Sherbrooke - Ophthalmology

Université de SherbrookeSherbrooke, QuebecRegular stream

CaRMS program description, 2027 match, last approved 9 Sep 2026 · See the 2026 version

2027 match programs, from CaRMS as of 5 Oct 2026. Programs can still change until file review opens 26 November; we re-check every two weeks. Always confirm on CaRMS (opens in a new tab).

Positions (approx. quota): 2 positions
Length: 5 years
Stream: Regular
Discipline: Ophthalmology
Applications per year: 0–50
Applicants offered interviews: 26–50%
Accreditation: Accredited
CaRMS program ID: 36248

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

Summary

This is a 5-year ophthalmology residency based mainly at the CHUS Hôtel-Dieu in Sherbrooke.
Residents complete pediatric ophthalmology at CHU Ste-Justine and a required general ophthalmology rotation in an intermediate-sized region.
PGY-4 is devoted mainly to intraocular surgery, and residents must complete at least two research projects.

Training

Setting

Academic / tertiary hospital
Regional community

Sites

12 teaching sites

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS)
Hôtel-Dieu
Fleurimont

Show all 12

Hôpital Magog
OculoVision
Clinique d'ophtalmologie Axe Visuel / Orion
CHU Ste-Justine
CHUM
Centre Hospitalier de la Sagamie (Saguenay)
Clinique Médicale Dr Michel Giunta
Hôpital de Thetford Mines
Hôpital de Lac Mégantic

Rural exposure

Optional rural rotation

Focus areas

Small program

Research

Required · research or quality-improvement project · protected time

Training language

French

Highlights

Residents run a weekly resident clinic in PGY-4, operating on their own patients under supervision.
The fee for the Toronto TORIC introductory course in PGY-1 is reimbursed by the program.
Two protected research periods, with the project required to be submitted for publication.

By year

PGY-1

Ophtalmologie générale (incluant le cours TORIC)4 périodes
Chirurgie plastique1 période
O.R.L.1 période
Recherche1 période
Urgence1 période
Neurologie1 période
Médecine interne1 période
Neuro-radiologie1 période
Maladies infectieuses1 période
Dermatologie1 période

PGY-2

Urgences ophtalmologiques6 périodes
Rétine2 périodes
Cornée et neuro-ophtalmologie2 périodes
Glaucome et neuro-ophtalmologie2 périodes
Ophtalmologie pédiatrique1 période

PGY-3

Rétine2 périodes
Glaucome et neuro-ophtalmologie2 périodes
OculoplastieCHUM2 périodes
Neuro-ophtalmologie2 périodes
Cornée2 périodes
Urgences ophtalmologiques2 périodes
Recherche1 période
Ophtalmologie pédiatriqueCHU Sainte-Justine1 période
Ophtalmologie pédiatriqueCHUS1 période

PGY-4

Chirurgie11 périodes
Oculoplastie et neuro-ophtalmologie2 périodes

PGY-5

Ophtalmologie générale (sénior)5 périodes
Chirurgie (incluant chirurgie réfractive)2 périodes
Stages optionnels2 périodes
Urgences ophtalmologiques (sénior)2 périodes
Uvéite1 période
En région intermédiaire1 période

From the program's rotation list.

Selection

Application file components

Extra-curricular
Leadership skills
CV
Reference documents
MSPRs
Examinations
Personal letters
Research/Publications
Transcripts
Electives

Return of service

Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.

Applications per year

0–50

Applicants offered interviews

26–50%

Interviews

Dates (2027 match)

20 Jan 2027

Format

MMI or rotating station

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

Info sessions

Tue 19 Jan 20275:30–7:30 pm (time zone not stated)
Pre-interview social · Listed under interviews on CaRMS

From the program’s CaRMS page (opens in a new tab), read 1 Oct 2026. Dates and times are as the program wrote them, not converted to your time zone. Programs add and change sessions: confirm with the program.

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.

