Montreal - General Surgery

McGill UniversityMontreal, QuebecRegular stream

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Open on carms.ca

CaRMS program description, 2026 match, last approved 24 Nov 2025

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

Positions (approx. quota): 3 positions
Length: 5 years
Stream: Regular
Discipline: General Surgery
Applications per year: 51–200
Applicants offered interviews: 26–50%
Accreditation: Accredited
CaRMS program ID: 29956

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

Summary

McGill University's General Surgery Residency Program offers a comprehensive 5-year training experience in a world-renowned academic setting. The program provides exceptional surgical training with flexibility to meet individual career goals, emphasizing both academic and community surgery preparation.

Training

Research

Extensive research opportunities including Surgical Scientist Program, funded Master's research, conference presentation support, and diverse research tracks in basic science, clinical epidemiology, and surgical education.

Training setting

Training occurs across multiple major teaching hospitals in Montreal, including urban academic medical centers and community hospitals, providing diverse clinical exposure.

Teaching approach

Competency-based medical education focused on progressive skill development, frequent formative assessments, and personalized learning paths tailored to individual resident goals and interests.

Setting types

Academic medical center
University teaching hospital
Community hospital
Pediatric hospital

Focus areas

General Surgery
Surgical Foundations
Academic Surgery
Community Surgery
Research Training

Patient populations

Diverse urban patient populations
Multicultural community patients
Pediatric patients
Adult surgical patients
Trauma patients

Highlights

Competence by Design (CBD) curriculum
Surgical Scientist Program
Protected academic half-days
Simulation training centers
Technical skills workshops
Laparoscopic and robotic surgery training
Annual Residents' Research Day
Master's degree opportunities
Conference presentation funding

Strengths

Exceptional research infrastructure
High Royal College examination pass rates
Flexible curriculum
Strong resident support
Comprehensive surgical training
International recognition

Enhanced skills

Surgical Scientist Program
Master's degree opportunities
Research training
Technical skills workshops

By year

PGY-1

Surgical FoundationsVarious teaching hospitals3-6 months
General SurgeryVarious teaching hospitalsVaries

PGY-2

General SurgeryVarious teaching hospitals14 blocks
TraumaVarious teaching hospitals2 blocks
Vascular SurgeryVarious teaching hospitals2 blocks
Critical CareVarious teaching hospitals2 blocks
EndoscopyVarious teaching hospitals2 blocks
Pediatric SurgeryVarious teaching hospitals2 blocks
Thoracic SurgeryVarious teaching hospitals1 block

PGY-3

ResearchResearch centersVaries

PGY-4

Senior General SurgeryVarious teaching hospitalsVaries

PGY-5

Transition to PracticeVarious teaching hospitals6-12 months

From the program's rotation list.

Selection

What the program looks at

CV/Resume
Medical Student Performance Record
Reference letters
Personal letter
Research experience
Leadership skills
Extra-curricular activities
Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)

Applications per year

51–200

Applicants offered interviews

26–50%

Interviews

Dates (2026 match): 3 and 4 Feb 2026

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

Pay

Provincial scale, last updated 23 Jul 2026 · check the current agreement(opens in a new tab)

Annual salary by PGY level, Quebec
Level	Annual salary
PGY-1	$58,728 / year
PGY-2	$64,809 / year
PGY-3	$70,890 / year
PGY-4	$76,969 / year
PGY-5	$83,050 / year

One provincial scale for Quebec, 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)

Adoption leave: 29 to 38 weeks55 to 75 % of salary
Annual vacation: 20 days/year
Assistant Resident Coordinator: $425/month
Call Premium: $607/28 days
Conference leave: 7 days pd/year
Dental Plan: Yes, available for a fee
Exam leave: Day (s) of the exam
Extended Health Insurance: Yes
Leave for death in family: From 1 to 5 days depending on the family member
Leave of absence without pay (exceptional measure): 12 months maximum
Life insurance: Yes
Long-Term disability insurance: Yes
Maternity leaveProvincial Program (RQAP*) and FMRQ **: 21 weeks95 % of salary
Meals: Reduced feeFree during on-call duty
Pager: Provided by the establishment
Parental leave (time sharing between parents): 19 to 29 weeks55 to 75 % of salary
Parking: ½ of doctors’ feeFree during on-call duty
Paternity leaveProvincial Program (RQAP) and FMRQ: 1 week, 100% of salary3 to 5 weeks, 100% of salary(two options)
Professional Liability Insurance****(CPMA not applicable): Yes (free)
Quebec Health Insurance Program / RAMQ***: Yes
Resident Coordinator: $583/month
Resuscitation courses and examination leave: Day of the course and of the exam, course paid
Sick leave: 9.6 days pd / yearAnd reimbursement of days not taken
Statutory and floating holidays: 13/year
Study leave: 10 days pd/year
Superior Financial Programs: Yes
Teaching Premium: $240/28 days
Wedding leave: 7 days paid + 7 days without pay

Call

Call (provincial max): 6 calls in an establishment per 28 days

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

FMRQ agreement, 1 Apr 2021 to 31 Mar 2028.

