Halifax - Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology

Dalhousie UniversityHalifax, Nova ScotiaCMG stream

Program websiteWebsite CANPREPPCANPREPP4 more links

Open on carms.ca

CaRMS program description, 2026 match, last approved 9 Oct 2025

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

Positions (approx. quota): 1 position
Length: 5 years
Stream: CMG
Discipline: Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology
Applications per year: 0–50
Applicants offered interviews: 76–100%
Accreditation: Accredited
CaRMS program ID: 29684

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

Summary

Dalhousie University's Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology (DCP) residency is a comprehensive five-year program offering diverse training experiences across the Maritime provinces. The program provides residents with extensive exposure to multiple pathology subspecialties, preparing them for flexible and competitive careers in laboratory medicine.

Training

Research

Mandatory research project with dedicated support, funding for conference presentations, and opportunities to publish and present at national conferences.

Training setting

Primary training at Halifax QEII Health Science Center with rotations across multiple hospitals in the Maritime provinces, including sites in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

Teaching approach

Competency-Based Medical Education with progressive independence, emphasizing comprehensive training across multiple pathology subspecialties and providing structured educational support through academic half-days, research opportunities, and mentorship.

Setting types

Academic medical center
Community hospitals
Forensic pathology center
Pediatric hospital

Focus areas

Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology
Anatomical Pathology
Hematopathology
Medical Microbiology
Clinical Chemistry
Molecular Pathology
Forensic Pathology
Cytopathology

Patient populations

Maritime region patients
Pediatric patients
Oncology patients
Forensic cases
Community and urban healthcare populations

Highlights

Academic half-day every Wednesday
Mandatory research project
Conference funding up to $3,000 per year
Resident Review Course reimbursement
Presentation opportunities at national conferences
Community rotation experiences
Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) approach

Strengths

Comprehensive training across multiple pathology subspecialties
Strong research support
Excellent job placement record
Diverse training environments
Supportive and collegial faculty
Emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion

Enhanced skills

Forensic Pathology
Molecular Pathology
Biomarker Pathology
Lymph Node Pathology

By year

PGY-1

Anatomical and Clinical Pathology Foundations2 blocks
Transition to DisciplineQEII Health Science Center1 month
Endocrinology/Metabolism1 block
Clinical Hematology1 block
Infectious Diseases1 block
General Surgery1 block
Radiation/Medical Oncology1 block
Gynecological Oncology1 block
Pediatric Oncology1 block
Community Lab1 block
Autopsy PathologyNova Scotia Medical Examiner Service1 block
Hematopathology Foundations1 block

From the program's rotation list.

Selection

What the program looks at

Medical Student Performance Record
Reference letters
Personal letter
Interview performance
Maritime connections
Indigenous or Black identity

Applications per year

0–50

Applicants offered interviews

76–100%

Interviews

Dates (2026 match): 26 and 27 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
Level	Annual 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.

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.

QEII Health Science Center

This name covers 2 hospitals in the province’s lists. Each is shown on its own, A to Z, and the numbers are never added together.

QEII - Halifax Infirmary Site (Halifax)

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

QEII - Victoria General (VG) Site (Halifax)

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

IWK Health Center

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.

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.

Show facts for 3 more sites

Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital

Matched to Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital / Hôpital régional Dr Everett Chalmers (Fredericton) in the province’s hospital list.

Inpatient beds: 314 As listed in the province’s dataset, whose rows were last updated 24 Apr 2019; the count may be older.

The Moncton Hospital

Matched to The Moncton Hospital / L’Hôpital de Moncton (Moncton) in the province’s hospital list.

Inpatient beds: 381 As listed in the province’s dataset, whose rows were last updated 24 Apr 2019; the count may be older.

Colchester East Hants Health Centre

Matched to Colchester East Hants Health Centre (Truro) in the province’s hospital list.

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

Sources and licences

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

Unfilled positions in past years

Open after round 1 in 5 of 8 years (2019–2026); still open after round 2 in 0 of 9 years.

Positions at this site, all streams. Site as CaRMS lists it: Halifax.

Positions at this site, all streams, still open after round 1 and after round 2, by year. Each count above zero links to the CaRMS list page it comes from.
Year	Open after round 1	Open after round 2
2018	not available	0
2019	2 positions open after round 1 in 2019, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)	0
2020	1 position open after round 1 in 2020, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)	0
2021	1 position open after round 1 in 2021, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)	0
2022	3 positions open after round 1 in 2022, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)	0
2023	0	0
2024	0	0
2025	0	0
2026	1 position open after round 1 in 2026, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)	0

CaRMS’s first-round list for 2018 was not found, so round 1 is counted over 8 years and round 2 over 9.

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

Halifax, Nova Scotia

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 clinical and laboratory medicine (NOC 31100) in the Halifax region for the 2025-2027 period.
Canada-wide, to 2033: Strong risk of Shortage ESDC’s projection for specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine, 2024–2033. Recent conditions, 2021–2023: Strong signs of Shortage.