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Halifax - Orthopedic Surgery

Dalhousie UniversityHalifax, Nova ScotiaCMG stream

Program websiteWebsiteCANPREPPCANPREPP3 more links
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CaRMS program description, 2026 match, last approved 9 Oct 2025

From the 2026 match (R-1 2026). See the 2027 version

Positions (approx. quota)
2 positions
Length
5 years
Stream
CMG
Discipline
Orthopedic Surgery
Applications per year
51–200
Applicants offered interviews
26–50%
Accreditation
Accredited
CaRMS program ID
29406

Bands are 5-year averages the program reports to CaRMS. They describe past cycles, not your odds.

Summary

The Dalhousie Orthopedic Training Program is a comprehensive 5-year residency that provides extensive clinical exposure in all areas of orthopedic surgery. The program emphasizes not just surgical skills, but holistic physician development through a robust academic curriculum and focus on CanMEDS roles.

Training

Research
Mandatory 4-week research rotation in PGY2, with potential for additional 8 weeks of research time, and encouragement to participate in departmental/university research.
Training setting
Training primarily occurs at Halifax Infirmary Hospital within the Queen Elizabeth II Health Science Centre, with additional sites including IWK Hospital for Children and Saint John Regional Hospital.
Teaching approach
Competency-Based Medical Education focusing on CanMEDS roles, emphasizing development of medical experts who are also strong leaders, communicators, collaborators, and health advocates.
Setting types
  • Academic medical center
  • Tertiary care center
  • Community hospital
  • Pediatric hospital
Focus areas
  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Trauma Surgery
  • Pediatric Orthopedics
  • Sports Medicine
  • Spine Surgery
  • Arthroplasty
  • Tumor Surgery
  • Upper Extremity Surgery
  • Foot and Ankle Surgery
Patient populations
  • Pediatric patients
  • Adult orthopedic patients
  • Trauma patients
  • Sports injury patients
  • Spine patients
  • Arthroplasty patients
Highlights
  • Monthly journal club
  • Weekly fracture rounds
  • Protected academic half day
  • Monthly cadaveric labs
  • Sawbones sessions
  • Structured 2-year curriculum
  • Formal evaluations with feedback
  • Orthopaedic In-training Evaluation exam annually
  • Surgical OSCE each year
Strengths
  • Comprehensive surgical training
  • Strong academic program
  • Extensive operative experience
  • Robust ambulatory care component
  • Commitment to resident wellness
  • Flexible elective opportunities
Enhanced skills
  • Community Orthopedics
  • Research Training
  • Elective Opportunities

By year

PGY-1
  • Adult OrthopedicsHalifax Infirmary Hospital28-32 weeks
  • Pediatric OrthopedicsIWK Hospital for Children8-12 weeks
  • Introductory Orthopedic Bootcamp4 weeks
PGY-2
  • Adult OrthopedicsHalifax Infirmary Hospital32 weeks
  • ICU8 weeks
  • Vascular Surgery8 weeks
  • Research4 weeks
PGY-3
  • Community OrthopedicsSaint John Regional Hospital12 weeks
  • Orthopedic Subspecialty RotationsHalifax Infirmary Hospital
PGY-4
  • Elective Period3 months
  • Orthopedic Subspecialty RotationsHalifax Infirmary Hospital
  • Chief Resident Responsibilities
PGY-5
  • Orthopedic Subspecialty RotationsHalifax Infirmary Hospital

From the program's rotation list.

Selection

What the program looks at
  • CV
  • Elective clinical evaluations
  • Extra-curricular activities
  • Leadership skills
  • Medical Student Performance Record (MSPR)
  • Personal letter
  • Reference documents
  • Research/Publications
  • Academic transcripts
Applications per year
51–200
Applicants offered interviews
26–50%

Interviews

Dates (2026 match)
20 Jan 2026

Programs can change interview dates. Confirm on carms.ca.

Pay

Provincial scale, last updated 24 Jul 2026 · check the current agreement(opens in a new tab)

Annual salary by PGY level, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island
LevelAnnual salary
PGY-1
$78,578 / year
PGY-2
$83,904 / year
PGY-3
$89,462 / year
PGY-4
$95,485 / year
PGY-5
$101,926 / year

One provincial scale for Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, set by the resident agreement, so every program there pays the same. Showing the 5 levels this program covers.

Benefits

Benefits as listed by CaRMS in 2022–2024; check the current agreement(opens in a new tab)

Annual vacation
4 weeks
Call stipend
Yes
CMPA dues paid
Yes
Dental coverage
Yes
Educational leave
Yes
Extended health insurance
Yes
Frequency of call
l in 4 in-hospital and for homecall
Life insurance
$100,000 of insurance
Long-term disabilityinsurance
66.7% of salary
Maternity leave top up after one year’s service
eligible for up to a maximum of 17 weeks top-up allowance for maternity/pregnancy leave
Provincial dues (% of salary)
1.30%
Provincial health insurance
Yes
Sick leave
Yes
Statutory and floating holidays
paid

Call

Call (provincial max)
1 night in 4 in-house

The union agreement’s cap for all residents in the province; your program’s actual call schedule may be lighter. Check with the program.

MarDocs agreement, 1 Jul 2024 to 30 Jun 2027.

Teaching sites

  • Halifax Infirmary Hospital
  • Queen Elizabeth II Health Science Centre
  • IWK Hospital for Children
  • Hants Community Hospital
  • Scotia Surgery
  • Dartmouth General Hospital
  • Saint John Regional Hospital

Hospital facts

Public figures for hospitals named above, each with its source and reference period. They describe the hospital, not the program, and are not a ranking. We match names to the province’s lists by name, so check each source before you rely on it.

