Emergency medicine vs Family medicine
Top 7
Top 7
100100 spots for Canadian gradsFirst-round spots in the 2026 match set aside for grads of Canadian med schools. International grads have their own stream.Source: CaRMSSpots1,5981,598 spots for Canadian gradsFirst-round spots in the 2026 match set aside for grads of Canadian med schools. International grads have their own stream.Source: CaRMS
0.760.76 spots per person who ranked it firstUnder 1.00: more people put it first than there were spots. It compares specialties. It isn’t anyone’s odds, because people rank several programs and programs rank people.Our math100 spots ÷ 0.76 = about 132 people ranked it first. That’s 1.3 people for every spot.Source: CaRMSSpots per first-choice applicant1.961.96 spots per person who ranked it first1.00 or more: at least one spot for every person who put it first. It compares specialties. It isn’t anyone’s odds, because people rank several programs and programs rank people.Our math1,598 spots ÷ 1.96 = about 815 people ranked it first.Source: CaRMS
4.3%4.3% ranked it first in 2026Share of Canadian grads who put it first on their rank list. 2022: 4.2%. 2026: 4.3%. Counts submitted rank lists, not everyone who was interested.Source: CaRMSRanked it first, 202626.4%26.4% ranked it first in 2026Share of Canadian grads who put it first on their rank list. 2022: 30.7%. 2026: 26.4%. Counts submitted rank lists, not everyone who was interested.Source: CaRMS
About 132About 132 ranked it firstCanadian grads who put it first on their rank list. CaRMS publishes the ratio, not the count, so this is our estimate.Our math100 spots ÷ 0.76 = 132. CaRMS rounds the ratio, so the real count is between 131 and 132.Source: CaRMSPeople who ranked it firstAbout 815About 815 ranked it firstCanadian grads who put it first on their rank list. CaRMS publishes the ratio, not the count, so this is our estimate.Our math1,598 spots ÷ 1.96 = 815. CaRMS rounds the ratio, so the real count is between 814 and 817.Source: CaRMS
51%51% of applications got an interviewIn the 2025 match, Canadian grads sent 1,885 applications to emergency medicine programs and 964 got an interview offer. Counts applications, not people: one person usually applies to several programs. 2026 is not published yet.Source: CaRMSInterview offers (2025 applications)98%98% of applications got an interviewIn the 2025 match, Canadian grads sent 36,859 applications to family medicine programs and 36,265 got an interview offer. Counts applications, not people: one person usually applies to several programs. 2026 is not published yet.Source: CaRMS
11 spots still emptyEmpty after the first round: 1. Still empty after the second round: 1. Counts every stream, including international grads, so it is a bigger pool than the Canadian-grad spots.Source: CaRMSEmpty after both rounds139139 spots still empty, 129 in Quebec129 of the 139 are in Quebec (20 of those in a particular stream), 9 in Eastern Canada, 1 in Ontario and 0 in Western Canada. Empty after the first round: 255. Still empty after the second round: 139. Counts every stream, including international grads, so it is a bigger pool than the Canadian-grad spots.Source: CaRMS
$341,349Alberta, 2021-22$341,349: alberta, 2021-22CIHI has no Canadian average for this one on its own. Average gross fee-for-service payment to emergency medicine physicians in Alberta. Doctors paid through alternative plans are not included. Nationally, CIHI counts emergency doctors inside family medicine. Before expenses, not take-home pay.Source: Alberta HealthAverage billing$359,577$359,577 average billing, 2024-25Average gross clinical payments per physician across Canada, before expenses like staff, rent and insurance. Not take-home pay. Every physician counts once, full time or not.Source: CIHI
14 of 3314 of 33, 1 = hardestOur mathAll 33 match streams sorted by spots per person who ranked it first, lowest first.Source: CaRMSRank, 1 = hardest27 of 3327 of 33, 1 = hardestOur mathAll 33 match streams sorted by spots per person who ranked it first, lowest first.Source: CaRMS
106 + 2Filled in each round, 2026First round: 106 of 107 spots filled. Second round: 2 of 3 filled, 1 left empty. All streams, including international grads.Source: CaRMSFilled round 1 + 21,603 + 143Filled in each round, 2026First round: 1,603 of 1,858 spots filled. Second round: 143 of 282 filled, 139 left empty. All streams, including international grads.Source: CaRMS
–Overhead (2017)27%27% overhead, 2017Average overhead doctors in this specialty reported for running their practice, in the CMA’s 2017 survey. Old, so we never subtract it from 2024-25 billing.Source: CMA
5 years5-year residencyPlanned as a 5-year residency. Planned length; residents move through stages as they show competence.Source: Royal CollegeResidency length2 years2-year residencyMinimum residency length of 24 months. Planned length; residents move through stages as they show competence.Source: CFPC
Pediatric emergency medicine (26 blocks (2 years)), Adult critical care medicine (2 years), Pediatric critical care medicine (2 years), Clinical pharmacology and toxicology (2 years), Pain medicine (2 years)Subspecialties checkedNone listed here
Spots and ranked-it-first are for Canadian grads in the first round of the 2026 match. Empty spots count every stream. Billing is CIHI’s 2024-25 average before expenses.