Rural Mount Forest - Family Medicine
McMaster UniversityRural Mount Forest, Ontario
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 1
- Length
- 2
- Applications per year
- 601+
- Offered interviews
- 76–100%0–25%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
IMG stream · open to international medical graduates
Wed 18 Nov 2026,7:00–8:30 pm ESTvia CANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Interviews
4 dates, 16–26 Jan 2027
1 date, 15 Jan 2027
Rural Mount Forest, 3 teaching sites · based in a rural community
What stands out about this program
Residents are the only trainees in the community, so learning opportunities go directly to them.
From “Training sites” on the CaRMS page
Exposure to satellite oncology care delivered by local family physicians with advanced training.
From “Training sites” on the CaRMS page
Serves a nearby Mennonite community alongside the town's population.
From “Training sites” on the CaRMS page
- This two-year family medicine program is based in Mount Forest, a town of 5,000, where residents live and have their family medicine homebase.
- Off-service rotations take place in nearby MacCARE and ROMP communities, with weekly academic sessions in Guelph.
- Louise Marshall Hospital, a 15-bed hospital, offers rural emergency medicine with procedures including intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and chest tube insertion.
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
What training looks like
- Setting
- Rural / remote
- Rural exposure
- Based in a rural community
- Focus areas
- Rural / remote
- Procedural emphasis
- Getting around
- A car is required
By year
- PGY-1
- Family Medicine4 blocks
- Care of the Hospitalized Adult2 blocks
- Emergency Medicine2 blocks
- Women's Health and Obstetrics2 blocks
- Care of Children2 blocks
- Family Medicine/Academic Programming (Block 7)1 block
- Continuity Family Medicine homebase clinics
- PGY-2
- Family Medicine4 blocks
- Elective3 blocks
- Rural Family Medicine2 blocks
- Core Medicine/Surgery Selective (site-based options)2 blocks
- Care of the Elderly1 block
- Family Medicine/Academic Programming (Block 7)1 block
- Continuity Family Medicine homebase clinics
Where you train
Rural Mount Forest, Ontario: 3 teaching sites; based in a rural community. A car is required.
- Louise Marshall Hospital (Mount Forest)
- Guelph Family Health Team (Guelph)
- Guelph General Hospital (Guelph)
Distributed across a region
Record systems at the listed sites: MEDITECH at 1 of 3; 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.
Guelph General Hospital
- Clinical record
- Meditech, system named (how far it goes is not stated)
Hospital size and activity: Ontario doesn't publish this as open data.
About Mount Forest
People
12,431residents, 2021 Census
Housing
not published for this area
Winter and summer
−7.1 °CJanuary mean19.4 °CJuly mean
Job outlook
Very goodfor the specialty here, 2025–2027
How they choose
- Application file components, CMG stream
- CV
- Electives
- Examinations
- Extra-curricular
- Leadership skills
- MSPRs
- Personal letters
- Reference documents
- Research/Publications
- Transcripts
- Other file component(s)
- Application file components, IMG stream
- CV
- Electives
- Examinations
- Extra-curricular
- Leadership skills
- MSPRs
- Personal letters
- Reference documents
- Research/Publications
- Transcripts
- 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
- Assessment by a provincial clinical assessment program
- Observerships don’t count as clinical experience
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match), CMG stream
- 16, 18, 20 and 26 Jan 2027
- Interview dates (2027 match), IMG stream
- 15 Jan 2027
- Format, CMG stream
- Virtual
- MMI or rotating station
- Format, IMG stream
- Virtual
- Traditional (one on one/two on one)
Info sessions
Wed 18 Nov 2026
7:00–8:30 pm EST
Social · VirtualCANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Pay and call
| Level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| PGY-1 | $73,367 / year |
| PGY-2 | $79,670 / 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)
After residency
Family doctors in Ontario can join a model that pays for enrolled patients, hours worked and visits: the Family Health Organization (FHO), FHO+ since 1 April 2026. A new graduate is a physician who joins a patient enrolment model within three years of completing a family medicine residency; the status runs for 12 months from joining. Entry is capped: 40 physicians a month for FHO, 60 a month for FHO+ in the first year of the 2024-2028 agreement; later years to be determined. Compare provinces
Past matches
Open after round 1 in 4 of 8 years (2019–2026); still open after round 2 in 1 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 | 1 position open after round 1 in 2019, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 2 positions open after round 1 in 2021, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 1 position open after round 2 in 2021, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 positions open after round 1 in 2023, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 positions open after round 1 in 2024, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab) | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 0 | 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 | 2 years | 4 dates, 16–26 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
| IMG stream | 1 | 2 years | 1 date, 15 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 1 | 2 years | 5 dates, 16 Dec 2025 – 27 Jan 2026 |
| IMG stream | 1 | 2 years | 1 date, 16 Jan 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- McMaster University's Rural Mount Forest Family Medicine program offers comprehensive training in a small-town setting, preparing residents for diverse medical contexts.
- Located in a charming community with a strong sense of community, the program provides unique learning opportunities with supportive preceptors and a focus on rural family medicine.
- Research
- Opportunities for scholarship integrated into academic programming, including quality improvement and evidence-based medicine components.
- Training setting
- Small rural town of Mount Forest (population 5,000), with training across nearby communities including Owen Sound, Collingwood, and Orangeville. Primary training occurs at Louise Marshall Hospital and local family medicine clinics.
- Teaching approach
- Competency-based medical education focused on comprehensive, flexible training that meets individual resident needs and prepares graduates for diverse family medicine practice settings.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- CV/Life experience
- Electives
- Extra-curricular activities
- Leadership skills
- Medical Student Performance Record
- Personal letters
- Reference documents
- FMProC Situational Judgement Test
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Heather WatersPostgraduate Program Director
Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing. Site staff and other contacts are listed there too.
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.
From residents
Public podcast episodes and videos where residents describe this program. The short descriptions are ours; each link goes to the original.
Family Medicine elsewhere
Nearest to Rural Mount Forest
- Rural
- Rural
- Rural
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