University of Manitoba - Vascular Surgery - Winnipeg
2026 R-1 Main Residency Match - first iteration
CMG Stream for CMG
GF5 - 820 Sherbrook Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3A 1R5
Program Contacts
Important Information
The Postgraduate Medical Education Orientation for all residents, which is MANDATORY, will be held on Friday, June 26, 2026.
General Instructions
Program application language: English
The University of Manitoba Vascular Surgery program provides a balance, being small enough to be flexible and personal as a program, but as a referral centre able to provide exposure to “bread and butter” Vascular Surgery and advanced Tertiary Care procedures. Our residents have input into their training choices and gain independence through their training levels with the support of our dedicated faculty, while they work toward their personal goals and those of the program. Our Program sees a broad spectrum of vascular cases as Winnipeg serves as a referral base for all of Manitoba, Northwestern Ontario, and Nunavut.
You are required to fulfill ALL of the most current provincial criteria for Canadian medical graduates for Manitoba.
The criteria can be found at: https://www.carms.ca/match/r-1-main-residency-match/eligibility-criteria/manitoba/
Supporting Documentation / Information
• Canadian Birth Certificate or Act of Birth
• Certificate of Canadian Citizenship
• Confirmation of Permanent Residence in Canada
• Passport page showing Canadian Citizenship
• Canadian Permanent Resident Card (both sides of card)
• Certificate of Indian Status / Aboriginal Status or Makivik Society Card
• Canadian Citizenship Card (both sides of card)
CaRMS is partnering with third-party organizations to automate the verification of citizenship/legal status required by postgraduate offices for entry into residency. Third-party verification simplifies the process for applicants and programs. All applicants who do not receive third-party citizenship verification will be required to upload and assign an acceptable proof of citizenship document. Please see additional information here.
• IELTS
• Occupational English Test (OET) - Medicine
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) - General
Language Proficiency
English is the language of study at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba. All applicants whose first language is not English must submit proof of English language proficiency to CaRMS by the file review opening date.
CMG/USMG
- If you graduated from an English medical school in Canada or the US, you are exempt from providing proof of language proficiency.
- If you graduated from an English medical school in Canada, French Stream in Ottawa or Quebec, you are exempt from providing proof of language proficiency.
IMG:
Candidates are exempted from English language proficiency testing if their undergraduate medical education was taken in English in one of the below countries that have English as a first and native language:
List of countries that have English as a first and native language: Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America, US Virgin Islands – Caribbean Islands: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Grenadines, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago
Please note the following:
- Photocopies are acceptable.
Language Proficiency results will not be accepted by fax or e-mail.
Maximum of three letters of reference are required. Referees must have knowledge of your clinical and patient care skills as well as your communication skills, interests, and strengths. References will not be reviewed if submitted after the opening of file review.
Consistent with the AFMC measures established in response to the Québec physicians’ strike, we will implement the following accommodations for applicants from Québec faculties of medicine and for applicants from other Canadian faculties who had planned visiting electives in Québec during this time.
- We will accept reference documents completed by any physician able to support the applicant’s candidacy.
- We will not require reference letters from physicians practising in the same discipline as the program.
- Applicants are required to submit two (2) reference documents but are permitted to submit up to the maximum of three (3).
A personal letter should be included with the application stating your reasons for wanting to become a vascular surgeon as well as a description of your interests in and outside of medicine (for example, sports, reading, etc). Please outline any personal history that may be appropriate or relevant to your application.
Custom Résumé / CV PhotoYour medical school transcript can be submitted through one of the methods below:
- Obtain your medical transcript from your school and upload it directly to your CaRMS Online account. Follow your school’s policy regarding accessing or requesting your transcript;
- Ask your medical school to upload your medical transcript through their CaRMS Undergraduate Portal account; or
- International (IMGs) and United States (USMGs) medical graduates can transfer their transcript from their physiciansapply.ca account.
For current year Canadian medical graduates (CMGs), there is no action required from you. Your medical school will automatically submit your MSPR to CaRMS on your behalf for you to assign.
If your MSPR is in a language other than the program language of English or French, you are required to have the document translated.
For applicants from Québec faculties of medicine, as well as those from other Canadian faculties who had scheduled visiting electives in Québec during this period, we will accept incomplete MSPRs for file review and ranking purposes.
An incomplete MSPR is one that may be missing final assessments from placements expected to be completed by the date of submission but delayed due to the strike. A complete MSPR will not be required as a criterion for file review or ranking for these applicants.
Review Process
Applications submitted after file review has opened on November 27, 2025
Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened on November 27, 2025
Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on November 27, 2025
All completed application files provided by the deadline will be reviewed by the Vascular Surgery Admissions Committee.
Interviews
Dates:
- February 4, 2026
Selection Criteria
Selection Criteria will include:
A keen interest for Vascular Surgery as well as suitability for a career in Vascular as demonstrated by:
- Reference letters, in particular references from Vascular Surgeons with whom the applicant has worked
- Personal letter
- Academic transcript
- Personal interview
- Previous degrees/awards
- Research interest (published)
Program goals
The Vascular Surgery Resident Training Program at the University of Manitoba seeks to provide the highest quality care to patients while supporting the educational, research, and health and wellness needs of our residents. The aim of the program is to provide the best possible environment, technology, facilities, and human resources in order to facilitate comprehensive education and training of residents, along with medical students and clinical fellows.
Selection process goals
A successful applicant will demonstrate a mature, dedicated and self-directed approach to acquiring the knowledge and technical skill set required for Vascular Surgery. Effective communication skills and a team-based attitude are essential to working within an interdisciplinary team of care providers. Successful applicants will have elective experience in Vascular Surgery, with an interest in ongoing research and academics.