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.

Montreal General Hospital

Matched to Hôpital Général de Montréal (Montréal) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 14,039 · 2026–2027: 14,682 Cumulative from 1 April to the end of period 5 of 13 (about 20 weeks) of each fiscal year. Not a yearly total: compare only the same period.
Licensed beds: physical health 236 · psychiatry 46 Capacity on the facility’s permit (au permis), by bed type, as of the 1 Oct 2026 extraction. Not staffed or open beds, and not added up across bed types.

Royal Victoria Hospital

Matched to Hôpital Royal Victoria (Montréal) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 19,799 · 2026–2027: 20,604 Cumulative from 1 April to the end of period 5 of 13 (about 20 weeks) of each fiscal year. Not a yearly total: compare only the same period.

Jewish General Hospital

Matched to Hôpital Général Juif (Montréal) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 37,934 · 2026–2027: 39,472 Cumulative from 1 April to the end of period 5 of 13 (about 20 weeks) of each fiscal year. Not a yearly total: compare only the same period.
Licensed beds: physical health 516 · psychiatry 52 · geriatrics 28 · neonatology 34 Capacity on the facility’s permit (au permis), by bed type, as of the 1 Oct 2026 extraction. Not staffed or open beds, and not added up across bed types.

Show facts for 4 more sites

St. Mary's Hospital

Matched to Centre Hospitalier de St. Mary (Montréal) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 13,990 · 2026–2027: 14,053 Cumulative from 1 April to the end of period 5 of 13 (about 20 weeks) of each fiscal year. Not a yearly total: compare only the same period.
Licensed beds: physical health 224 · psychiatry 29 · geriatrics 24 Capacity on the facility’s permit (au permis), by bed type, as of the 1 Oct 2026 extraction. Not staffed or open beds, and not added up across bed types.

Montreal Children's Hospital

Matched to L'Hôpital de Montréal pour Enfants (Montréal) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 25,738 · 2026–2027: 26,552 Cumulative from 1 April to the end of period 5 of 13 (about 20 weeks) of each fiscal year. Not a yearly total: compare only the same period.

Lakeshore General Hospital

Matched to Hôpital Général du Lakeshore (Pointe-Claire) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 14,918 · 2026–2027: 15,905 Cumulative from 1 April to the end of period 5 of 13 (about 20 weeks) of each fiscal year. Not a yearly total: compare only the same period.
Licensed beds: physical health 234 · psychiatry 31 Capacity on the facility’s permit (au permis), by bed type, as of the 1 Oct 2026 extraction. Not staffed or open beds, and not added up across bed types.

Centre Hospitalier Regional de Lanaudiere Joliette

Matched to Hôpital de Lanaudière et Centre d'Hébergement Parphilia-Ferland (Saint-Charles-Borromée) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 30,583 · 2026–2027: 30,764 Cumulative from 1 April to the end of period 5 of 13 (about 20 weeks) of each fiscal year. Not a yearly total: compare only the same period.
Licensed beds: physical health 258 · psychiatry 51 · geriatrics 20 Capacity on the facility’s permit (au permis), by bed type, as of the 1 Oct 2026 extraction. Not staffed or open beds, and not added up across bed types.

Sources and licences

Contient de l'information fournie par le ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec et visée par CC BY 4.0. Données modifiées. (Contains information provided by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec under CC BY 4.0. Data modified.)

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

Montreal, Quebec

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: −9.2 °C Montreal Trudeau (Airport), 11.2 km away
July average: 21.7 °C Montreal Trudeau (Airport), 11.2 km away
Snowfall: 216.6 cm a year Montreal Trudeau (Airport), 11.2 km away
Days below −20 °C: 12.0 days a year Montreal Trudeau (Airport), 11.2 km away

People

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

Population: 1,762,949 people up 3.4% from 2016
Official languages: English only 11.9% · French only 27.2% · English and French 58.5% · neither 2.4% Share of residents who can conduct a conversation in each. This is not the language spoken at home.
Immigrants: 33.4% of residents arrived 2016–2021: 6.0% · non-permanent residents: 7.5%
Indigenous identity: 0.9% of residents
How people commute: car, truck or van 56.7% · public transit 28.4% · walking or cycling 13.0% · other 1.9% Average commute: 28.4 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: $63,600 before tax $56,000 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: Montréal, a large urban population centre (100,000 or more people) 3,675,219 people in 2021
Remoteness index: 0.030 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: 2.9% October 2025 survey, Montréal, Quebec (census metropolitan area). The share of purpose-built rentals (three units and over) vacant, not a rent.
Basic cost of living: $50,287 a year Market Basket Measure 2025, Montréal, Québec, 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: 6.8% September 2026, three-month average, seasonally adjusted, Montréal, Quebec (census metropolitan area); standard error 0.4 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: Good The employment outlook will be Good for specialists in surgery (NOC 31101) in the census metropolitan area of Montréal 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.