum four (4) grants in total under both program options. If the physician received any EAO grant(s), the return of service for those grants must be completed prior to being eligible to apply for this grant.

EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE OPTION

Medical undergraduates and medical residents may apply for financial assistance in one or more of the following categories:

3^rd Year Undergraduates

Up to ten (10) medical students entering their third year (at the University of Manitoba, or a Manitoba student attending studies in French at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine) who are interested in practicing medicine in a rural community in Manitoba may be eligible for $15,000 in financial assistance.  Upon completion of a residency program, they are required to return one (1) full year of service in a rural community in Manitoba.  These areas do not include Winnipeg or Brandon.

4^th Year Undergraduates

All University of Manitoba medical undergraduates entering fourth year at the Faculty of Medicine and Manitoba students attending medical studies offered in French at the University of Ottawa, may apply for $15,000 in financial assistance.  Upon completion of a residency program, they are required to return one (1) full year of service anywhere in Manitoba.

Family Medicine Residents – either year

Medical residents in either year of the Family Medicine Program at the University of Manitoba or Manitoba graduates from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine, in a Family Medicine residency program in another Canadian province, may apply for a $20,000 grant.  Upon completion of the residency program, they are required to return one (1) full year of service in Manitoba.
NOTE:  Family Medicine Residents pursuing additional postgraduate medical training following the completion of their primary residency program are ineligible for financial assistance under the MSRFAP.  They may, however, submit a request to the MSRFAP Review Committee to delay the commencement of their return of service.

Specialist Residents – any year

Medical residents at the University of Manitoba or Manitoba graduates from the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine who are completing a specialist residency program in another Canadian province, in a specialty other than Family Medicine, may apply for 2 grants:

• a grant of $20,000 in any year other than the final year of postgraduate medical training, and/or
• a grant of $20,000 in the final year of postgraduate medical training.

Upon completion of the postgraduate training program, they are required to return one (1) full year of service in Manitoba for each year they received a grant.

Residents must be enrolled in a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPCS) approved postgraduate medical training program, or other postgraduate medical training program as deemed appropriate by the MSRFAP Review Committee.

Residents who elect to pursue additional postgraduate medical training immediately following the completion of a primary residency program may request a delay in the commencement of their return of service commitment by providing a letter of acceptance into the postgraduate medical training program.  If available, a written offer of employment, indicating that employment in Manitoba will begin upon completion of postgraduate medical training, should be provided.

Specialist Residents in sub-specialty training following completion of a
primary residency program

Medical residents who will be entering sub-specialty medical training following the completion of their primary residency program in an approved specialty (not including Family Medicine) may apply for financial assistance in the final year of their sub-specialty training.  All decisions regarding eligibility for financial assistance during sub-specialty training will be made by the MSRFAP Review Committee.  Upon completion of the residency program, they are required to return one (1) full year of service in Manitoba.
NOTE:  This option is available provided the physician has not received the maximum two awards in their postgraduate medical training.

3^rd Year Undergraduates

Applicants must:

• Sign a service agreement indicating their binding commitment to practicing medicine in a rural community in Manitoba (not Winnipeg or Brandon) upon completion of a residency program;
• Be eligible to register in third year of the medical undergraduate program at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine or the University of Ottawa for the upcoming year; and
• Provide letters of support from a rural community.
  NOTE:  Applicants are also required to provide a separate a separate signed letter expressing commitment to return service in a rural community in the Province of Manitoba.

Preference will be given to applicants who:

• Possess a rural background (i.e., having lived and/or worked in a rural area);
• Demonstrate a commitment to rural Manitoba through plans for residency training and medical practice in a rural area of the Province of Manitoba.

Applicants must:

• Sign a service agreement committing to practice medicine in the Province of Manitoba upon completion of a residency program.
• Be eligible for registration in fourth year of the medical undergraduate program at the University of Manitoba, or in medical studies offered in French at the University of Ottawa for the upcoming academic year.

Family Medicine/Specialist/Sub-Specialty Residents

Applicants must:

• Sign a service agreement committing to practice medicine in Manitoba upon completion of a medical residency program;
• Be registered in an eligible year of a residency program for the upcoming year.

Recipients of financial assistance under the MSRFAP will return one (1) full year of service in the Province of Manitoba for each year in which financial assistance was received.  Return of Service must commence within 90 days of completion of postgraduate training.  Service must be returned without interruption.
NOTE:  Exceptional circumstances may be considered by the MSRFAP Review Committee.

For more information about the Educational Assistance Option, please click here.

PRACTICE ASSISTANCE OPTION - ENHANCED

Ten (10) new grants will be made available annually to eligible family medicine physicians who have set up practice in Manitoba. Should there be more than five (5) applicants for each rural and urban grant, grant money is divided equally amongst eligible applicants, up to a maximum of $15,000 for each year of full-time work in urban Manitoba (defined as Winnipeg and Brandon) and $25,000 for each year of full-time work in rural Manitoba (everywhere else) to a maximum of one grant each year for four consecutive years. Applicants must apply annually and are eligible under the enhanced Practice Assistance Option up to a maximum of four (4) consecutive yearly grants in total under both programs. If you received four (4) grants under the EAO you do not qualify under the PAO. The physician must practice medicine in that community or area in Manitoba for one (1) full year prior to financial assistance under this program being granted.

Applicants must:

• Be a graduate of a Canadian medical school.
• Have begun/established a new family medicine practice in the appropriate region (rural/urban) in Manitoba after June 2005.
• Have fulfilled all return of service commitments for the EAO by the 2005/06 calendar year and have not already received the maximum four (4) successive return of service grants.
• Confirm in writing by completing the application that they did not receive the maximum four (4) successive grants for financial assistance under the Educational Assistance Option of the MSRFAP.
• Have maintained hospital privileges and participated in at least one hospital-based activity during the program year (activities include a regular ER shift, maternity service, or looking after patients in the hospital or a personal care home).
• Provide confirmation from the Medical Director of the Regional Health Authority they have maintained a full-time family medicine clinical practice in the Province of Manitoba for the past 12 months.

Educational Assistance Option Download the 2006-07 Application for the Educational Assistance Option Please note:  you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the above PDF document.  If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, please click here: Additional information and applications are available from Manitoba Advanced Education and Training, Student Aid Branch, at (204) 945-8509.

Practice Assistance Option - Enhanced Additional information and applications for the enhanced Practice Assistance Option are available from Manitoba Health at (204) 786-7179.

NOTE Deadline: Your completed and signed Application must be received by SEPTEMBER 15, 2006.