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Halifax - Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology

Dalhousie UniversityHalifax, Nova ScotiaCMG stream

At a glance

Approx. quota
1 position
Length
5 years
Applications per year
0–50
Offered interviews
76–100%

CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates

Interviews

2 dates, 25–26 Jan 2027virtual

Halifax, 8 teaching sites

Program website(opens in a new tab)CANPREPP profile(opens in a new tab)CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab)

What stands out about this program

  • Free accommodation and reimbursed travel during community rotations at regional sites across the Maritimes.

    From “FAQ” on the CaRMS page

  • Up to $3,000 per year in conference funding per resident.

    From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page

  • Dalhousie's Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology residency is a five-year program based mainly at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax.
  • PGY1 is mostly off-service rotations, and the program includes up to seven required community rotations at regional sites across the Maritime provinces.
  • Forensic pathology is taught at the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner's Office, and each resident must complete at least one research project.

The summary is written by CdnMD from the program’s CaRMS description.

Based on what the program says about itself.

  • You’re open to training at sites across a region, not at one hospital.
    Show the quote

    The program includes three elective blocks and up to seven required community-based rotations outside the Halifax metropolitan area.

Not a ranking.

What training looks like

Setting
  • Academic / tertiary hospital
  • Regional community
Rural exposure
Not stated on CaRMS page
Research
Required · research project · protected time
Getting around
  • Housing away from the home site is provided or paid for
  • Travel is reimbursed

By year

PGY-1
  • Foundations of Anatomical Pathology and Clinical Pathology2 blocks
  • Combined Endocrinology/Metabolism and Medical Chemistry1 block
  • Clinical Hematology1 block
  • Infectious Diseases1 block
  • General Surgery1 block
  • Radiation Oncology or Medical Oncology1 block
  • Gynecological Oncology1 block
  • Subspecialty Pediatrics (usually Pediatric Oncology)1 block
  • Community lab rotation1 block
  • Autopsy PathologyNova Scotia Medical Examiner Service in Dartmouth1 block
  • Foundations of Hematopathology1 block
  • Introductory Transition to Discipline curriculum

Other rotations

Listed by the program without a single PGY year.

  • Junior AP/Autopsy (including community rotations) (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 13 blocks)
  • Senior AP/Autopsy (including community rotations) (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 3 blocks)
  • Cytopathology (3 junior and one senior) (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 4 blocks)
  • Forensic Pathology (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 2 blocks · Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service in Dartmouth)
  • Pediatric AP/Autopsy (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 1 block · IWK Health Center in Halifax)
  • Hematopathology (rotating through Bone Marrow, Transfusion and Coagulation, Peripheral Smears) (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 6 blocks)
  • Adult Clinical Chemistry (including community rotations) (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 5 blocks)
  • Pediatric Clinical Chemistry (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · one block)
  • Medical Microbiology (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 6 blocks)
  • Molecular Pathology (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 1 block)
  • Biomarker Pathology (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 1 block)
  • Lymph Node Pathology (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 1 block)
  • Pre Royal College Exam (Written and Practical Part) (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 1 block)
  • Pre Royal College Exam (Oral Exam Component if Written and Practical Part completed) (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 1 block)
  • Electives (PGY2 through PGY5 - Core and Transition to Practice stages · 3 blocks)

✓ = the CaRMS page states it; – = not stated. From the program description and its rotation list.

Where you train

Halifax, Nova Scotia: 8 teaching sites.

  • Halifax QEII Health Science Center
  • The IWK Health Center
  • The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service (Dartmouth)
  • The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Charlottetown · rural or distributed site)
  • The Saint John Regional Hospital (Saint John · rural or distributed site)
  • Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (Fredericton · rural or distributed site)
  • The Moncton Hospital (Moncton · rural or distributed site)
  • The Colchester East Hants Health Centre (Truro · rural or distributed site)

Distributed across a region

Record systems at the listed sites: Clinical Information System at 1 of 8, Oracle Health (Cerner) at 2; no published record for 5.

Hospital facts

7 sites · public figures and clinical record systems where they are published

Public figures for hospitals named above, each with its source and reference period. They describe the hospital, not the program. We match names to the sources by name, so check each source before you rely on it.

How to read the figures

  • Hospital type. As the province lists it. The list has no volumes or beds.
  • Inpatient beds. As listed in the province’s dataset, whose rows were last updated 24 Apr 2019; the count may be older.

