What is Best Practices in Application and Selection (BPAS)?

Initiatives such as the Future of Medical Education in Canada (UGME and PGME) and the Thomson Report have drawn attention to the process by which residency programs assess and select applicants to their programs with particular attention to training the right mix of physicians to serve population health needs. 

The University of Toronto Postgraduate Medical Education Office struck the Best Practices in Application and Selection (BPAS) Working Group, to carry out a comprehensive literature review and environmental scan to develop recommendations and an implementation strategy of best practices in admissions and selection. The working group, chaired by Dr. Glen Bandiera, Associate Dean, Admissions & Evaluations, PGME, was comprised of Residency Program Directors, Undergraduate Medical Education representatives, trainees, external consultants and PGME staff. 

This report outlined the review process and the subsequent recommendations set forward by the BPAS working group, which consisted of 13 principles and 20 best practices.