Edmonton - Neurosurgery
University of AlbertaEdmonton, AlbertaCMG stream
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 3
- Length
- 6
- Applications per year
- 0–50
- Offered interviews
- 76–100%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
Info session
details info sessions of this programWed 2 Dec 2026,7:00–8:30 pm MSTvia CANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Interviews
Not stated on CaRMS page
Edmonton, 4 teaching sites
What stands out about this program
Flexible PGY 4 year for research, pre-fellowship interests, in-folded fellowships or further clinical experience.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
Exposure to intraoperative MRI, robotic surgery, laser interstitial thermal therapy, Gamma Knife and deep brain stimulation.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
Community neurosurgery rotations at Leduc to add simple spine operative exposure.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
- The University of Alberta Neurosurgery residency is a 6-year program based at University Hospital, Royal Alexandra Hospital and the Stollery Children's Hospital.
- PGY 4 is designated for research or a clinical elective, and MSc or PhD programs are available.
- Residents complete annual research projects under a preceptor, and there is no return of service requirement.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Rural exposure
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- Research
- Required · research project · protected time
By year
- PGY-1
- Coronary Care Unitone 28-day block
- Emergency Medicineone 28-day block
- General Surgerytwo 28-day blocks
- Anesthesiaone 28-day block
- Neurosurgerysix 28-day blocks
- Pediatric Neurosurgeryone 28-day block
- PGY-2
- Neurosurgery7 blocks
- ICU3 blocks
- Neurology2 blocks
- Neuroradiology1 block
- PGY-3
- Neuropathology3 blocks
- Gamma Knife1 block
- Interventional Neuroradiology1 block
- Clinical Neurosurgery rotations
Other rotations
- Clinical Neurosurgical Service (PGY 5 to 6)
- Lead Resident (PGY 5 to 6 · At least 12 months)
- Transition to Practice (PGY 5 to 6 · the last 3 months)
Where you train
Edmonton, Alberta: 4 teaching sites.
- Walter C. MacKenzie Health Sciences Center (University of Alberta Hospital)
- Royal Alexandra Hospital
- Stollery Children's Hospital
- Leduc Community Hospital (Leduc)
Record systems at the listed sites: Epic at 4 of 4.
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 (Connect Care), fully electronic record since Nov 2024
Hospital size and activity: Alberta doesn't publish this as open data.
About Edmonton
People
1,010,899residents, 2021 Census
Housing
3.8%rental vacancy rate
Winter and summer
−10.3 °CJanuary mean18.1 °CJuly mean
Job outlook
Very 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 required · all residents
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match)
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- Format
- Virtual
- Traditional (one on one/two on one)
Info sessions
Wed 2 Dec 2026
7:00–8:30 pm MST
Info session · VirtualCANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Pay and call
| Level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| PGY-1 | $67,440 / year |
| PGY-2 | $74,153 / year |
| PGY-3 | $80,058 / year |
| PGY-4 | $86,281 / year |
| PGY-5 | $92,698 / year |
| PGY-6 | $98,414 / year |
Call
- Call (provincial max)
- 1 in 4 in-house
- Post-call rule (provincial)
- No new responsibilities after the 24th hour of duty, apart from handover
- Max continuous duty (provincial)
- 24 consecutive hours, plus 2 hours for handover
Benefits
- Annual vacation
- 4 weeks/yr
- Call Stipends
- weekday in-house – $118.02weekend in-house / holiday – $178.72weekday home call – $59.01weekend home call / holiday – $89.35
- CMPA dues paid
- $1,500
- Dental plan
- 75% premium paid
- Educational leave
- 14 days paid leave
- Extended health insurance
- 75% premium paid$1000 per year Flexible Spending Account*
- Life insurance
- 100% towards $150,000 coverage
- Life Support Course Costs (Program Approved
- 100% paid
- Long-term disability insurance
- 100% paid for 75% gross income
- Maternity Leave
- 18 weeks total (17 weeks paid to match 90% of salary when combined with EI)
- Parental Leave
- 2 weeks leave with full pay and benefits;52 weeks (inclusive of Maternity/Paternity/Adoption Leaves) – unpaid leave
- Practice Stipend
- $1,500
- Provincial dues (% of salary)
- .95%
- Sick leave
- Up to 3 months or to end contract paid leave, whichever occurs first
- Statutory holidays
- Paid days. Additional days off are given if resident works the day before and part of a named holiday.
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 | 3 | 6 years |
|
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 2 | 6 years | 1 date, 27 Jan 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The University of Alberta Neurosurgery Residency Program is a comprehensive 6-year training program designed to develop highly skilled neurosurgeons with excellent moral and ethical character.
- The program offers a robust clinical experience across multiple sites, with a strong emphasis on academic neurosurgery and continuous self-education.
- Research
- Extensive research programs available, including Masters and PhD opportunities with multiple research focus areas in neuroscience and neurosurgery.
- Training setting
- Training occurs at multiple urban medical centers in Edmonton, including Walter C. MacKenzie Health Sciences Center, Royal Alexandra Hospital, Stollery Children's Hospital, and Leduc Community Hospital.
- Teaching approach
- Competency-based medical education with progressive independence, emphasizing continuous self-evaluation, academic productivity, and comprehensive surgical skill development.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- CV review
- Research/publications
- Extra-curricular activities
- Reference letters
- Interview performance
- Professionalism
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Cameron Elliott
CaRMS lists no email for the director.
- Program office
Program Administrator
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.
Neurosurgery elsewhere
Nearest to Edmonton
Did this page answer your question?