Halifax QEII Health Science Center

Clinical record
One Person One Record, fully electronic record since May 2026 As of 31 Oct 2026

This name covers 2 hospitals in the province’s lists. Each is shown on its own, A to Z, and the numbers are never added together.

QEII - Halifax Infirmary Site (Halifax)
Hospital type
Tertiary
QEII - Victoria General (VG) Site (Halifax)
Hospital type
Tertiary

The IWK Health Center

Clinical record
Oracle Health (One Person One Record), fully electronic record since Dec 2025 As of 31 Oct 2026

Matched to IWK Health Centre (Halifax) in the province’s hospital list.

Hospital type
Tertiary

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Clinical record
Clinical Information System (CIS), since 2008, system named (how far it goes is not stated) As of 17 Oct 2026
Show facts for 4 more sites

The Saint John Regional Hospital

Matched to Saint John Regional Hospital / Hôpital Régional de Saint John (Saint John) in the province’s hospital list.

Inpatient beds
445

Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital

Matched to Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital / Hôpital régional Dr Everett Chalmers (Fredericton) in the province’s hospital list.

Inpatient beds
314

The Moncton Hospital

Matched to The Moncton Hospital / L’Hôpital de Moncton (Moncton) in the province’s hospital list.

Inpatient beds
381

The Colchester East Hants Health Centre

Matched to Colchester East Hants Health Centre (Truro) in the province’s hospital list.

Hospital type
Regional

Nova Scotia's One Person One Record is live at IWK Health and at Nova Scotia Health's Central Zone. The other zones follow, provincewide by the end of 2026 (the province's date). As of 31 Oct 2026

Verify with the official source: each source button opens the publisher’s own page.

Sources and licences

  • Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – New Brunswick.
  • Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Nova Scotia.

About Halifax

  • People

    439,819residents, 2021 Census

    Municipality of Halifax

  • Housing

    2.6%rental vacancy rate

    October 2025 survey, Halifax, Nova Scotia (census metropolitan area)

  • Winter and summer

    −4.1 °CJanuary mean18.5 °CJuly mean

    1991–2020 normals, Shearwater, 11.0 km away

  • Job outlook

    Very goodfor the specialty here, 2025–2027

More about Halifax (its page: housing, getting around, weather, things to do, and every program that names it)

Sites as the program’s CaRMS page lists them. City figures are public statistics for the place named by the location; they describe the place, not the program.

How they choose

Application file components
  • CV
  • Electives
  • Examinations
  • Extra-curricular
  • Leadership skills
  • MSPRs
  • Personal letters
  • Reference documents
  • Research/Publications
  • Transcripts
Return of service
Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.

Application file components as the program describes them.

Interviews and info sessions

Interview dates (2027 match)
25 and 26 Jan 2027
Format
Virtual
  • Traditional (one on one/two on one)
  • Panel

Info sessions

None listed on the program’s CaRMS page (opens in a new tab) (read 20 Oct 2026) or on CANPREPP’s events calendar (read 24 Oct 2026). Programs add sessions through the fall.

All info sessions

Pay and call

Provincial scale, last updated 24 Jul 2026 · check the current agreement(opens in a new tab). One provincial scale for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, set by the resident agreement, so every program there pays the same. Showing the 5 levels this program covers.

Annual salary by PGY level, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island
LevelAnnual salary
PGY-1
$78,578 / year
PGY-2
$83,904 / year
PGY-3
$89,462 / year
PGY-4
$95,485 / year
PGY-5
$101,926 / year

How provincial pay and rent compare

Call

Call (as the program states it)
Home call
Call (provincial max)
1 night in 4 in-house
Post-call rule (provincial)
No work required once handover is completed
Max continuous duty (provincial)
Handover begins by the 24th consecutive hour on duty

The union agreement’s limits and rules for all residents in the province; your program’s actual call schedule may be lighter. MarDocs agreement, 1 Jul 2024 to 30 Jun 2027. Read as of 1 Oct 2026.

