Canadian residencies
Psychiatry
211Spots for Canadian gradsFirst-round spots in the 2026 match for grads of Canadian med schools.Source: CaRMS
spots for Canadian grads
1.00Spots per first-choice applicantA comparison between specialties, not anyone’s odds.Source: CaRMS
spots per person who ranked it first
6.8%Ranked it first, 2026Source: CaRMS
of Canadian grads ranked it first
5 yearsResidency lengthPlanned as a 5-year residency.Source: Royal College
residency
In brief
Compare two residencies- 211 spots, 6.8% ranked it first. 1.00 spots per person who ranked it first.
- 11 spots still empty after both rounds, second only to family medicine.
- 5-year residency. Then child and adolescent psychiatry (2 years), geriatric psychiatry (2 years) or forensic psychiatry (1 year). Up to 1 year of child or geriatric psychiatry can be done during residency.
- Average billing $362,204 before expenses. Highest province Alberta $418,843, lowest Newfoundland and Labrador $259,592. Overhead 19% (2017). About the same as family medicine ($359,577).
- About 15 psychiatrists per 100,000 Canadians in 2023-24. In 2021-22 Toronto had 38 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, the most in Ontario. Ontario's lower-supply regions averaged 9.
Full breakdown
The 2026 match
- Spots for Canadian grads
- 211211 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
- Spots per person who ranked it first
- 1.001.00 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 math211 spots ÷ 1.00 = about 211 people ranked it first.Source: CaRMS
- Rank, 1 = hardest
- Tied 21 of 33Tied 21 of 33, 1 = hardestOur mathAll 33 match streams sorted by spots per person who ranked it first, lowest first. 3 streams share 1.00, so they share the rank.Source: CaRMS
- People who ranked it first
- About 211About 211 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 math211 spots ÷ 1.00 = 211. CaRMS rounds the ratio, so the real count is between 210 and 212.Source: CaRMS
- Empty after the first round (all streams)
- 27Empty after the first round, all streamsSource: CaRMS
- Empty after both rounds (all streams)
- 1111 spots still emptyEmpty after the first round: 27. Still empty after the second round: 11. Counts every stream, including international grads, so it is a bigger pool than the Canadian-grad spots.Source: CaRMS
- Applications offered an interview (2025 match)
- 72%72% of applications got an interviewIn the 2025 match, Canadian grads sent 2,860 applications to psychiatry programs and 2,047 got an interview offer. Counts applications, not people: one person usually applies to several programs. 2026 is not published yet.Source: CaRMS
- Filled in round 1 + round 2 (all streams)
- 216 + 19Filled in each round, 2026First round: 216 of 243 spots filled. Second round: 19 of 30 filled, 11 left empty. All streams, including international grads.Source: CaRMS
- Ranked it first and had no residency after both rounds
- 11Ranked it first, no residencyCanadian grads only.Our math4 who took part in the second round and did not match + 7 who did not match in the first round and skipped the second = 11Source: CaRMS
- Ranked it first, matched to family medicine (first round)
- 18Matched to family medicine insteadSource: CaRMS
Ranked it first, by yearRanked it first, 2022 to 2026Source: CaRMS
Billing, 2024-25
Canadian average $362,204$362,204 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 before expenses. Not take-home pay. Highest province Alberta $418,843, lowest Newfoundland and Labrador $259,592.
- Canada$362,204
- British Columbia$351,261 -$10,943
- Alberta$418,843 +$56,639
- SaskatchewanNot available
- Manitoba$314,294 -$47,910
- Ontario$340,026 -$22,178
- Quebec$374,052 +$11,848
- New Brunswick*$372,122 +$9,918
- Nova Scotia$314,866 -$47,338
- Prince Edward Island*$337,746 -$24,458
- Newfoundland and Labrador*$259,592 -$102,612
- Yukon*$419,636 +$57,432
* A small number of doctors can swing this. Hidden: CIHI suppresses groups too small to keep anonymous. Not available: CIHI marks it n/a. Neither is zero. Gap shown against Canada.Source: CIHI
Overhead 19%19% 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, reported in 2017. A dated survey figure, so we do not subtract it from 2024-25 billing.
Training
5-year residency. Planned as a 5-year residency.Residency lengthSource: Royal College
| Child and adolescent psychiatry | Planned as 2 years. Up to 1 year can be done during your psychiatry residency..Child and adolescent psychiatrySource: Royal CollegeAfter medical school: 6 to 7 years. |
|---|---|
| Geriatric psychiatry | Planned as 2 years. Up to 1 year can be done during your psychiatry residency..Geriatric psychiatrySource: Royal CollegeAfter medical school: 6 to 7 years. |
| Forensic psychiatry | Planned as 1 year.Forensic psychiatrySource: Royal College |
Did you know?
Psychiatry and anesthesiology tied this year at 6.8% of first choices.