Rural Pembroke - Family Medicine
University of OttawaRural Pembroke, Ontario
At a glance
- Approx. quota
- 51
- Length
- 2
- Applications per year
- 601+
- Offered interviews
- 51–75%
CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates
IMG stream · open to international medical graduates
Interviews
3 dates, 26–28 Jan 2027
1 date, 15 Jan 2027
Rural Pembroke, 5 teaching sites · based in a rural community
What stands out about this program
Residents are the only trainees in the setting, which gives them hands-on office and hospital procedures.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
Optional longitudinal remote track with 2 blocks per year in Barry’s Bay or Deep River.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
Program reports 95% of graduates since 2009 practise rurally.
From “Program highlights” on the CaRMS page
- This two-year family medicine program is based at the teaching clinic of Pembroke Regional Hospital, about 90 minutes west of Ottawa.
- Training uses a half-horizontal curriculum, and the only required travel is a 2-week CHEO emergency block in Ottawa.
- Residents can opt for a longitudinal remote option with 2 blocks per year in Barry’s Bay or Deep River.
What training looks like
- Setting
- Rural / remote
- Academic / tertiary hospital
- Rural exposure
- Based in a rural community
- Focus areas
- Rural / remote
- Longitudinal / integrated
- Procedural emphasis
- Small program
- Getting around
- A car is recommended
By year
- PGY-1
- family medicine, geriatrics, emergency medicine and a couple of days at the Pikwakanagan First Nations Health Clinic6 blocks
- Family Medicine, Geriatrics, Emergency Medicine4 blocks
- psychiatry and family medicine2 blocks
- Remote Area2 blocks
- Psychiatry and Family Medicine2 blocks
- Hospitalist medicine1 block
- OB1 block
- Internal Medicine1 block
- Elective1 block
- Hospitalist medicine1 block
- OB1 block
- Internal Medicine1 block
- Elective1 block
- Pediatrics at CHEO ER2 weeks
- family medicine2 weeks
- Pediatrics at CHEO ER2 weeks
- family medicine2 weeks
- PGY-2
- Family Medicine, Geriatrics and Emergency Medicine6 blocks
- Family Medicine, Geriatrics, Emergency Medicine and a couple of days at the Pikwakanagan First Nations Health Clinic4 blocks
- Elective2 blocks
- Rremote Aarea2 blocks
- Elective2 blocks
- Hospitalist medicine1 block
- Family Medicine Rural1 block
- OB1 block
- Surgical (General Surgery and Minor surgery)1 block
- Selective1 block
- Hospitalist Medicine1 block
- Family Medicine Rural1 block
- OB1 block
- Surgical (General Surgery and Minor Surgery)1 block
- Selective1 block
- PGY-1
- mix of family medicine, geriatrics, emergency medicine and a couple of days at the Pikwakanagan First Nations Health Clinic6 blocks
- mix of family medicine, geriatrics, emergency medicine and a couple of days at the Pikwakanagan First Nations Health Clinic4 blocks
- mix of psychiatry and family medicine2 blocks
- remote area2 blocks
- mix of Psychiatry and Family Medicine2 blocks
- Hospitalist medicine1 block
- OB1 block
- Internal Medicine1 block
- Elective1 block
- Hospitalist medicine1 block
- OB1 block
- Internal Medicine1 block
- Elective1 block
- PGY-2
- mix of family medicine, geriatrics, emergency medicine and a couple of days at the Pikwakanagan First Nations Health Clinic6 blocks
- mix of family medicine, emergency medicine and a couple of days at the Pikwakanagan First Nations Health Clinic4 blocks
- Elective2 blocks
- remote area2 blocks
- Elective2 blocks
- Hospitalist medicine1 block
- Family Medicine Rural1 block
- OB1 block
- Surgical (general surgery and minor surgery)1 block
- Selective1 block
- Hospitalist medicine1 block
- Family Medicine Rural1 block
- OB1 block
- Surgical (general surgery and minor surgery)1 block
- Selective1 block
Where you train
Rural Pembroke, Ontario: 5 teaching sites; based in a rural community. A car is recommended.
