Vancouver Island - Psychiatry
University of British ColumbiaVancouver Island, British Columbia
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 21
- Length
- 5
- Applications per year
- 51–200
- Offered interviews
- 51–75%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
Competitive RoS stream · open to Canadian and international medical graduates
Info session
details info sessions of this programMon 2 Nov 2026,4:30–6:00 pm PDTvia CANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Interviews
3 dates, 19–27 Jan 2027
Vancouver Island, CMG stream: 7 teaching sites · Competitive RoS stream: 11 teaching sites · optional rural rotation
What stands out about this program
Monthly in-person academic days in Vancouver, often reached by float plane or Helijet.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
Core and elective rotation options at distributed Vancouver Island sites including Duncan, Nanaimo and Comox.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
- This five-year UBC psychiatry residency track is based primarily at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, with three residents per year.
- Residents join Lower Mainland academic days mostly by videoconference, travelling to Vancouver monthly to attend in person.
- Residents are required to take part in scholarly activity from the start of training.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Regional community
- Rural exposure
- Optional rural rotation
- Focus areas
- Small program
- Research
- Required · research or quality-improvement project · protected time
By year
- PGY-1
- Psychiatry2 additional blocks
- Internal Medicineone block
- Selectivestwo blocks
- Family Medicine
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Emergency Medicine
- Addictions
- Emergency Psychiatry
- Elective
- PGY-2
- Adult Inpatient6 months
- Adult Outpatient6 months
- PGY-3
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry6 months
- Geriatric Psychiatry6 months
- PGY-4
- Consultation-Liaison3 months
- Chronic Care6 months, minimum 2 days per week
- Addiction Psychiatry6 weeks, sometimes longitudinally
- Emergency Psychiatry6 weeks
- PGY-5
- Selectives6 months, no less than 3 months per rotation
- Electives6 months, no less than 2 months per rotation
Other rotations
- Transition to Discipline (Transition to Discipline · First month of PGY1)
- General Medical and required Psychiatry Rotations (Foundations · remainder of PGY1)
Where you train
Vancouver Island, British Columbia: CMG stream: 7 teaching sites · Competitive RoS stream: 11 teaching sites; optional rural rotation.
- Royal Jubilee Hospital (Victoria)
- Victoria Mental Health Centre (Victoria)
- Victoria General Hospital (Victoria)
- Queen Alexandra Hospital (Victoria)
- Urgent Short Term Assessment Clinic (Victoria)
- Saanich Peninsula Hospital
- Homewood Ravensview
- Royal Jubilee Hospital (Victoria)
- Archie Courtnall Centre (Victoria)
- Victoria Mental Health Centre (Victoria)
- Victoria General Hospital (Victoria)
- Queen Alexandra Hospital (Victoria)
- Urgent Short Term Assessment Clinic (Victoria)
- Saanich Peninsula Hospital
- Homewood Ravensview
- Duncan (Duncan · rural or distributed site)
- Nanaimo (Nanaimo · rural or distributed site)
- Comox (Comox · rural or distributed site)
Record systems at the listed sites, all streams: Oracle Health (Cerner) at 3 of 11; no published record for 8.
Hospital facts
Public figures for hospitals named above, each with its source and reference period. 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
- IHealth (Cerner electronic health record), fully electronic record since 2021
Royal Jubilee Hospital
- Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
- 14,532
- Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1
- 3,973
Victoria General Hospital
- Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
- 8,131
- Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1
- 2,108
Saanich Peninsula Hospital
- Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
- 4,128
- Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1
- 1,104
How they choose
- Application file components, CMG stream
- CV
- Electives
- Examinations
- Extra-curricular
- Leadership skills
- MSPRs
- Personal letters
- Reference documents
- Research/Publications
- Transcripts
- Application file components, Competitive RoS stream
- 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, Competitive RoS stream
- Required
- IMG requirements, Competitive RoS stream
- Assessment by a provincial clinical assessment program
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match)
- 19, 26 and 27 Jan 2027
- Format
- Virtual
- Traditional (one on one/two on one)
- Panel
- MMI or rotating station
Info sessions
Mon 2 Nov 2026
4:30–6:00 pm PDT
Info session · VirtualCANPREPP source (opens in a new tab)
Pay and call
| Level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| PGY-1 | $71,390 / year |
| PGY-2 | $79,571 / year |
| PGY-3 | $86,655 / year |
| PGY-4 | $93,230 / year |
| PGY-5 | $100,215 / year |
Call
- Call (provincial max)
- 1 in 4 in-house
- Post-call rule (provincial)
- Relieved within 2 hours of the call ending, or by 10:00 if earlier, when a resident on a 24-hour or longer shift could not get 6 uninterrupted hours of rest
Benefits
- Annual vacation
- 4 weeks
- CMPA dues paid
- Yes. Mandatory
- Dental plan
- 100% Premiums Paid
- Educational leave
- Yes
- Extended health insurance
- 100% Premiums Paid
- Life insurance
- 100% Premium Paid
- Long-term disability insurance
- Yes 100% Premiums Paid
- Maternity leave
- 17 weeks, plus up to 78 weeks Parental Leave
- Meal allowance
- No
- Provincial dues (% of salary)
- 1.5%
- Provincial health insurance
- 100% Premiums Paid
- Sick leave
- Yes
- Statutory holidays
- 2 x pay plus extra day with pay
Year by year
2027 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 2 | 5 years | 3 dates, 19–27 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
| Competitive RoS stream | 1 | 5 years | 3 dates, 19–27 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 2 | 5 years | 3 dates, 20–28 Jan 2026 |
| Competitive RoS stream | 1 | 5 years | 3 dates, 20–28 Jan 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The UBC Psychiatry Residency Program offers a distributed model of postgraduate training across British Columbia, with the Vancouver Island track providing a personalized, intimate learning experience.
- Located in Victoria, this program offers residents a full range of training options in a smaller, close-knit environment with three residents per year.
- Research
- Residents are required to engage in scholarly activities, with two dedicated Research Track positions offering one day per week of protected research time.
- Training setting
- Training primarily occurs at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, with additional community sites across Vancouver Island including Duncan, Nanaimo, and Comox. The program offers a mix of urban and community-based psychiatric training.
- Teaching approach
- The program follows a Competency By Design approach, focusing on progressive skill development through four stages: Transition to Discipline, Foundations, Core, and Transition to Practice.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- Diversity of experience
- Personal motivation
- Academic track record
- Interpersonal skills
- Psychiatry performance
- Professional attributes
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Kenneth Heng
CaRMS lists no email for the director.
- Program office
Manager, PGME Programs, Vancouver Island Senior Program Assistant
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.
Psychiatry elsewhere
Nearest to Vancouver Island
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