Edmonton - Ophthalmology
University of AlbertaEdmonton, AlbertaCMG stream
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 3
- Length
- 5
- Applications per year
- 51–200
- Offered interviews
- 0–25%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
Thu 4 Feb 2027,time not stated
Interviews
1 date, 5 Feb 2027
Edmonton, 6 teaching sites
What stands out about this program
Dedicated Ophthalmic Surgical Skills Centre wet lab with surgical simulator and 24-hour resident access.
From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page
- The University of Alberta Ophthalmology residency is a five-year program centred on the Regional Eye Centre at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
- PGY-1 includes off-service rotations and the mandatory six-week TORIC course, and the core cataract surgery year spans the end of PGY-4 into PGY-5.
- Residents must take part in research from PGY-2 onwards, and interviews are held online.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Urban community
- Rural exposure
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- Research
- Required · research project
By year
- PGY-1
- general ophthalmology clinics12 weeks
- Toronto Ophthalmology Residency Introductory Course (TORIC)six-week
- shadow and attend all clinics with the PGY-2 resident on calltwo weeks
- Internal Medicine
- Pediatrics
- Plastic Surgery
- Neurology
- Rheumatology
- Emergency Medicine
- Neuro-radiology
- Elective/Research opportunities
- PGY-2
- elective4 weeks
- preceptor-specific general rotation4-week
- rotation in ophthalmic diagnostics2-weeks
- Day Call
- General Clinics
- Glaucoma
- Retina
- PGY-5
- dedicated study time4 weeks
- core cataract surgery
- elective time
- community/flex rotation
Other rotations
- Pediatric Ophthalmology and Adult Strabismus (PGY-3 & 4)
- Oculoplastics (PGY-3 & 4)
- Glaucoma (PGY-3 & 4)
- Retina (PGY-3 & 4)
- Neuro-ophthalmology (PGY-3 & 4)
- Cornea/external disease (PGY-3 & 4)
- clinical or research elective time (PGY-3 & 4 · 8 weeks)
Where you train
Edmonton, Alberta: 6 teaching sites.
- Regional Eye Centre, Royal Alexandra Hospital
- Stollery Children's Hospital at the University of Alberta Hospital
- Vision Care Group (LASIK MD), Eye Q Laser
- Alberta EyeMD
- Alberta Retina Consultants
- Glaucoma Consultants
Record systems at the listed sites: Epic at 2 of 6; no published record for 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)
- 5 Feb 2027
- Format
- Virtual
- Traditional (one on one/two on one)
Info sessions
Thu 4 Feb 2027
time not stated
Social · Virtual · For all applicants · Listed under interviews on CaRMS
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 |
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 | 5 years | 1 date, 5 Feb 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 3 | 5 years | 2 dates, 5–6 Feb 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The University of Alberta's Ophthalmology Residency Program is a comprehensive 5-year training program designed to produce exceptional ophthalmologists with high surgical expertise and professional standards.
- The program offers extensive clinical exposure, diverse learning opportunities, and a supportive educational environment that prepares residents for Royal College specialty examinations.
- Research
- Residents are required to actively participate in or lead research projects from PGY-2 onwards, with support from clinical researchers and visual scientists.
- Training setting
- Urban medical training environment in Edmonton, Alberta, with multiple training sites including Royal Alexandra Hospital, Stollery Children's Hospital, and community eye clinics.
- Teaching approach
- Competency-based medical education with progressive independence, individualized learning, and a focus on comprehensive patient care and surgical expertise.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- Academic performance
- Electives
- Casper test
- Extra-curricular activities
- Leadership skills
- Medical Student Performance Record (MSPR)
- Personal letters
- Reference documents
- Research/Publications
- Transcripts
Contacts and links
- Program directors
Dr. Marcela StrungaruCo-Program Director
Imran JivrajCo-Program 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.
Program websiteWebsiteCANPREPPCANPREPPincludes a resident experience sectionFrom the programUniversity of Alberta(opens in a new tab)This program on CaRMS(opens in a new tab)
Ophthalmology elsewhere
Nearest to Edmonton
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