Program Administrator Job Summary | School of Medicine

This job summary aligns with the General Standards of Accreditation for institutions with Residency Programs as set by the Canadian Residency Accreditation Consortium (CanRAC) and outlines the typical cyclical duties and responsibilities of a Program Administrator. This PA job summary is intended to be used as a tool to guide individual job descriptions.

This position provides administrative support for the day-to-day operation of residency programs accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). In some instances, AFC programs may fall under a core program PAs job description.

A program administrator (PA) for a Residency Program at Queen’s University is responsible for supporting the Program’s Director (PD), faculty, and trainees, and working with regulatory, educational and accreditation bodies as required.

Under the direction of the Program Director, the Program Administrator responds to the specific needs and inquiries of faculty and trainees as they relate to recruitment and admissions processes; trainee rotation scheduling; trainee assessments and faculty and rotation evaluation processes; and, administrative and financial support for the Program, Program Director, Residency Program Committee, trainees within the Department of and/or trainees rotating through the department/division.

In most cases, the PA takes direction from the PD but reports to another Manager within the department. Time allocation for this role is dependent on the program and is XX FTE (see PD job description).

Duties and Responsibilities (may include but are not limited to the following)

Academic administrative support to the Program Director

Prepares confidential correspondence and reports related to administrative, academic, and clinical deliverables of the program
Assist in maintaining the schedule, appointments, meetings, and files of the Program Director

Perform administrative support duties to the program

Serve as the central point of reference for phone calls, emails, in-person inquiries
Draft and prepare correspondence, including sensitive or confidential communication
Schedule resident rotations
Assist in preparing reports
Respond to inquiries from trainees and staff, redirect complex problems to senior staff
Prepare agendas and compile and research meeting material for Residency Program Committee meetings (could also include Competency Committee Meetings). Take, transcribe, and distribute minutes
Coordinate the annual trainee leadership selection processes (e.g., Chief/Senior Resident(s), committee representatives)
Schedule exams (e.g., orals, mock orals, OSCEs), including recruiting examiners and booking rooms
Provide assistance to trainees with forms, policy guidance and reimbursement processes
Update the program website and communication platforms as required
Provide strategic and anticipatory support to ensure smooth program operations with the PD and Assistant PD (APD)
Coordinate trainee call schedules in collaboration with KHSC Switchboard (program dependent)
Collaborate with trainee leads and site coordinators to manage vacation and leave requests; liaise with the PG Office on formal leaves (medical leaves, parental leaves)
Match trainees with academic advisors
Coordinate trainee-faculty meetings and document / follow up on action items as required
Assist trainees with issues related to their training as they arise
Apply knowledge of PARO (The Professional Association of Residents of Ontario) contract components related to leave, call, etc.

Coordinate and maintain the annual scheduling for trainees

Coordinate, with the Program Director, the assignment of mandatory and elective rotations for trainees
Collaborate with the Program Director to schedule opportunities for trainees from other programs or universities
Communicate with faculty, hospital and support staff
Communicate with the Regional Education Office
Communicate and schedule with external hospital and community clinic partners
Liaise with hospital sites regarding any issues related to trainee training

Liaise with stakeholder organizations (PGME Office, Hospital Medical Affairs Office, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Professional Association of Residents of Ontario, CFPC/RCPSC)

Coordinate, collect and compile trainee assessments and faculty/rotation evaluations

Manage assessment set up, distribution, and reporting in Elentra for trainees for Program Director, Academic Advisors and/or Competence Committee use
Coordinate and manage rotation and preceptors evaluations in Elentra
Coordinate evaluation distribution for regional preceptors as needed and support the Program Director/Department Head in distributing those forms in a timely way
Coordinate additional evaluations required for CQI or other program initiatives

Trainee Wellness

Act as first point of contact for trainees in distress or difficulty, using discretion, tact and diplomacy
Provide immediate guidance and direction to trainees within role limitations
Refer the trainee to appropriate support resources as needed
Notify the Program Director, or other appropriate individuals when trainee concerns arise
Be familiar with wellness supports for residents through PARO, PGME, KHSC, and Queen's

Manage Registration and Records

Coordinate the annual registration process for new and returning trainees, following the policies and procedures of the Postgraduate Medical Education Office
Collaborate with the PG Office on the registration of elective trainees, ensuring all timelines are followed
Ensure registration for international trainees are submitted within work visa, pre-entry assessment program timelines, and within PG Office timelines
Track and monitor trainee absences
Support the Program Director in developing and tracking remediation and probation plans
Gather and organize trainee data
Report on Medical Trainee Days (MTD) as well as verify accuracy of data on a quarterly basis
Manage the process for the appropriate retention of departed trainee files in collaboration with the PGME Office
Respond to requests for information from the Department, the Postgraduate Medical Education Office, SEAMO or the Faculty of Health Sciences as required

Organize meetings/special events

Coordinate the annual program orientation for new incoming trainees
Coordinate the annual recruitment and selection process; which includes maintaining program website content, and taking into consideration advertising, and admissions processes
Coordinate educational seminars/teaching topics
Coordinate retreats, research days, symposia and conferences as needed
Provide support for educational sessions including room and audio-visual set-up, distribution of learning materials, and the collection and collation of evaluation forms
Coordinate guest speakers, including accommodations / honorariums / gifts as appropriate
Coordinate graduation / convocation for graduating trainee group (i.e., graduation gifts; venue / catering; schedule of events; preparing certificates, etc.,)
Assist in creating / distributing surveys (e.g., within the department, with medical students, following an event, etc.,) and collate data / feedback for review

Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS)

