Hamilton - Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology
McMaster UniversityHamilton, Ontario
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 1
- Length
- 5
- Applications per year
- 51–200
- Offered interviews
- 0–25%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
IMG stream · open to international medical graduates
Interviews
2 dates, 4–5 Feb 2027
Hamilton, 5 teaching sites
What stands out about this program
Opportunity to take part in digital pathology sign-out through a liaison with Mackenzie Health.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
DCP residents routinely attend a Transfusion Medicine boot camp.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
- This is a 5-year Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology residency at McMaster University, based at four Hamilton hospital sites.
- Core training covers anatomical pathology, hematopathology, medical microbiology, medical biochemistry, community hospitals and elective/research rotations.
- Residents are expected to present at the Annual Residents Research Day.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Urban community
- Rural exposure
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- Research
- Required · research or quality-improvement project · protected time
By year
Not stated on CaRMS page
Other rotations
- introductory Boot camp (Transition to Discipline stage (TTD) · 1 block)
- Anatomical Pathology (Transition to Discipline stage (TTD) · 1 Block)
- Autopsy (Foundation stage · 1 block)
- Surgical Oncology (Foundation stage)
- Hematology (Foundation stage)
- infectious disease (Foundation stage)
- Medical Oncology (Foundation stage)
- Endocrinology (Foundation stage)
- Pediatric Oncology (Foundation stage)
- Anatomical Pathology (Foundation stage)
- Anatomical Pathology (including subspecialties) (Core stage)
- Hematopathology/hematology (Core stage)
- Medical Microbiology (Core stage)
- Medical Biochemistry (Core stage)
- Community Hospitals (Core stage)
- Elective/Research rotations (Core stage)
- Anatomical Pathology (Transition to Practice stage (TTP))
- Hematopathology/hematology (Transition to Practice stage (TTP))
- Medical Microbiology (Transition to Practice stage (TTP))
- Medical Biochemistry (Transition to Practice stage (TTP))
- research/elective (Transition to Practice stage (TTP))
Where you train
Hamilton, Ontario: 5 teaching sites.
- McMaster University Medical Center
- St. Joseph’s Hospital
- Juravinski Hospital and Cancer center
- Hamilton General Hospital
- Mackenzie Health
Record systems at the listed sites: Epic at 3 of 5, Oracle Health (Cerner) at 1; no published record for 1.
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)
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)
- 4 and 5 Feb 2027
- Format
- Virtual
- 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.
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 (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
Open after round 1 in 7 of 8 years (2019–2026); still open after round 2 in 0 of 9 years.
Show the table, with round 2Hide the table
| Year | Open after round 1 | Open after round 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | not available | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 position open after round 1 in 2020, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
| 2021 | 1 position open after round 1 in 2021, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 position open after round 1 in 2022, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 position open after round 1 in 2023, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 positions open after round 1 in 2024, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 position open after round 1 in 2025, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 position open after round 1 in 2026, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
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 | 5 years | 2 dates, 4–5 Feb 2027 | Nothing noted |
| IMG stream | 1 | 5 years | 2 dates, 4–5 Feb 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 1 | 5 years | 2 dates, 5–6 Feb 2026 |
| IMG stream | 1 | 5 years | 2 dates, 5–6 Feb 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The McMaster Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology (DCP)/General Pathology Program has a stellar reputation for graduating residents who are valued for the depth of skill and expertise they provide.
- The program offers an organized, yet flexible curriculum tailored to each resident's needs, with a cohesive resident group, highly responsive program administration, and dedicated faculty.
- Research
- Residents have access to the Pathology and Molecular Medicine Department Resident Research Grant, with multiple additional grants available through hospital services, McMaster, and the Royal College.
- Training setting
- Integrated training across 4 main hospital sites in Hamilton: McMaster University Medical Center, St. Joseph's Hospital, Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Center, and Hamilton General Hospital. Each site has specific areas of expertise with associated clinicopathological rounds.
- Teaching approach
- Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) focusing on achievement of outcomes using the CanMEDS framework. Training is divided into four stages: Transition to Discipline, Foundations of Discipline, Core of Discipline, and Transition to Practice.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- CV
- Electives
- Extra-curricular activities
- Leadership skills
- Personal letter
- Reference documents
- Research/Publications
- Transcripts
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Alice Graham
CaRMS lists no email for the director.
- 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.
Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology elsewhere
Nearest to Hamilton
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