Calgary - Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
University of CalgaryCalgary, AlbertaCMG stream
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 2
- Length
- 5
- Applications per year
- 0–50
- Offered interviews
- 26–50%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
Interviews
1 date, 26 Jan 2027
Calgary, 8 teaching sites · optional rural rotation
What stands out about this program
Optional one-week outreach rotations in the NWT and Yukon with a staff otolaryngologist.
From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page
Junior residents are often the only resident on an ENT rotation.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
- This is a 5-year otolaryngology–head and neck surgery residency that takes two residents per year.
- Residents rotate through ENT services at five Calgary hospitals, with three elective blocks and a two-month selective in the final three years.
- Residents must complete a research project and take home call.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Rural exposure
- Optional rural rotation
- Focus areas
- Early independence
- Small program
- Research
- Required · research project
By year
Not stated on CaRMS page
Other rotations
- electives (final three years · three blocks)
- selective (final three years · two month)
- head and neck pathology (final three years)
- radiology (final three years)
- radiation oncology (final three years)
Where you train
Calgary, Alberta: 8 teaching sites; optional rural rotation.
- Alberta Children's Hospital
- Foothills Medical Centre
- Peter Lougheed Centre
- Rockyview General Hospital
- Calgary South Health Campus
- Tom Baker Cancer Centre / Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre
- Richmond Road Diagnostic Treatment Centre
- Private offices of Otolaryngology staff
Record systems at the listed sites: Epic at 7 of 8; 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)
- 26 Jan 2027
- Format
- Virtual
- MMI or rotating station
Info sessions
The 2 sessions listed for 2027 have passed.
5 Otolaryngology - Head and Neck 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 |
Call
- Call (as the program states it)
- Home call · frequency “1-in-4”
- 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, 26 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 2 | 5 years | 1 date, 5 Feb 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The University of Calgary Otolaryngology Residency Program takes two residents per year through the CaRMS process.
- The program is distinguished by its large clinical volume across multiple teaching hospitals and a low resident-to-faculty ratio that allows early extensive surgical experience.
- Research
- Residents complete a clinical or basic science research project with financial support for presentation at research venues.
- Training setting
- Urban medical center with multiple hospital sites in Calgary, Alberta, including academic and community hospitals, cancer centers, and pediatric facilities.
- Teaching approach
- Competence by Design (CBD) approach using time as a framework for competency assessment, with frequent formative assessments and milestone-based learning outcomes.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- CaRMS application
- CV
- Medical Student Performance Record
- Reference letters
- Electives
- CASPer test
- Interview performance
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Derrick Randall
CaRMS lists no email for the director.
- Program office
Program Assistant
Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.
Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery elsewhere
Nearest to Calgary
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