Calgary - Cardiac Surgery
University of CalgaryCalgary, AlbertaCMG stream
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 1
- Length
- 6
- Applications per year
- 0–50
- Offered interviews
- 26–50%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
Interviews
1 date, 24 Jan 2027
Calgary, 3 teaching sites
What stands out about this program
More than 1700 adult cardiac operations performed yearly in Calgary.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
Training in minimally invasive cardiac surgery, TAVI, TEVAR, mechanical circulatory support and complex aortic surgery.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
- This is a six-year cardiac surgery residency with adult cardiac surgery training at Foothills Hospital and vascular surgery at Peter Lougheed Hospital in Calgary.
- Senior residents do 18 blocks of adult cardiac surgery and 3 blocks of pediatric cardiac surgery, with congenital and transplant exposure at the University of Alberta.
- An academic enrichment year can be taken in PGY3 or PGY4.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Rural exposure
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- Research
- Offered · research project · protected time
By year
Not stated on CaRMS page
Other rotations
- Surgical Foundations (first two years)
- cardiac surgery (first two years)
- vascular surgery (first two years)
- critical care (first two years)
- general cardiology (first two years)
- CCU (first two years)
- cath-lab (first two years)
- heart failure (first two years)
- vascular surgery (senior years)
- thoracic surgery (senior years)
- pediatric cardiac surgery (senior years · 3 blocks · University of Alberta)
- adult cardiac surgery (senior years · 18 blocks)
- academic enrichment year (PGY years 3 or 4)
Where you train
Calgary, Alberta: 3 teaching sites.
- Foothills Hospital
- Peter Lougheed Hospital
- University of Alberta (Edmonton)
Record systems at the listed sites: Epic at 2 of 3; 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 (Connect Care), fully electronic record since Nov 2024
Hospital size and activity: Alberta doesn't publish this as open data.
About Calgary
People
1,306,784residents, 2021 Census
Housing
4.9%rental vacancy rate
Winter and summer
−7.6 °CJanuary mean16.9 °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 stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match)
- 24 Jan 2027
- Format
- In person
- 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.
2 Cardiac Surgery info sessions at other programsAll info sessions
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 | 1 | 6 years | 1 date, 24 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 1 | 6 years | 1 date, 18 Jan 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The University of Calgary offers a comprehensive 6-year Cardiac Surgery Residency Program with an academic enrichment year.
- The program provides extensive surgical exposure, with over 1700 adult cardiac operations per year and training in specialized procedures like minimally invasive cardiac surgery, TAVI, and complex aortic surgery.
- Research
- Academic enrichment year can be spent in basic science research, administration, education, innovation programs, or focused clinical areas, with potential for pursuing Masters or PhD.
- Training setting
- Training occurs at multiple sites in Calgary and Edmonton, including Foothills Hospital, Peter Lougheed Hospital, and University of Alberta, providing diverse clinical experiences across urban medical centers.
- Teaching approach
- Follows Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) with progressive professional responsibility, emphasizing graded learning, comprehensive skill development, and Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada competency objectives.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- Academic standing
- Technical skills potential
- Cardiac surgery interest
- Elective performance
- Reference letters
- Personal characteristics
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Muhammad Ahsan
- Program office
Program Administrator
Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.
Cardiac Surgery elsewhere
Nearest to Calgary
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