File review process
Review team composition : The review team is comprised of the Program Director and faculty/resident members of the Residency Program Committee (RPC).
Average number of applications received by our program in the last five years : 0 - 50
Average percentage of applicants offered interviews : 76 - 100 %
| File component | Criteria |
|---|---|
| CV | Ability to work with teams; Leadership potential; Research experience; Extra-curricular; Interests. |
| Electives | At least one on-site elective. |
| Examinations | No additional assessment required |
| Extra-curricular | Interests relating to, and also outside of, medicine. |
| Leadership skills | Leadership potential. |
| MSPRs | Applicant should be in good standing at their respective medical school. |
| Personal letters | No specific format is requested here. |
| Reference documents | At least 3 letters from faculty/mentors (see Reference Documents section, below). |
| Research/Publications | Publications, chapters, posters, etc (to assess for interest/potential for research). |
| Transcripts | Applicant should be in good standing at their respective medical school. |
Elective criteria
Interview process
Interview format :
We may accommodate requests to re-schedule interviews for applicants due to weather, technology failure, or unforeseen circumstances.
| Interview components | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Collaboration skills | Capacity for dedicated team-work; Participation in an interdisciplinary team. |
| Collegiality | Reliability; Honesty; Integrity. |
| Communication skills | Effective; Compassionate. |
| Health advocacy | No additional assessment required |
| Interest in the discipline | Interest in Vascular Surgery; At least 1 formal elective in Vascular Surgery. |
| Interest in the program | On-site Vascular Surgery elective is required; Knowledge and interest specific to our program. |
| Leadership skills | Potential for leadership. |
| Professionalism | Ethical decision-making; Honesty; Capacity for self-directed learning. |
| Scholarly activities | Academic performance in medical school; Interest/potential for research/scholarly pursuits. |
Information gathered outside of CaRMS application
Specifically, we may consider:Ranking process
The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :Program Highlights
The Vascular Surgery service is based at two sites, St. Boniface General Hospital and Health Sciences Centre. The clinical vascular service is a busy one, performing 900-1000 major vascular cases per year (including hemoaccess procedures).
The small number of faculty allows for close supervision of all residents.
There is a large volume of peripheral interventions that allows for residents to be taught by interventional radiologists and vascular surgeons.
Opportunities for research exist in clinical outcomes, collaborative translation, and education.
The Vascular Surgery service is closely linked to the Interventional Radiology service, and interaction and discussion between members of the two services occur on a daily basis. A close relationship also exists with the Ultrasound department. Formal exposure in both these areas is available for the residents.
In addition to a vascular trauma Interventional Radiology, and opportunities for renal and visceral artery reconstruction, the bulk of the clinical exposure comprises abdominal aortic aneurysms, carotid artery disease, aorto-iliac and infrainguinal disease, and hemoaccess dialysis procedures.
Program Curriculum
This residency program is for 5 years.
Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.
A curriculum for all surgical residents at University of Manitoba during the PGY1 Surgical Foundations year includes weekly seminars, technical skills laboratory sessions, online case-based learning modules, surgical foundations examination review lectures, and a series of formative assessments. Progress through Surgical Foundations is not time-based, but residents must complete the EPAs in order to be promoted to the Core of Discipline stage of the primary specialty. The Surgical Foundations exam will be moved to the fall of the second year of residency training (i.e., approximately 12-15 months after beginning residency.)
For the entire 5 years of the program, in addition to the weekly vascular rounds—which address basic and clinical vascular topics—audit, interdisciplinary, and vascular surgery "professor" rounds, along with journal clubs, form part of the training program. During daily rounds and weekly vascular rounds, the resident is responsible to demonstrate adequate teaching skills with junior house staff and associated staff (nursing).
Research is a mandatory component of the residency training program. Residents are encouraged to pursue scholarly work both longitudinally through the program and may take time to do a research rotation.
Core rotations are based at the Health Sciences Centre and St. Boniface Hospitals.
Elective opportunities and opportunities for rotations at other hospitals across Manitoba are possible.
Curriculum - PGY1 to PGY5
PGY1 - PGY2
The PGY1 and PGY2 years are designed to fulfill the requirements as set out by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, as they relate to core training in the Surgical Foundations Program. This includes a maximum of 9 blocks to be undertaken in Vascular Surgery, and includes additional core rotations in Critical Care, Initial Trauma Management (i.e. Emergency Medicine, General Surgery, Trauma Team, or Orthopedic Surgery), General Surgery, and Internal Medicine or one of its subspecialties.
PGY3 - PGY5
A formal 36 months of Vascular Surgical training is incorporated in the PGY3 to PGY5 years, focusing on an incrementally graded increase in clinical responsibility and duties. During this time, there are expectations for regular participation on ward rounds, the operating room and in clinics. These years include 26 blocks of Vascular Surgery (16 of which must be at a senior resident level), 2 blocks of a Vascular Lab rotation completed at the University of Toronto, 13 blocks of selective rotations, a maximum of 13 blocks of training relevant to the resident's career goals, and a maximum of 7 block of additional Vascular Surgery training.
Training Sites
The Vascular Surgery service is based at two sites, St. Boniface General Hospital and Health Sciences Centre, with a Risk Factor Clinic located at the Grace General Hospital. The clinical vascular service is a busy one, performing 900-1000 major vascular cases per year (including hemoaccess procedures).
Additional Information
The strengths of our program include the small and dedicated group of faculty and the large clinical volume encompassing all aspects of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. Our trainees are extremely well-trained and immediately capable of practicing modern vascular surgery in an academic or community setting upon graduation.
Interested individuals should not hesitate to contact the program administrator at vascular.surg@umanitoba.ca, with any further questions regarding the University of Manitoba Vascular Surgery Program.
For a full description of our program please visit the Vascular Surgery Program website.