Hamilton - Anesthesiology
McMaster UniversityHamilton, Ontario
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 91
- Length
- 5
- Applications per year
- 201–400
- Offered interviews
- 26–50%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
IMG stream · open to international medical graduates
Town hall
all 2 info sessions of this programTue 10 Nov 2026,8:00–9:00 pm ESTvia CANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Interviews
2 dates, 20–21 Jan 2027
Hamilton, CMG stream: 6 teaching sites · IMG stream: 11 teaching sites · optional rural rotation
What stands out about this program
Retains 24-hour weekday call, which the program says most programs have eliminated.
From “FAQ” on the CaRMS page
Residents perform simulation scenarios individually rather than as a group or as observers.
From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page
Funded four-week anesthesia elective in Uganda offered to one resident each year.
From “Training sites” on the CaRMS page
- McMaster's five-year anesthesiology residency trains residents at four acute care teaching hospitals in Hamilton.
- Most off-service rotations are concentrated in PGY3, leaving residents mostly on anesthesia rotations for the final two years.
- Residents must complete a scholarly project, and weekday call is 24-hour call with split call on weekends.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Regional community
- Rural exposure
- Optional rural rotation
- Focus areas
- POCUS curriculum
- Research
- Required · research or quality-improvement project · protected time
By year
- PGY-1
- Internal Medicine (CTU)8 weeks
- Anesthesia2 blocks
- Obstetrics & Gynecology4-weeks
- ICU4-weeks
- Pediatric General Surgery4-weeks
- Emergency Medicine4-weeks
- Thoracic Surgery4-weeks
- ENT4-weeks
- Gen Surgery4-weeks
- Neonatology/Level II4-weeks
- Peds ER4-weeks
- PGY-3
- Adult ICU2 blocks
- Resp Medicine1 block
- Adult ICU1 block
- POCUS (point of care ultrasound)1 block
- NORA (non-operating room anesthesia)1 block
- CCU1 block
- Cardiac Anesthesia1 block
- Nephrology - City Wide Consult ("Acute Kidney Injury")1 block
- Hematology/Transfusion Medicine/Hemostasis1 block
- ICU1 block
- NICU1 block
- PICU1 block
- Palliative Care1 block
- Research1 block
- Community with Regional Anesthesia focus1 block
- Community with Regional Anesthesia focus1 block
- Pain1 block
- Addictions1 block
- Perioperative Medicine1 block
- PGY-4
- cardiac anesthesia
- neurosurgical anesthesia
- pediatric anesthesia (complex)
- high-risk obstetrical anesthesia
- regional anesthesia
- chronic pain management
- thoracic anesthesia
- pain medicine
- PGY-5
- Airway rotation
Other rotations
- Community Anesthesia (one block)
Where you train
Hamilton, Ontario: CMG stream: 6 teaching sites · IMG stream: 11 teaching sites; optional rural rotation.
- St. Joseph's Healthcare
- Hamilton General Hospital
- Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre
- McMaster University Medical Centre
- Homewood (Guelph)
- Kenora (Kenora · rural or distributed site)
- St. Joseph's Healthcare
- Hamilton General Hospital
- Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre
- McMaster University Medical Centre
- Kitchener Waterloo (Kitchener Waterloo)
- St. Catharines (St. Catharines)
- Brantford (Brantford)
- Guelph (Guelph)
- Oakville (Oakville)
- Homewood (Guelph)
- Kenora (Kenora · rural or distributed site)
Record systems at the listed sites, all streams: Epic at 4 of 11, MEDITECH at 3; no published record for 4.
Moving to a new system: Kenora.
Hospital facts
What official sources say for hospitals named above, each with its source and the date we read it. 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
- Epic, fully electronic record since Jun 2022
St. Joseph's Healthcare
- Clinical record
- Epic, fully electronic record since Nov 2024
Kenora
- Clinical record
- MEDITECH Expanse, moving to a new system
Hospital size and activity: Ontario doesn't publish this as open data.
About Hamilton
People
569,353residents, 2021 Census
Housing
3.5%rental vacancy rate
Winter and summer
−3.1 °CJanuary mean21.9 °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
- Other file component(s)
- Return of service, CMG stream
- Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.
- Return of service, IMG stream
- Required · IMGs only
- IMG requirements, IMG stream
- Not stated on CaRMS page
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match)
- 20 and 21 Jan 2027
- Format
- Virtual
- MMI or rotating station
Info sessions
Tue 10 Nov 2026
8:00–9:00 pm EST
Town hall · VirtualCANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Wed 18 Nov 2026
8:00–9:00 pm EST
Town hall · VirtualCANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Pay and call
| Level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| PGY-1 | $73,367 / year |
| PGY-2 | $79,670 / year |
| PGY-3 | $85,564 / year |
| PGY-4 | $92,701 / year |
| PGY-5 | $98,567 / year |
Call
- Call (as the program states it)
- In-house call · frequency “4-5 calls overall for the month”
- Call (provincial max)
- 7 nights in 28 in-house
- Post-call rule (provincial)
- No new patient responsibilities after 24 hours in-hospital, except what clinical handover needs
- Max continuous duty (provincial)
- 24 hours in-hospital, then relieved after handover (up to 2 hours)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 9 | 5 years | 2 dates, 20–21 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
| IMG stream | 1 | 5 years | 2 dates, 20–21 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 9 | 5 years | 2 dates, 20–21 Jan 2026 |
| IMG stream | 1 | 5 years | 2 dates, 20–21 Jan 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The McMaster University Anesthesiology Residency Program offers a comprehensive 5-year training experience across four clinical teaching units in Hamilton.
- The program emphasizes competency-based medical education, progressive clinical responsibility, and provides residents with extensive exposure to diverse patient populations and clinical scenarios.
- Research
- Residents are required to complete a scholarly project with support from research coordinators, methodologists, and biostatisticians. Protected research time is available, typically in the PGY3 year.
- Training setting
- Urban medical center with four teaching hospitals in Hamilton, Ontario: St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton General Hospital, Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre, and McMaster University Medical Centre.
- Teaching approach
- Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) with progressive clinical responsibility, focusing on entrustable professional activities (EPAs) and comprehensive skill development across multiple clinical domains.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- CV and awards
- Elective experiences
- Extra-curricular activities
- Leadership skills
- Medical Student Performance Record (MSPR)
- Personal letter
- Reference letters
- Research/Publications
- Multi-Mini Interview (MMI)
Contacts and links
- Program directors
Dr. Julie LajoieAssistant Program Director
Dr. Michael Parrish
- Program office
Program Administrator
Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.
Anesthesiology elsewhere
Nearest to Hamilton
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