Hamilton - Cardiac Surgery
McMaster UniversityHamilton, OntarioCMG stream
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 1
- Length
- 6
- Applications per year
- 0–50
- Offered interviews
- 51–75%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
Info session
all 2 info sessions of this programMon 9 Nov 2026,7:00–8:30 pm ESTvia CANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Interviews
Not stated on CaRMS page
Hamilton, 6 teaching sites
What stands out about this program
Mastery-learning simulation curriculum covering ECMO cannulation, aortic dissection, mitral repair, TAVI and aortic root procedures.
From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page
Formal agreements with three centres for the pediatric cardiac surgery rotation.
From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page
- McMaster's cardiac surgery residency is a 6-year, single-site program based at Hamilton General Hospital.
- PGY-3 is an academic enrichment year, typically extended into a Masters or PhD.
- Pediatric cardiac surgery is done in PGY-4 or PGY-5 in Toronto, Halifax or Edmonton.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Rural exposure
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- Research
- Offered · protected time
By year
Not stated on CaRMS page
Other rotations
- pediatric cardiac surgical rotation (PGY-4 and 5 · Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Dalhousie University in Halifax, or University of Alberta in Edmonton)
- Surgical Foundations (McMaster University Medical Centre)
- Thoracic Surgery (St. Joseph's Hospital)
- Pediatric Cardiac Surgery & VAD/Heart Failure (University of Alberta - Edmonton)
Where you train
Hamilton, Ontario: 6 teaching sites.
- Hamilton General Hospital
- McMaster University Medical Centre
- St. Joseph's Hospital
- The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto)
- University of Alberta (Edmonton)
- Dalhousie University (Halifax)
Record systems at the listed sites: Epic at 3 of 6, Oracle Health (Cerner) at 1; no published record for 2.
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 Hospital
- Clinical record
- Cerner (OneChart), system named (how far it goes is not stated)
The Hospital for Sick Children
- Clinical record
- Epic, system named (how far it goes is not stated)
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
- Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match)
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- Format
- Virtual
- Panel
Info sessions
Mon 9 Nov 2026
7:00–8:30 pm EST
Info session · VirtualCANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Thu 21 Jan 2027
7:00–8:30 pm EST
Meet and greet · 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 |
| PGY-6 | $104,167 / year |
Call
- 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 | 1 | 6 years | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 1 | 6 years | 1 date, 23 Jan 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- McMaster's Cardiac Surgery Residency is a comprehensive 6-year training program focused on direct interaction between residents and staff at one of Ontario's busiest cardiac surgery centers.
- The program emphasizes longitudinal learning, academic-surgical pathways, and provides extensive clinical exposure with over 1500 annual pump cases.
- Research
- Dedicated academic enrichment year (PGY-3) with support for research including PhD/Master's opportunities in basic sciences, clinical epidemiology, and health research methodology.
- Training setting
- Urban academic medical center with multiple training sites including Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster University Medical Centre, and pediatric sites like Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
- Teaching approach
- Competency-based medical education with progressive independence, emphasizing direct staff-resident interaction and tailored academic programming to resident needs.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- CV and Awards
- Elective Experience
- Reference Letters
- Personal Letter
- Research/Publications
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Dominic Parry
- Program office
Senior Education Program Associate
Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.
Cardiac Surgery elsewhere
Nearest to Hamilton
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