Calgary - Psychiatry
University of CalgaryCalgary, AlbertaCMG stream
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 10
- Length
- 5
- Applications per year
- 51–200
- Offered interviews
- 26–50%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
Interviews
5 dates, 25–29 Jan 2027
Calgary, 11 teaching sites · optional rural rotation
What stands out about this program
Training at Peter Lougheed Hospital, site of Canada's first Med-Psych Unit.
From “Training sites” on the CaRMS page
Longitudinal Art and Science of the Interview curriculum in PGY2-3, plus six months of STACER preparation in PGY4.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
Simulation-based psychiatry training for both junior and senior residents.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
- The University of Calgary Psychiatry program is a five-year Royal College accredited residency with Foothills Medical Centre as its primary teaching hospital.
- Residents rotate through five Calgary hospitals and community sites, and PGY5 is a flexible Transition to Practice year with electives.
- All residents complete a scholarly project, and psychotherapy is taught through a longitudinal curriculum.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Urban community
- Rural exposure
- Optional rural rotation
- Research
- Required · scholarly or quality-improvement project
By year
- PGY-1
- Transition to Disciplinetwo blocks
- Internal Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Addiction Medicine
- Medical Psychiatry
- Adult Inpatient Psychiatry
- Emergency Psychiatry
Other rotations
- Adult Inpatient Psychiatry (PGY2-PGY4 · 2 x 3-month blocks)
- Outpatient Psychiatry (PGY2-PGY4 · 6 months)
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (PGY2-PGY4 · 2 x 3-month blocks)
- Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (PGY2-PGY4 · 3 months)
- Geriatric Psychiatry (PGY2-PGY4 · 6 months)
- Rehabilitative Psychiatry and Longitudinal Chronic Care (PGY2-PGY4 · 2 x 3-month blocks)
- Addictions Psychiatry & Shared care (PGY2-PGY4 · 3 months)
Where you train
Calgary, Alberta: 11 teaching sites; optional rural rotation.
- Foothills Medical Centre (FMC)
- Peter Lougheed Hospital (PLC) / Sunridge Galleria
- Rockyview General Hospital (RGH)
- South Health Campus (SHC)
- Alberta Children's Hospital (ACH)
- Glenmore Rehabilitation Centre
- Southern Alberta Forensic Psychiatry Centre
- Sheldon Chumir Health Centre (SCHC)
- Summit Centre for Youth Resilience
- Alex Youth Health Centre
- Claresholm Care Centre (Claresholm · rural or distributed site)
Record systems at the listed sites: Epic at 7 of 11; 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 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
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)
- 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 Jan 2027
- Format
- Virtual
- Traditional (one on one/two on one)
Info sessions
The 3 sessions listed for 2027 have passed.
11 Psychiatry 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 | 10 | 5 years | 5 dates, 25–29 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 10 | 5 years | 5 dates, 26–30 Jan 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The University of Calgary Psychiatry Residency is a comprehensive 5-year Royal College accredited program designed to train exceptionally skilled psychiatrists.
- The program offers a robust curriculum with innovative educational approaches, focusing on competency-based medical education, diverse clinical experiences, and holistic resident development.
- Research
- Residents complete a scholarly project with support from research mentors, with options ranging from manuscript preparation to graduate degree completion.
- Training setting
- Urban academic medical centers in Calgary, including multiple hospital sites with diverse psychiatric services ranging from inpatient acute care to specialized outpatient clinics.
- Teaching approach
- Utilizing a combination of service and preceptor-based models, the program provides tailored learning experiences with direct supervision, coaching, and mentorship to develop competent, reflective psychiatrists.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- Medical Student Performance Record
- Personal letter
- Reference letters
- Elective experiences
- Interview performance
- Communication skills
- Professionalism
- Leadership potential
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Rory Sellmer
CaRMS lists no email for the director.
- Program office
Program Coordinator, Assistant Program Coordinator
Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.
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 Calgary
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