CaRMS
The Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) provides a transparent and simple way to apply to the best training program to meet each resident's career goals and houses a comprehensive list of Canadian residency training programs. Each match outlines application deadlines, application documentation required, course curriculum and training sites as well as program contact information.
New Programs Added to CaRMS!
With approval by the Association of Faculties of Medicine in Canada (AFMC) , the following subspecialty residency programs will be included in the 2025 Medicine Subspecialty Match (MSM) for the first time: Forensic Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, and Thoracic Surgery.
Residency Training
Residency training leads to certification by either the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) .
Choices For Primary (or “Core”) Specialty Residency Training (Post-M.D. direct-entry)
There are two streams for post-M.D. training in Canada, one leading to certification as a family physician by the CFPC and the other to certification as a specialist by the RCPSC. In addition to Family Medicine, sixty-one (61)specialty, subspecialty, and special training programs are available at the University of Alberta. Each program is under the direction and oversight of a designated Program Director and corresponding Residency Program Committee (RPC).
Family Medicine
The requirement for certification by the CFPC as a family physician is successful completion of a two-year training program and passing the final examination. The University of Alberta has Family Medicine residency entry via two streams: Urban (Edmonton and metropolitan area) and Rural (Grande Prairie, Red Deer, and Yellowknife).
Royal College Primary Specialty Training
At the University of Alberta, there are sixty-one (61) accredited RCPSC programs. Of these, twenty-six (26) are classified as Primary Certification Programs and are four to six years in duration. Their successful completion (including passing the examinations) enables one to practice as a specialist in that primary discipline. Some of these programs additionally may lead to subspecialty training, which is another category of programs.
Choices for Enhanced Skills & Subspecialty Training
Family Medicine Enhanced Skills
Additional one-year training programs (as PGY3s) in Addiction Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Palliative Care, Family Practice Anesthesia, Care of the Elderly, and Sport and Exercise Medicine are available through the Department of Family Medicine. These programs are also accredited by the CFPC with successful completion leading to a Certificate of Added Competence awarded by the CFPC. These programs are available via the CaRMS Family Medicine Enhanced Skills Match.
Royal College Subspecialty Training
The subspecialties, of which there are thirty-three (33) accredited programs, are designated as "Certificate of Special Competence" Programs. These programs are usually of two to three years duration and are taken after completion of a prerequisite primary certification program. It is necessary for the trainee to become certified in a relevant primary discipline before being eligible to take the examination leading to the Certificate of Special Competence in the subspecialty. In some of these programs, one of the years of subspecialty training can be applied towards completing the primary certification requirements.
Royal College Special Programs
Two of our accredited programs are categorized as “Special Programs”. One is Surgical Foundations, of which all primary surgical specialties participate in, and the other is the Clinician Investigator Program (CIP), which allows PGME trainees to obtain their MSc or PhD during their primary or subspecialty residency training.
Resident Physicians
All resident physicians are registered in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta and are required to pay a PGME Tuition Registration Fee through the Registrar’s Office. All resident physicians hold a dual role: one of a learner with the University of Alberta (as a PGME student) and one of an employee of Alberta Health Services. The financial resource for funding these positions comes from the Alberta Ministry of Health, with Alberta Health Services being the paymaster. The numbers of positions available in Family Medicine, Family Medicine Enhanced Skills, RCPSC Primary (Core) Specialties, and RCPSC Subspecialties are determined annually.
The terms and conditions applicable to Resident Physicians related to the provision of health care services within a learning environment (including salary, benefits, vacation, etc.) are negotiated between the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and Alberta Health Services (acting as one party), and the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA, acting as the other party). These terms and conditions are reflected in the Resident Physician Agreement.
CPSA Registration
All postgraduate medical education trainees must be eligible for the Provisional Register of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta . To be eligible for the Educational Register in this province, graduates from non-Canadian medical schools must meet their requirements, including the English Language Proficiency requirements .
Frequently Asked Questions
Canadian Medical Graduates (CMGs)
- I am in my last year of Medical School in Canada, now what?
- The M.D. degree is not equivalent to a license for the practice of medicine. After medical school, medical students continue into a postgraduate training program for two to six years, depending on the length of the training program. Medical Students are matched to residency programs for primary specialty training via CaRMS. The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry (FoMD) provides career counseling to enable current University of Alberta medical students to make as informed choices as possible when applying for postgraduate programs during their final year of medical school.
- I am completing Family Medicine or RCPSC primary specialty training in Canada and want to pursue subspecialty training, now what?
- Residents completing primary specialty training in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Family Medicine and looking to enter into subspecialty or enhanced skills are matched via CaRMS. Some subspecialty programs are not yet available via the CaRMS match, such as the pathology, surgery, obstetrics, and psychiatry subspecialties. We anticipate this to change going forward in 2025 .
International Medical Graduates (IMGs)
- I am a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident of Canada and obtained my Medical Degree and/or completed my residency training outside of Canada, now what?
- To respond to Canadian societal needs and to address shortages of positions in Canada, the Alberta Ministry of Health financially supports postgraduate training positions leading to certification by either CFPC or RCPSC through the Alberta International Medical Graduates (AIMG) program .
- I am an international medical graduate interested in residency training and do not hold Canadian Citizenship or Permanent Residence, now what?
- There are a limited number of residency training positions available to non-Canadian international medical graduates who are sponsored under postgraduate educational contractual agreements with a variety of sponsoring agencies.
Learn more about the Sponsored International Trainee Application Process »