Postgraduate Training (Residency)

The MD Program represents the first stage of a career-­long process of medical education. The MD Program curriculum is intended to provide students with a diversity of opportunities to explore their career options and also emphasizes life­long learning and problem-­solving skills that will serve medical trainees as they move through undergraduate medical education into residency and independent practice.

Choosing a residency program is a significant step for medical students, and the MD Program provides assistance in a number of ways. Both the Office of Learner Affairs (OLA) and the Academies offer confidential appointments to provide guidance to prepare students, and group information sessions are also available. Interest groups supported by various Clinical Departments are also an excellent source of information.

The process of application to postgraduate training is managed nationally by the Canadian Residency Matching Service (CaRMS). In order to participate in the CaRMS process, applicants must have a medical degree or be in their last year of a degree from an appropriately accredited institution. Further, to be eligible for residency positions at the University of Toronto and other medical schools in Canada, applicants must be a Canadian citizen or have permanent resident status.

In the autumn of fourth year of the MD Program, students submit to CaRMS a list of the postgraduate training programs for which they wish to be considered. The programs review the applications, and then offer interviews to their preferred candidates. The MD Program provides a three­-week break in January of fourth year to enable students to attend these interviews.

The residency match is intended to ensure that graduates are placed in a program that is aligned with their preferred career path as well as meeting the needs of the residency program. Following the interview period, both students and residency programs submit rankings to CaRMS, and these lists are both used to determine the optimal placement or ‘match’ of every student across the country. CaRMS then notifies applicants of the results in March of the fourth year of the MD Program. Typically, the vast majority of University of Toronto students do match, but any unmatched candidates are able to enter a second round of matching, which is completed in April.

University of Toronto graduates historically perform very strongly in the CaRMS match for Canadian residency programs. However, the residency matching process is increasingly competitive across the country, and it is strongly advised that students avail themselves of all the career planning resources offered to them.

MD Extended Clerkship

For University of Toronto MD students who do not match to a residency program, the MD Program offers the MD Extended Clerkship, which is intended to support students to maximize their opportunities for their future career. Students who take part in the MD Extended Clerkship are required to delay graduation until June of the following year, but are eligible to pursue a more robust suite of elective opportunities. Students registered in the MD Extended Clerkship are bound by University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine and MD Program policies and regulations, including those regarding professionalism and academic conduct.