Benefits

13 lines as listed by CaRMS in 2022–2024: Annual vacation, Call stipend, CMPA dues paid, and more
Annual vacation
4 weeks
Call stipend
Yes
CMPA dues paid
Yes
Dental coverage
Yes
Educational leave
Yes
Extended health insurance
Yes
Life insurance
$100,000 of insurance
Long-term disabilityinsurance
66.7% of salary
Maternity leave top up after one year’s service
eligible for up to a maximum of 17 weeks top-up allowance for maternity/pregnancy leave
Provincial dues (% of salary)
1.30%
Provincial health insurance
Yes
Sick leave
Yes
Statutory and floating holidays
paid

Past matches

Open after round 1 in 5 of 8 years (2019–2026); still open after round 2 in 0 of 9 years.

Positions at this site, all streams. Site as CaRMS lists it: Halifax.

Show the table, with round 2
Positions at this site, all streams, still open after round 1 and after round 2, by year. Each count above zero links to the CaRMS list page it comes from.
YearOpen after round 1Open after round 2
2018not available0
20192 positions open after round 1 in 2019, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
20201 position open after round 1 in 2020, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
20211 position open after round 1 in 2021, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
20223 positions open after round 1 in 2022, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
202300
202400
202500
20261 position open after round 1 in 2026, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0

CaRMS’s first-round list for 2018 was not found, so round 1 is counted over 8 years and round 2 over 9.

What this means

  • A position can go unfilled because of where the site is, because it is open to IMGs only or to another restricted stream, or because the quota changed late.
  • It says nothing about the quality of the training or how heavy the workload is.
  • A site’s numbers are shown when it had positions open after round 1 in at least 2 of 8 years or at least 3 in one year.

Source: CaRMS’s lists of positions open after round 1 and after round 2, as read in October 2026 (latest: 2026 round 1 (CaRMS PDF, opens in a new tab), 2026 round 2 (CaRMS PDF, opens in a new tab)).

Year by year

2027 match

The 2027 match, one row per stream (scrolls sideways on narrow screens)
StreamPositionsLengthInterviewsWhat changed
CMG stream15 years2 dates, 25–26 Jan 2027VirtualNothing noted

2026 match

The 2026 match, one row per stream (scrolls sideways on narrow screens)
StreamPositionsLengthInterviews
CMG stream15 years2 dates, 26–27 Jan 2026
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
  • Dalhousie University's Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology (DCP) residency is a comprehensive five-year program offering diverse training experiences across the Maritime provinces.
  • The program provides residents with extensive exposure to multiple pathology subspecialties, preparing them for flexible and competitive careers in laboratory medicine.
Research
Mandatory research project with dedicated support, funding for conference presentations, and opportunities to publish and present at national conferences.
Training setting
Primary training at Halifax QEII Health Science Center with rotations across multiple hospitals in the Maritime provinces, including sites in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
Teaching approach
Competency-Based Medical Education with progressive independence, emphasizing comprehensive training across multiple pathology subspecialties and providing structured educational support through academic half-days, research opportunities, and mentorship.
Enhanced skills
Not stated on CaRMS page
What the program looked at
  • Medical Student Performance Record
  • Reference letters
  • Personal letter
  • Interview performance
  • Maritime connections
  • Indigenous or Black identity

Positions, length and interviews as each match’s CaRMS pages stated them; what changed from our comparison of the two matches and our readings of the 2027 pages.

Contacts and links

Program director

CaRMS lists no email for the director.

Program office

Program Administrator

Write to the officepathres@dal.ca

Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.

Program websiteWebsiteCANPREPPCANPREPPDal DPLM EDIA(opens in a new tab)Department of Pathology - Landing page(opens in a new tab)Maritime Resident Doctors(opens in a new tab)This program on CaRMS(opens in a new tab)

Videos and podcasts

From the program

Public podcast episodes and videos where the program presents itself. The short descriptions are ours; each link goes to the original.

These are public recordings, reviewed by hand and linked here, not endorsed. They may be out of date. Confirm with the program.

All videos, podcasts and discussions →

Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology elsewhere

Nearest to Halifax

In these collections:

Source

The program’s CaRMS page (opens in a new tab) · 2027 match · last approved 8 Sep 2026 · not final until file review opens 26 November; as of 19 Oct 2026, re-checked every two weeks.

Accredited · CaRMS program ID 35860 · How these pages are made › · See the 2026 match under Year by year

The Applications per year and Offered interviews figures are 5-year averages the program reports to CaRMS: past cycles, not your odds.

Independent. Not affiliated with CaRMS or the program. Programs edit their descriptions during the match; confirm on carms.ca (opens in a new tab) before you apply. Data last updated on CdnMD 24 Oct 2026.

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