Montreal - Psychiatry
McGill UniversityMontreal, QuebecRegular stream
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 10
- Length
- 5
- Applications per year
- 201–400
- Offered interviews
- 26–50%
Regular stream · open to Canadian and international medical graduates
Interviews
3 dates, 18 Jan – 2 Feb 2027
Montreal, 23 teaching sites · optional rural rotation
What stands out about this program
Heinz Lehmann mentorship initiative recognized as a Leading Practice/Innovation at accreditation.
From “Important information” on the CaRMS page
Practice STACERs integrated into core rotations rather than only on formal exam days.
From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page
Residents may complete a Master of Science in Psychiatry during the five-year residency.
From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page
- McGill's five-year psychiatry residency is university based, with thirteen four-week periods per year.
- Residents rotate through Montreal sites including the MUHC hospitals, Jewish General Hospital, St. Mary's Hospital and the Douglas Institute.
- Rural psychiatry electives are offered, and a Research Track, a Master's program and the Clinician Investigator Program are available.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Rural exposure
- Optional rural rotation
- Focus areas
- Indigenous health
- Research
- Offered · research or quality-improvement project · protected time
- Training language
- English and French
By year
Not stated on CaRMS page
Other rotations
- family medicine (R1-R2)
- emergency medicine (R1-R2)
- neurology (R1-R2)
- endocrinology (R1-R2)
- internal medicine (R1-R2)
- emergency psychiatry (R1-R2)
- adult inpatient and outpatient Psychiatry (R1-R2)
- child and adolescent psychiatry (R3-R4)
- geriatric psychiatry (R3-R4)
- severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI) (R3-R4)
- consultation-liaison (CL) (R3-R4)
- elective rotations (R3-R4 · 2)
Where you train
Montreal, Quebec: 23 teaching sites; optional rural rotation.
- McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) - Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH)
- McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) - Montreal General Hospital (MGH)
- Jewish General Hospital (JGH)
- St. Mary's Hospital (SMH)
- Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH)
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute (DH)
- Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI)
- Centre Hospitalier Pierre Janet (CHPJ) (Gatineau · rural or distributed site)
- CSSS de Suroit (Valleyfield · rural or distributed site)
- CSSS de la Vallée de l'Or (Val d'Or · rural or distributed site)
- CLSC Côte-des-Neiges
- CLSC Metro
Show all 23 sitesShow fewer
- CSSS des Collines (Wakefield · rural or distributed site)
- Conseil Cri SSS de la Baie James (Chisasibi · rural or distributed site)
- CSSS du Haut St-Laurent (Huntingdon, Ormstown · rural or distributed site)
- CS Inuulitsivik (Puvirnituq · rural or distributed site)
- CSSS de Papineau (Buckingham · rural or distributed site)
- CSSS la Pommeraie (Cowansville, Knowlton · rural or distributed site)
- CSSS du Pontiac (Shawville · rural or distributed site)
- CSSS de Temiscaming et de Kipawa (Temiscaming · rural or distributed site)
- CS Tullatavik de L'Ungava (Kuujjuaq · rural or distributed site)
- CSSS de la Vallée-de-la-Gatineau (Maniwaki · rural or distributed site)
- CSSS Vaudreuil-Soulanges (Rigaud · rural or distributed site)
Record systems at the listed sites: TELUS at 4 of 23; no published record for 19.
Hospital facts
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.
- Clinical record
- TELUS (Oacis), since 2006, system named (how far it goes is not stated)
McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) - Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH)
- Emergency visits
- 2025–2026: 19,799 · 2026–2027: 20,604
McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) - Montreal General Hospital (MGH)
- Emergency visits
- 2025–2026: 14,039 · 2026–2027: 14,682
- Licensed beds
- physical health 236 · psychiatry 46
Jewish General Hospital (JGH)
- Emergency visits
- 2025–2026: 37,934 · 2026–2027: 39,472
- Licensed beds
- physical health 516 · psychiatry 52 · geriatrics 28 · neonatology 34
Show facts for 4 more sitesShow fewer
St. Mary's Hospital (SMH)
- Emergency visits
- 2025–2026: 13,990 · 2026–2027: 14,053
- Licensed beds
- physical health 224 · psychiatry 29 · geriatrics 24
Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH)
- Emergency visits
- 2025–2026: 25,738 · 2026–2027: 26,552
Douglas Mental Health University Institute (DH)
- Emergency visits
- 2025–2026: 2,453 · 2026–2027: 2,281
- Licensed beds
- physical health 6 · psychiatry 260
Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI)
- Licensed beds
- physical health 90
About Montréal
People
1,762,949residents, 2021 Census
Housing
2.9%rental vacancy rate
Winter and summer
−9.2 °CJanuary mean21.7 °CJuly mean
Job outlook
Goodfor the specialty here, 2025–2027
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.
