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Vancouver - General Surgery

University of British ColumbiaVancouver, British ColumbiaCMG stream

CaRMS program description, 2027 match, last approved 27 Aug 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)
8 positions
Length
5 years
Stream
CMG
Discipline
General Surgery
Applications per year
51–200
Applicants offered interviews
26–50%
Accreditation
Accredited
CaRMS program ID
35260

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

Summary

  • UBC General Surgery is a 5-year residency in which residents must rotate through hospitals around British Columbia.
  • Residents rotate on trauma, hepatobiliary, transplant, surgical oncology and colorectal services, at community hospitals, and on a formal endoscopy rotation.
  • PGY2 residents have a research block to prepare for research years, mainly through the Clinical Investigator Program.

Training

Setting
  • Mixed settings
  • Academic / tertiary hospital
  • Urban community
  • Regional community
Sites

25 teaching sites

  • Vancouver General Hospital
  • St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver
  • BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver
Show all 25
  • UBC Hospital, Vancouver
  • BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver
  • Mount St. Joseph Hospital, Vancouver
  • Lion's Gate Hospital, North Vancouver
  • Richmond Hospital
  • qathet General Hospital, Powell River
  • Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster
  • Burnaby General Hospital
  • Surrey Memorial Hospital
  • Abbotsford Regional Hospital & Cancer Centre
  • Victoria General Hospital, Royal Jubilee Hospital
  • Nanaimo Regional General Hospital
  • North Island Hospital, Campbell River
  • East Kootney Regional Hospital, Cranbrook
  • Kelowna General Hospital
  • Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops
  • Shuswap Lake General Hospital, Salmon Arm
  • Vernon Jubilee Hospital
  • Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, Trail
  • University Hospital of Northern BC, Prince George
  • GR Baker Memorial Hospital, Quesnel
  • Mills Memorial Hospital, Terrace

Distributed across a region

Rural exposure
Not stated on CaRMS page
Research
Required · research project · protected time
Highlights
  • Four-week PGY1 CRASH course covering trauma resuscitation, critical care, teaching, leadership and technical skills.
  • PGY2 Innovation Week protected from clinical duties for surgical research and innovation.
  • PGY4 RISE: protected time from clinical duties for leadership and career mentorship.

By year

PGY-1
  • CRASH (Surgical Competencies in Resuscitation and Stabilization of Hospital Patients) coursefour-week
  • BST (Basic Surgical Techniques) course
PGY-2
  • research block
  • Innovation Week
PGY-4
  • RISE

From the program's rotation list.

Other rotations

Listed by the program without a single PGY year.

  • trauma
  • hepatobiliary
  • transplant
  • surgical oncology
  • colorectal surgery
  • endoscopy rotation

Selection

Application file components
  • CV
  • Electives
  • Examinations
  • Extra-curricular
  • Leadership skills
  • MSPRs
  • Personal letters
  • Reference documents
  • Research/Publications
  • Transcripts
Return of service
Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.
Applications per year
51–200
Applicants offered interviews
26–50%

Interviews

Dates (2027 match)
4 Feb 2027
Format
  • Traditional (one on one/two on one)
  • MMI or rotating station

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
LevelAnnual 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 (Vancouver)
  • St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver (Vancouver)
  • BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver (Vancouver)
  • UBC Hospital, Vancouver (Vancouver)
  • BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver (Vancouver)
  • Mount St. Joseph Hospital, Vancouver (Vancouver)
  • Lion's Gate Hospital, North Vancouver (North Vancouver)
  • Richmond Hospital (Richmond)
  • qathet General Hospital, Powell River (Powell River · rural or distributed site)
  • Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster (New Westminster)
  • Burnaby General Hospital (Burnaby)
  • Surrey Memorial Hospital (Surrey)
  • Abbotsford Regional Hospital & Cancer Centre (Abbotsford · rural or distributed site)
  • Victoria General Hospital, Royal Jubilee Hospital (Victoria · rural or distributed site)
  • Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (Nanaimo · rural or distributed site)
  • North Island Hospital, Campbell River (Campbell River · rural or distributed site)
  • East Kootney Regional Hospital, Cranbrook (Cranbrook · rural or distributed site)
  • Kelowna General Hospital (Kelowna · rural or distributed site)
  • Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops (Kamloops · rural or distributed site)
  • Shuswap Lake General Hospital, Salmon Arm (Salmon Arm · rural or distributed site)
  • Vernon Jubilee Hospital (Vernon · rural or distributed site)
  • Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, Trail (Trail · rural or distributed site)
  • University Hospital of Northern BC, Prince George (Prince George · rural or distributed site)
  • GR Baker Memorial Hospital, Quesnel (Quesnel · rural or distributed site)
  • Mills Memorial Hospital, Terrace (Terrace · 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.