Teaching sites

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS) (Sherbrooke)
Hôtel-Dieu (Sherbrooke)
Fleurimont (Sherbrooke)
Hôpital Magog (Magog)
OculoVision
Clinique d'ophtalmologie Axe Visuel / Orion
CHU Ste-Justine
CHUM
Centre Hospitalier de la Sagamie (Saguenay) (Saguenay · rural or distributed site)
Clinique Médicale Dr Michel Giunta
Hôpital de Thetford Mines (Thetford Mines · rural or distributed site)
Hôpital de Lac Mégantic (Lac-Mégantic · rural or distributed site)

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.

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CHUS)

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.

CHUS - Hôpital Fleurimont (Sherbrooke)

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 18,141 · 2026–2027: 19,532 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 365 · psychiatry 6 · neonatology 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.

CHUS - Hôtel-Dieu de Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke)

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 18,578 · 2026–2027: 18,319 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 216 · psychiatry 105 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.

Fleurimont

Matched to CHUS - Hôpital Fleurimont (Sherbrooke) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 18,141 · 2026–2027: 19,532 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 365 · psychiatry 6 · neonatology 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.

Hôpital Magog

Matched to Centre Multiservices de Santé et de Services Sociaux de Memphrémagog (Magog) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 9,465 · 2026–2027: 9,519 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 33 · geriatrics 5 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

CHU Ste-Justine

Matched to CHU Sainte-Justine (Montréal) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 27,172 · 2026–2027: 27,007 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 333 · psychiatry 19 · neonatology 66 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.

CHUM

Matched to Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (Montréal) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 30,754 · 2026–2027: 32,697 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 732 · psychiatry 38 · neonatology 10 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 de la Sagamie (Saguenay)

Matched to Hôpital de Chicoutimi (Saguenay) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 20,522 · 2026–2027: 21,228 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 311 · psychiatry 57 · neonatology 19 · hôtellerie 21 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.

Hôpital de Lac Mégantic

Matched to Centre Multiservices de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Granit (Lac-Mégantic) in the province’s hospital list.

Emergency visits: 2025–2026: 6,298 · 2026–2027: 6,544 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 35 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.)

Unfilled positions in past years

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

Positions at this site, all streams.

Quebec: different match process, not directly comparable.

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

Grouped by the titles CaRMS lists. The program office (administrators and coordinators) usually answers questions about the program and applying; the director leads the training.

Program officeadministrators and coordinators

ophtalmoprogramme-fmss@usherbrooke.ca

Véronic Robichaud · Adjointe, direction du programme

819 821-8000 p 71208

Program director

Dr(e) Michaël Marchand-Gareau

CaRMS lists no email for the director.

Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.

Location

Sherbrooke, 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: −9.5 °C Lennoxville, 9.1 km away
July average: 19.7 °C Lennoxville, 9.1 km away
Snowfall: 290.6 cm a year Coaticook, 28.5 km away
Days below −20 °C: 23.1 days a year Lennoxville, 9.1 km away

People

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

Population: 172,950 people up 7.2% from 2016
Official languages: English only 1.7% · French only 51.6% · English and French 46.1% · neither 0.7% Share of residents who can conduct a conversation in each. This is not the language spoken at home.
Immigrants: 8.8% of residents arrived 2016–2021: 2.4% · non-permanent residents: 2.2%
Indigenous identity: 1.7% of residents
How people commute: car, truck or van 87.3% · public transit 4.9% · walking or cycling 6.4% · other 1.4% Average commute: 18.3 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: $62,400 before tax $55,200 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: Sherbrooke, a large urban population centre (100,000 or more people) 151,157 people in 2021
Remoteness index: 0.156 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: 2.7% October 2025 survey, Sherbrooke, Quebec (census metropolitan area). The share of purpose-built rentals (three units and over) vacant, not a rent.
Basic cost of living: $47,414 a year Market Basket Measure 2025, Quebec, population 100,000 to 499,999, 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: 4.0% September 2026, three-month average, seasonally adjusted, Sherbrooke, Quebec (census metropolitan area); standard error 0.6 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: Moderate The employment outlook will be Moderate for specialists in surgery (NOC 31101) in the Estrie 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 CdnMD 6 Oct 2026.