- Pembroke Regional Hospital (Pembroke)
- CHEO (Ottawa)
- Pikwakanagan First Nations Health Clinic
- Barry’s Bay (Barry’s Bay · rural or distributed site)
- Deep River (Deep River · rural or distributed site)
Record systems at the listed sites, all streams: Epic at 5 of 6; 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.
Pembroke Regional Hospital
- Clinical record
- Epic (Atlas Alliance shared system), fully electronic record since Oct 2026
CHEO
- Clinical record
- Epic, system named (how far it goes is not stated)
Barry’s Bay
- Clinical record
- Epic (Atlas Alliance shared system), system named (how far it goes is not stated)
Show facts for 1 more sitesShow fewer
Deep River
- Clinical record
- Epic (Atlas Alliance shared system), system named (how far it goes is not stated)
Hospital size and activity: Ontario doesn't publish this as open data.
About Pembroke
People
14,364residents, 2021 Census
Housing
2.7%rental vacancy rate
Winter and summer
−11.9 °CJanuary mean19.3 °CJuly mean
Job outlook
Goodfor the specialty here, 2025–2027
How they choose
- Application file components, CMG stream
- CV
- Electives
- Examinations
- Extra-curricular
- Leadership skills
- MSPRs
- Personal letters
- Reference documents
- Research/Publications
- Transcripts
- Other file component(s)
- Application file components, IMG stream
- CV
- Electives
- Examinations
- Extra-curricular
- Leadership skills
- MSPRs
- Personal letters
- Reference documents
- Research/Publications
- Transcripts
- Return of service, CMG stream
- Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.
- Return of service, IMG stream
- Required
- IMG requirements, IMG stream
- Assessment by a provincial clinical assessment program
- Observerships don’t count as clinical experience
Interviews and info sessions
- Interview dates (2027 match), CMG stream
- 26, 27 and 28 Jan 2027
- Interview dates (2027 match), IMG stream
- 15 Jan 2027
- Format
- Virtual
- Traditional (one on one/two on one)
Info sessions
The 1 session listed for 2027 has passed.
59 Family Medicine info sessions at other programsAll info sessions
Pay and call
| Level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| PGY-1 | $73,367 / year |
| PGY-2 | $79,670 / 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)
After residency
Family doctors in Ontario can join a model that pays for enrolled patients, hours worked and visits: the Family Health Organization (FHO), FHO+ since 1 April 2026. A new graduate is a physician who joins a patient enrolment model within three years of completing a family medicine residency; the status runs for 12 months from joining. Entry is capped: 40 physicians a month for FHO, 60 a month for FHO+ in the first year of the 2024-2028 agreement; later years to be determined. Compare provinces
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 | 5 | 2 years | 3 dates, 26–28 Jan 2027 | Nothing noted |
| IMG stream | 1 | 2 years | 1 date, 15 Jan 2027 |
|
2026 match
| Stream | Positions | Length | Interviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMG stream | 5 | 2 years | 3 dates, 27–29 Jan 2026 |
| IMG stream | 1 | 2 years | 2 dates, 16 Jan 2025 – 16 Jan 2026 |
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
- The University of Ottawa Family Medicine Rural Pembroke program offers a comprehensive two-year residency in a vibrant rural community located 140 km west of Ottawa.
- Residents receive full-spectrum, hands-on training across various clinical settings, with a focus on rural and comprehensive family medicine, preparing graduates for diverse practice opportunities.
- Research
- Residents are encouraged to develop quality improvement and primary care research skills.
- Training setting
- Located in Pembroke, Ontario, a rural community 1.5 hours from Ottawa, with training primarily at Pembroke Regional Hospital, a 105-bed regional center serving a 100,000 person catchment area.
- Teaching approach
- Competency-based medical education emphasizing comprehensive, patient-centered care across the lifespan, with a focus on progressive independence and hands-on learning.
- Enhanced skills
- Not stated on CaRMS page
- What the program looked at
- FMProC Situational Judgement Test
- Medical Student Performance Record (MSPR)
- Personal letter
- Reference letters
- Interview performance
Contacts and links
- Program director
Dr. Sohil Rangwala
CaRMS lists no email for the director.
- Program office
Postgraduate Program Manager, Unit Coordinator
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.
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.
Family Medicine elsewhere
Nearest to Rural Pembroke
- Rural
- City
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