Head and Neck Surgery - Otolaryngology

University of British ColumbiaUnknown, British ColumbiaCMG stream

Program websiteWebsite CANPREPPCANPREPP2 more links

Open on carms.ca

CaRMS program description, 2026 match, last approved 17 Oct 2025

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

Positions (approx. quota): 2 positions
Length: 5 years
Stream: CMG
Discipline: Otolaryngology
Applications per year: 51–200
Applicants offered interviews: 26–50%
Accreditation: Accredited
CaRMS program ID: 29549

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

Summary

The University of British Columbia's Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery residency program offers comprehensive training across five years, emphasizing competency-based medical education. Located in Vancouver, the program provides unique opportunities through affiliations with major teaching hospitals, ensuring high-volume clinical and surgical experiences with faculty leaders in various subspecialties.

Training

Research

Residents are expected to engage in research throughout training, with support for multi-year projects and conference presentations.

Training setting

Primary training in Vancouver's major teaching hospitals, including tertiary and quaternary centers, a level 1 trauma center, and a dedicated pediatric hospital. Community rotations available in Surrey, Victoria, and Kelowna.

Teaching approach

Follows Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) model, focusing on progressive skill development and competency achievement rather than strictly time-based progression.

Setting types

Academic medical center
Tertiary care center
Quaternary care center
Community hospital
Pediatric hospital

Focus areas

Head & Neck Surgical Oncology and Reconstruction
Otology and Neuro-otology
Rhinology and Skull-Base Surgery
Laryngology
Pediatric Otolaryngology
Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Patient populations

Trauma patients
Pediatric patients
Oncology patients
Head and neck surgery patients
Rural and community populations

Highlights

Protected academic half-day each week
Dedicated temporal bone lab
Annual cadaver lab
Financial support for educational conferences
Opportunities for research and advanced degrees
Rural and community rotation options
Multidisciplinary tumor boards

Strengths

High population-to-resident ratio
Excellent research infrastructure
Strong subspecialty faculty representation
Comprehensive surgical training
Supportive wellness culture
Broad clinical exposure

Enhanced skills

Research degrees (MSc, MPH, MEd)
Subspecialty fellowship preparation

By year

PGY-1

General SurgeryApproximately 3-4 months
Plastic SurgeryApproximately 3-4 months
NeurosurgeryApproximately 3-4 months
Trauma SurgeryApproximately 3-4 months
Intensive CareApproximately 3-4 months
AnesthesiaApproximately 3-4 months
Adult Emergency MedicineApproximately 3-4 months
Pediatric Emergency MedicineApproximately 3-4 months
Internal MedicineApproximately 3-4 months
Surgical DermatologyApproximately 3-4 months

PGY-2

Otolaryngology - Head and Neck SurgeryApproximately 6-8 months
Complementary disciplinesApproximately 4-6 months

PGY-3

Head & Neck Surgical Oncology and Reconstruction
Otology and Neuro-otology

PGY-4

Rhinology and Skull-Base Surgery
Laryngology

PGY-5

Pediatric Otolaryngology
Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Research
Electives

From the program's rotation list.

Selection

What the program looks at

Academic achievement
Leadership skills
Reference letters
Research productivity
Medical Student Performance Record
Interview performance

Applications per year

51–200

Applicants offered interviews

26–50%

Interviews

Dates (2026 match): 21 Jan 2026

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

Pay

Provincial scale, last updated 2 Sep 2026 · check the current agreement(opens in a new tab)

Salaries from April 2027.

Annual salary by PGY level, British Columbia
Level	Annual salary
PGY-1	$71,390 / year
PGY-2	$79,571 / year
PGY-3	$86,655 / year
PGY-4	$93,230 / year
PGY-5	$100,215 / year

One provincial scale for British Columbia, 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
CMPA dues paid: Yes. Mandatory
Dental plan: 100% Premiums Paid
Educational leave: Yes
Extended health insurance: 100% Premiums Paid
Frequency of calls: 1 in 4 onsite/1 in 3 offsite
Life insurance: 100% Premium Paid
Long-term disability insurance: Yes 100% Premiums Paid
Maternity leave: 17 weeks, plus up to 78 weeks Parental Leave
Meal allowance: No
Provincial dues (% of salary): 1.5%
Provincial health insurance: 100% Premiums Paid
Sick leave: Yes
Statutory holidays: 2 x pay plus extra day with pay

Call

Call (provincial max): 1 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.

RDBC agreement, 1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2029.

Teaching sites

Vancouver General Hospital
St. Paul's Hospital
BC Children's 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.

Vancouver General Hospital

Matched to Vancouver General Hospital in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26: 13,790 All procedure groups, for the fiscal year (1 April to 31 March). Scheduled surgery only: emergency surgery is not in the file.
Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1: 3,855 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

St. Paul's Hospital

Matched to St. Paul's Hospital (Vancouver) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26: 8,691 All procedure groups, for the fiscal year (1 April to 31 March). Scheduled surgery only: emergency surgery is not in the file.
Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1: 2,240 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

BC Children's Hospital

Matched to BC Children's Hospital (Vancouver) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26: 7,396 All procedure groups, for the fiscal year (1 April to 31 March). Scheduled surgery only: emergency surgery is not in the file.
Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1: 1,910 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Sources and licences

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia.

Unfilled positions in past years

No repeated vacancies in CaRMS’s lists of open positions, 2019–2026.

Positions at this site, all streams.

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. Verify with the CaRMS lists. Source: CaRMS’s lists of positions open after round 1 and after round 2, as read in October 2026 (latest: 2026 round 1 (CaRMS PDF, opens in a new tab), 2026 round 2 (CaRMS PDF, opens in a new tab)). 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.

Contacts

Contacts weren't collected for the 2026 match.

The current program director and contacts are on the 2027 version of this program and on the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab).

Location

Unknown, British Columbia

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 CdnMD 5 Oct 2026.