Calgary - Ophthalmology
University of CalgaryCalgary, AlbertaCMG stream
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 2
- Length
- 5
- Applications per year
- 51–200
- Offered interviews
- 26–50%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
Interviews
1 date, 29 Jan 2027
Calgary, 3 teaching sites
What stands out about this program
Agreement with chartered surgical facilities; residents graduate with upwards of 750 full cataract cases.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
Dedicated PGY-1 Ocular Pathology block with one-on-one teaching from fellowship-trained ocular pathologists.
From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page
Regular access to cadaveric eyes through the Lions Eye Bank for surgical practice.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
- The University of Calgary offers a five-year ophthalmology residency based in Calgary, with PGY-1 medical and surgical rotations before returning to ophthalmology.
- PGY-2 includes six months in the Urgent Eye Clinic, and dedicated surgical training begins in PGY-4.
- Residents complete a research project in PGY 2-5, with on average one half day of protected research time per week.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Urban community
- Rural exposure
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- Focus areas
- Procedural emphasis
- Research
- Required · research project · protected time
By year
- PGY-1
- TORIC course6 weeks
- Internal Medicine4 weeks
- Emergency Medicine4 weeks
- Pediatrics4 weeks
- Plastic Surgery4 weeks
- Neuroradiology4 weeks
- Neurology4 weeks
- Infectious Disease4 weeks
- Ocular Pathology4 weeks
- Transition to Discipline (TTD) orientation block4-week
- Urgent Eye Clinic and other community clinics
- PGY-2
- Urgent Eye Clinic6 months
- Cornea and External Eye Disease1 month
- Glaucoma1 month
- Pediatrics1 month
- Oculoplastic1 month
- Retina1 month
- Neuro-Ophthalmology1 month
Other rotations
- Cornea and External Disease (PGY-3 and PGY-4 (First half))
- Glaucoma (PGY-3 and PGY-4 (First half))
- Pediatrics (PGY-3 and PGY-4 (First half))
- Oculoplastics (PGY-3 and PGY-4 (First half))
- Retina (PGY-3 and PGY-4 (First half))
- Neuro-Ophthalmology (PGY-3 and PGY-4 (First half))
- Elective (3 months)
Where you train
Calgary, Alberta: 3 teaching sites.
- Rockyview General Hospital, Eye Clinic
- Alberta Children's Hospital, Vision Clinic
- Alberta Health Services, Non Hospital Clinics and Chartered Surgical Facilities
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
- Other file component(s)
- Return of service
- Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match)
- 29 Jan 2027
- Format
- Virtual
- Traditional (one on one/two on one)
- MMI or rotating station
Info sessions
The 1 session listed for 2027 has passed.
10 Ophthalmology 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 |
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 | 2 | 5 years | 1 date, 29 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 2 | 5 years | 1 date, 4 Feb 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The University of Calgary offers a comprehensive 5-year Royal College accredited Ophthalmology residency program with exceptional surgical training.
- With over 50 staff surgeons across all subspecialties and unique agreements with surgical facilities, residents graduate with extensive clinical and surgical experience, including an average of 500-750 full cataract cases.
- Research
- Residents participate in research projects from PGY-2 to PGY-5, with dedicated half-day protected research time, faculty support, and opportunities to present at national/international meetings.
- Training setting
- Urban medical center in Calgary, Alberta, with multiple training sites including Rockyview General Hospital, Alberta Children's Hospital, and various Alberta Health Services clinics and surgical facilities.
- Teaching approach
- Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) focusing on progressive skill development, frequent formative assessments, and learner-centered education through entrustable professional activities (EPAs) and milestones.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- Medical Student Performance Record (MSPR)
- Letters of reference
- Curriculum Vitae
- Personal letter
- CanMEDS role assessment
- Interview performance
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Monique Munro
Faculty profile of Dr. Monique Munro(opens in a new tab)
Dr. Munro is a distinguished medical and surgical retina specialist, with a unique expertise in inflammatory eye disease (uveitis) and pediatric retina.
CaRMS lists no email for the 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.
Ophthalmology elsewhere
Nearest to Calgary
Did this page answer your question?