Ottawa - Cardiac Surgery
University of OttawaOttawa, OntarioCMG stream
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 1
- Length
- 6
- Applications per year
- 0–50
- Offered interviews
- 51–75%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
Interviews
1 date, 3 Feb 2027
Ottawa, 4 teaching sites
What stands out about this program
Senior trainees can do a three-month congenital cardiac surgery rotation at McGill University in Montreal.
From “Training sites” on the CaRMS page
Sole adult cardiac surgery centre for Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec, about 1900 heart procedures annually.
From “Training sites” on the CaRMS page
Minimum research productivity criteria are tied to resident promotion.
From “Important information” on the CaRMS page
- This is a 6-year cardiac surgery residency based at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, a quaternary care centre on the Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital.
- Residents also train at The Ottawa Hospital General Campus for thoracic surgery and at CHEO for pediatric cardiac surgery.
- All residents must participate in research, with minimal research productivity criteria linked to promotion.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Rural exposure
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- Research
- Required · research project · protected time
By year
- PGY-1
- Cardiac Surgery3 blocks
- Cardiac Anesthesia
- Cardiology
- ICU (Cardiac Surgery and General Surgery)
- Critical Care Unit
- Trauma
- Thoracic Surgery
- Enrichment
- PGY-2
- Cardiac Surgery
- Cardiac Surgery ICU
- Cardiology Intervention
- Critical Care Unit
- Vascular Surgery
- PGY-5
- Cardiac surgery rotations
- elective/fellowship opportunities
Other rotations
- Thoracic Surgery (PGY-3-4)
- Vascular Surgery (PGY-3-4)
- Cardiac Surgery (PGY-3-4)
- Cardiac Surgery (Transition to Practice)
- CHEO (Transition to Practice · CHEO)
- Congenital Cardiac Surgery rotation (three months period · McGill University in Montreal, QC)
Where you train
Ottawa, Ontario: 4 teaching sites.
- University of Ottawa Heart Institute
- The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus
- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)
- McGill University (Montreal)
Record systems at the listed sites: Epic at 3 of 4; 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.
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
- Clinical record
- Epic (Atlas Alliance shared system), system named (how far it goes is not stated)
The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus
- Clinical record
- Epic (Atlas Alliance shared system), system named (how far it goes is not stated)
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)
- Clinical record
- Epic, system named (how far it goes is not stated)
Hospital size and activity: Ontario doesn't publish this as open data.
About Ottawa
People
1,017,449residents, 2021 Census
Housing
2.9%rental vacancy rate
Winter and summer
−9.6 °CJanuary mean21.3 °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
- Return of service
- Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match)
- 3 Feb 2027
- Format
- Traditional (one on one/two on one)
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 | $73,367 / year |
| PGY-2 | $79,670 / year |
| PGY-3 | $85,564 / year |
| PGY-4 | $92,701 / year |
| PGY-5 | $98,567 / year |
| PGY-6 | $104,167 / year |
Call
- Call (provincial max)
- 7 nights in 28 in-house
- Post-call rule (provincial)
- No new patient responsibilities after 24 hours in-hospital, except what clinical handover needs
- Max continuous duty (provincial)
- 24 hours in-hospital, then relieved after handover (up to 2 hours)
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, 3 Feb 2027 | Nothing noted |
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 1 | 6 years | 1 date, 3 Feb 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The University of Ottawa Cardiac Surgery Residency Program offers comprehensive training at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, a quaternary care center providing expertise in adult cardiac surgery.
- Residents will be exposed to state-of-the-art techniques across multiple cardiac surgical domains and have extensive opportunities for research and academic development.
- Research
- Extensive research opportunities at the Ottawa Heart Institute Research Centre, including vascular biology, myocardial preservation, thrombosis research, and clinical epidemiology. Residents are encouraged to participate in clinical trials and laboratory research.
- Training setting
- Training occurs at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, located on the Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital, performing approximately 1900 heart procedures annually. Pediatric Cardiac Surgery is performed at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
- Teaching approach
- The program follows the Competency by Design (CBD) Framework, organizing residency into 4 Stages of Training: Transition to Discipline, Foundations of Discipline, Core of Discipline, and Transition to Practice, ensuring residents achieve competence in all Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs).
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- Academic record
- Letters of reference
- Research portfolio
- Interview performance
- Elective experiences
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Talal Al-Atassi
- 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 Ottawa
- Bilingual
- Bilingual
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