Prepare and update program descriptions for CaRMS with detail on current program contacts, selection criteria and process, curriculum and training sites
Update CANPREPP (Canada’s Portal for Residency Program Promotion) with links to CaRMS program description and program websites and add Town Halls/information sessions to the events calendar

Be familiar with CaRMS on-line portal and co-ordinate with file reviewers and PGME office as necessary
Receive and screen applications for residency programs
Schedule interviews, coordinating with applicants and with PAs and PDs in other programs at Queen’s University and in other universities
Coordinate program information sessions
Communicate throughout the process with the applicants.
Coordinate the Resident Selection Committee
Collate applicants’ scores from CaRMS interview process for the Resident Selection Committee, and input rank order lists (ROLs) to the CaRMS site
Manage applications from non-CaRMS applicants

Assist with the process of accreditation by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the College of Family Physicians of Canada

Document and maintain program policies and procedures
Maintain a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) review schedule for the program and program documentation (e.g. policies, rotation objectives, etc.)
Ensure Inter-Institutional Affiliation (IIA) agreements remain up to date
Enter data into the CanAMS system as requested by the Program Director
Coordinate internal and external program reviews (Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada / College of Family Physicians of Canada)
Ensure all documents (e.g., binders, trainee files) are updated and accessible for reviewers
Schedule meetings for reviewers and manage logistics as required

Administer Departmental accounts including monitoring and reconciliation

Prepare financial spreadsheets
Perform account reconciliation
Prepare requisitions or journal entries
Process transactions and prepare cheques
Pay bills and complete deposits
Follow up and resolve account discrepancies

Provide information and support for travel and accommodation reimbursement for trainees and/or program director

Other duties as assigned in support of the Program Director and/or department

Supports for Residency Administrative Support

Depending on the size and nature of the residency program, the activities of residency administrative support can be shared with one or more of the following positions:

Program coordinators or assistants,
Administrative assistants,
Site coordinators,
Fellowship coordinators,
Hospital coordinators,
Curricular coordinators,
Research associates,
Educational consultants,
Program Manager,
Program Director,
Assistant Program Director, and/or,
Department faculty

Selection of Administrators -Based on Queen’s University Human Resources Policies or the Policies of the hiring institution (e.g., Kingston Health Sciences Centre)

Education, experience, and skills (including organization, interpersonal, communication, information technologies and others) should be considered for all applicants to this role.

Performance Expectations

Residency program administrative personnel should receive feedback on their performance in a fair and transparent manner, consistent with any applicable university, health organization, or union contracts.

Notes:

This role may have a different name (e.g., Program Coordinator, Program Administrative Assistant); however, the responsibilities are generally consistent.

[1] The remainder of this role description is written for residents; many of the responsibilities for fellows and for learners working towards a diploma are similar.

[1] This role is managed as a part-time position for some programs. This role description includes only the activities related specifically to the PGME program and its residents.

[1] This job description might be divided between different roles, and/or may have additional duties / responsibilities within each program based on their size.

[1] Responsibilities scale up as the size of the program increases, and programs need to be mindful of this.

[1] Revisions to this document include wording taken from publicly available Program Administrator job descriptions from other Canadian Postgraduate Medical Education websites.

Definitions

Deﬁnitions are listed in the sequence they occur in the document (i.e. not alphabetical).

Any deﬁnitions listed in the following table apply to this document only with no implied or intended institution-wide use.

Program Administrator

Refers to any position that supports any formal administration required for a residency program to meet its educational requirements. These positions may be uniquely titled depending on the structure of the program’s department under which it falls. Includes (but is not limited to): Program Administrator, Administrative Assistant, Program Coordinator, etc.

General Standards of Accreditation for Institutions with Residency Programs

The General Standards of Accreditation for Institutions with Residency Programs are national standards that apply to the accreditation of institutions with residency programs. These standards are maintained by the Canadian Residency Accreditation Consortium which includes the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), and Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ). The standards apply to faculties of medicine, postgraduate oﬃces, and learning sites, written to provide a framework which aims to provide clarity of expectations, while maintaining ﬂexibility for innovation.

Canadian Residency Accreditation Consortium or CanRAC

The Canadian Residency Accreditation Consortium is composed of the three residency education accrediting colleges in Canada: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) and Collège des médecins du Québec (CMQ).

Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or RCPSC

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is the national professional association that oversees the medical education of specialists in Canada.

College of Family Physicians of Canada or CFPC

The College of Family Physicians of Canada is the professional organization that establishes the standards for and accredits postgraduate family medicine training in Canada.

Program Director

Refers to the individual responsible and accountable for the overall conduct and organization of the residency program.

Residency Program Committee (or equivalent)

The committee (and subcommittees, as applicable), overseen by the Residency Program Director, that supports the Residency Program Director in the administration and coordination of the residency program.

Competency Committee

This is a sub-committee of the RPC that meets regularly to review all resident progress and make decisions about promotion.

KHSC Switchboard

Kingston Health Sciences Centre switchboard centrally manages service call schedules.

Elentra

This is a digital platform used for resident, faculty, and rotation assessments/evaluations.

Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS)

This is a digital platform used by applicants and programs to facilitate resident recruitment.

Canada’s Portal for Residency Program Promotion (CANPREPP) and AFMC

This is an initiative of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) and is a virtual platform designed for medical students to discover, explore, and connect with Canadian medical residency programs online.

Inter-Institutional Affiliation (IIA) Agreements

An IIA agreement is required by RCPSC/CFPC when a program does not have the resources to provide a core mandatory rotation within our catchment area and must make arrangements with another University/program, within Ontario, in order to provide required clinical instruction.

Canadian Accreditation Management System (CanAMS)

This is a digital platform used by the RCPSC and the CFPC to manage the residency education accreditation process.

Job Summary updated: April 23, 2026