Halifax Infirmary Hospital

Matched to QEII - Halifax Infirmary Site (Halifax) in the province’s hospital list.

Hospital type
Tertiary As the province lists it. The list has no volumes or beds.

IWK Hospital for Children

Matched to IWK Health Centre (Halifax) in the province’s hospital list.

Hospital type
Tertiary As the province lists it. The list has no volumes or beds.

Hants Community Hospital

Matched to Hants Community Hospital (Windsor) in the province’s hospital list.

Hospital type
Community As the province lists it. The list has no volumes or beds.
Show facts for 2 more sites

Dartmouth General Hospital

Matched to Dartmouth General Hospital (Dartmouth) in the province’s hospital list.

Hospital type
Regional As the province lists it. The list has no volumes or beds.

Saint John Regional Hospital

Matched to Saint John Regional Hospital / Hôpital Régional de Saint John (Saint John) in the province’s hospital list.

Inpatient beds
445 As listed in the province’s dataset, whose rows were last updated 24 Apr 2019; the count may be older.

Sources and licences

  • Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – New Brunswick.
  • Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Nova Scotia.

Contacts

Location

Halifax, Nova Scotia

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About the city

Public statistics for the place named by this program’s location label, each with its source and reference period. They describe the place, not the program, and are not a ranking. Check each source before you rely on it.

Climate

Canadian Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Each value comes from the nearest weather station that reports it, not from the city itself.

January average
−4.1 °C Shearwater, 11.0 km away
July average
18.5 °C Shearwater, 11.0 km away
Snowfall
215.2 cm a year Halifax Stanfield (Airport), 20.9 km away
Days below −20 °C
0.9 days a year Shearwater, 11.0 km away

People

2021 Census. Figures are for the municipality of Halifax, not the metropolitan area. Statistics Canada rounds counts, so small places are approximate.

Population
439,819 people up 9.1% from 2016
Official languages
English only 87.1% · French only 0.1% · English and French 12.2% · neither 0.6% Share of residents who can conduct a conversation in each. This is not the language spoken at home.
Immigrants
11.6% of residents arrived 2016–2021: 4.1% · non-permanent residents: 3.9%
Indigenous identity
3.8% of residents
How people commute
car, truck or van 81.5% · public transit 8.1% · walking or cycling 8.0% · other 2.4% Average commute: 21.4 minutes. Shares are of people who commute.The way Canadians commute was altered in 2021 by the pandemic, with lockdowns to slow the spread of COVID-19 and changes in how and where Canadians worked leading to 2.8 million fewer commuters, compared with five years earlier. Statistics Canada, The Daily, 30 Nov 2022(opens in a new tab)
Median household income
$81,000 before tax $69,500 after tax · income year 2020, in 2020 dollars

Rural and remote

This describes the place named by the program’s location label. Programs can train in several towns, so it is not every site.

Population centre
Halifax, a large urban population centre (100,000 or more people) 348,634 people in 2021
Remoteness index
0.199 0 is least remote, 1 is most remote. Statistics Canada calls this index experimental.

Housing, cost and work

Each figure names the area it covers. A missing line means the source publishes nothing for this area.

Rental vacancy rate
2.6% October 2025 survey, Halifax, Nova Scotia (census metropolitan area). The share of purpose-built rentals (three units and over) vacant, not a rent.
Basic cost of living
$54,855 a year Market Basket Measure 2025, Halifax, Nova Scotia, for two adults with two children. A modest, basic basket (the poverty line), not a resident’s budget. A size-class region is not the town itself.
Unemployment rate
5.8% September 2026, three-month average, seasonally adjusted, Halifax, Nova Scotia (census metropolitan area); standard error 0.5 points. A survey estimate.

Job outlook

Employment and Social Development Canada’s rating for the occupation in the economic region. It is not a count of jobs, and says nothing about CaRMS positions or your match.

Outlook, 2025–2027
Very good The employment outlook will be Very good for specialists in surgery (NOC 31101) in the Halifax region for the 2025-2027 period.
Canada-wide, to 2033
Strong risk of Shortage ESDC’s projection for specialists in surgery, 2024–2033. Recent conditions, 2021–2023: Strong signs of Shortage.

Sources and licences

  • Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. Adapted from Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Cartographic Boundary Files.
  • Adapted from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Rental Market Survey, October 2025 (vacancy rates), and Statistics Canada, Table 34-10-0130-01. This does not constitute an endorsement by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation or Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada, Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS), 2024 to 2033 projections).
  • Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020).
  • Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada (Employment and Social Development Canada, 3-Year Employment Outlooks).
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Index of Remoteness (17-26-0001), 2021. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 14-10-0459-01 Labour force characteristics by census metropolitan area, three-month moving average, seasonally adjusted, reference month 2026-09. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 11-10-0066-01 Market Basket Measure (MBM) thresholds for the reference family by Market Basket Measure region, component and base year, 2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0011-01 Population and dwelling counts: Canada and population centres, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0002-01 Population and dwelling counts: Canada and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0057-01 Household income statistics by household type: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0173-01 Mother tongue by knowledge of official languages: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0266-01 Indigenous identity by Registered or Treaty Indian status: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0307-01 Immigrant status and period of immigration by place of birth: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
  • Adapted from Statistics Canada, Table 98-10-0458-01 Main mode of commuting by commuting duration, time leaving for work, age and gender: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions, 2021 Census. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

Independent. Not affiliated with CaRMS or the program. Programs edit their descriptions during the match; confirm on carms.ca (opens in a new tab) before you apply. Data last updated on residency.fyi 5 Oct 2026.