- IMG requirements
- Recent clinical experience (within 4 years)
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match)
- 18 and 27 Jan 2027; 2 Feb 2027
- Format
- Virtual
- Traditional (one on one/two on one)
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.
11 Psychiatry info sessions at other programsAll info sessions
Pay and call
| Level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| PGY-1 | $58,728 / year |
| PGY-2 | $64,809 / year |
| PGY-3 | $70,890 / year |
| PGY-4 | $76,969 / year |
| PGY-5 | $83,050 / year |
Call
- Call (provincial max)
- 6 calls in an establishment per 28 days
- Post-call rule (provincial)
- 8 hours of mandatory rest after a work period
- Max continuous duty (provincial)
- 16 hours in an establishment in any 24-hour period
Benefits
- Adoption leave
- 29 to 38 weeks55 to 75 % of salary
- Annual vacation
- 20 days/year
- Assistant Resident Coordinator
- $425/month
- Call Premium
- $607/28 days
- Conference leave
- 7 days pd/year
- Dental Plan
- Yes, available for a fee
- Exam leave
- Day (s) of the exam
- Extended Health Insurance
- Yes
- Leave for death in family
- From 1 to 5 days depending on the family member
- Leave of absence without pay (exceptional measure)
- 12 months maximum
- Life insurance
- Yes
- Long-Term disability insurance
- Yes
- Maternity leaveProvincial Program (RQAP*) and FMRQ **
- 21 weeks95 % of salary
- Meals
- Reduced feeFree during on-call duty
- Pager
- Provided by the establishment
- Parental leave (time sharing between parents)
- 19 to 29 weeks55 to 75 % of salary
- Parking
- ½ of doctors’ feeFree during on-call duty
- Paternity leaveProvincial Program (RQAP) and FMRQ
- 1 week, 100% of salary3 to 5 weeks, 100% of salary(two options)
- Professional Liability Insurance****(CPMA not applicable)
- Yes (free)
- Quebec Health Insurance Program / RAMQ***
- Yes
- Resident Coordinator
- $583/month
- Resuscitation courses and examination leave
- Day of the course and of the exam, course paid
- Sick leave
- 9.6 days pd / yearAnd reimbursement of days not taken
- Statutory and floating holidays
- 13/year
- Study leave
- 10 days pd/year
- Superior Financial Programs
- Yes
- Teaching Premium
- $240/28 days
- Wedding leave
- 7 days paid + 7 days without pay
Past matches
No repeated vacancies in CaRMS’s lists of open positions, 2019–2026.
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.
Year by year
2027 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular stream | 10 | 5 years | 3 dates, 18 Jan – 2 Feb 2027 |
|
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular stream | 9 | 5 years | 3 dates, 21 Jan – 3 Feb 2026 |
The 2026 page of the Regular stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The McGill Psychiatry Residency Program offers a comprehensive five-year training experience that provides high-quality psychiatric education across diverse clinical settings.
- The program emphasizes competency-based medical education, with a strong focus on developing well-rounded psychiatrists through extensive clinical rotations, research opportunities, and a supportive learning environment.
- Research
- Multiple research tracks including Scholarly Project Track, Research Track, Clinician Investigator Program, and opportunities for half-time and full-time research electives.
- Training setting
- Urban academic medical centers in Montreal, including multiple hospitals and psychiatric institutes, offering diverse clinical experiences across general adult, pediatric, and specialized psychiatric settings.
- Teaching approach
- A competency-based approach focusing on progressive skill development, direct observation of residents, low-stakes assessments, and comprehensive educational experiences that prepare residents for independent practice.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- CV content
- Medical school examinations
- Electives
- Extra-curricular activities
- Leadership skills
- Medical Student Performance Record (MSPR)
- Personal letter
- Reference documents
- Research/Publications
- Academic transcripts
Contacts and links
- Program directors
Dr. Nancy Low
Dr. Paulina Bajsarowicz
CaRMS lists no email for the directors.
- Program office
Administrative & Student Affairs Coordinator
Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.
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.
Psychiatry elsewhere
Nearest to Montreal
- French
- French
- French
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