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, Vancouver

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, Vancouver

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.
Show facts for 20 more sites

UBC Hospital, Vancouver

Matched to UBC Health Sciences Centre Hospital in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
7,983 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
2,043 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Mount St. Joseph Hospital, Vancouver

Matched to Mount Saint Joseph Hospital (Vancouver) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
15,711 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
4,233 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Lion's Gate Hospital, North Vancouver

Matched to Lions Gate Hospital (North Vancouver) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
10,660 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
2,762 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Richmond Hospital

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

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
6,446 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
1,680 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

qathet General Hospital, Powell River

Matched to qathet General Hospital (Powell River) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
974 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
284 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Royal Columbian Hospital, New Westminster

Matched to Royal Columbian Hospital (New Westminster) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
4,798 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
1,447 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Burnaby General Hospital

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

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
8,388 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
2,058 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Surrey Memorial Hospital

Matched to Surrey Memorial Hospital (Surrey) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
11,911 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
2,849 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Abbotsford Regional Hospital & Cancer Centre

Matched to Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre (Abbotsford) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
6,232 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
1,667 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Victoria General Hospital, Royal Jubilee Hospital

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.

Royal Jubilee Hospital (Victoria)
Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
14,532 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
3,973 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.
Victoria General Hospital (Victoria)
Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
8,131 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
2,108 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Nanaimo Regional General Hospital

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

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
9,004 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
2,040 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

North Island Hospital, Campbell River

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.

North Island Hospital Campbell River and District (Campbell River)
Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
2,628 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
664 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.
North Island Hospital Comox Valley (Courtenay)
Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
7,417 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
1,923 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

East Kootney Regional Hospital, Cranbrook

Matched to East Kootenay Regional Hospital (Cranbrook) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
4,520 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
1,068 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Kelowna General Hospital

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

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
15,707 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
4,090 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Royal Inland Hospital, Kamloops

Matched to Royal Inland Hospital (Kamloops) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
10,812 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
2,914 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Shuswap Lake General Hospital, Salmon Arm

Matched to Shuswap Lake General Hospital (Salmon Arm) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
1,682 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
431 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Vernon Jubilee Hospital

Matched to Vernon Jubilee Hospital (Vernon) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
4,704 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
1,249 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, Trail

Matched to Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital (Trail) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
2,497 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
640 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

University Hospital of Northern BC, Prince George

Matched to University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (Prince George) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
4,520 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
1,127 One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

GR Baker Memorial Hospital, Quesnel

Matched to G.R. Baker Memorial Hospital (Quesnel) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
1,452 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
414 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

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 directors

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

Location

Vancouver, British Columbia

Loading amenities…

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
5.3 °C Vancouver (Harbour), 5.7 km away
July average
19.0 °C Vancouver (Harbour), 5.7 km away
Snowfall
36.6 cm a year Vancouver International (Airport), 7.6 km away
Days below −20 °C
0.0 days a year Vancouver (Harbour), 5.7 km away

People

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

Population
662,248 people up 4.9% from 2016
Official languages
English only 84.8% · French only 0.1% · English and French 9.3% · neither 5.8% Share of residents who can conduct a conversation in each. This is not the language spoken at home.
Immigrants
42.2% of residents arrived 2016–2021: 6.4% · non-permanent residents: 6.6%
Indigenous identity
2.3% of residents
How people commute
car, truck or van 56.2% · public transit 22.9% · walking or cycling 18.4% · other 2.6% Average commute: 25.3 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
$82,000 before tax $72,000 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
Vancouver, a large urban population centre (100,000 or more people) 2,426,160 people in 2021
Remoteness index
0.062 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
3.7% October 2025 survey, Vancouver, British Columbia (census metropolitan area). The share of purpose-built rentals (three units and over) vacant, not a rent.
Basic cost of living
$64,351 a year Market Basket Measure 2025, Vancouver, British Columbia, 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
6.5% September 2026, three-month average, seasonally adjusted, Vancouver, British Columbia (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 Lower Mainland - Southwest 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.