Program Contacts

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Important Information

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NOTE FOR 2026 SECOND ITERATION MATCH APPLICANTS:

We do not require a non-medical reference letter for those interested in applying to Queen's Pediatrics in the second iteration match of 2026. 

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Altus Suite - admissions assessments of non-cognitive skills

All applicants applying to the Pediatrics program, at Queen's University are required to complete the Casper Test (Altus Suite), to assist with our selection process for the 2026 Application Cycle.

 Altus Suite is a standardized, two -part online assessment of non-cognitive skills, interpersonal characteristics, and personal values and priorities that we believe are important for successful students and graduates of our program. Altus Suite will complement the other tools that we use for applicant review and evaluation. In implementing Altus Suite, we are trying to further enhance fairness and objectivity in our selection process.

 Altus Suite consists of:

• Casper: a 60-90 minute online situational judgment test (SJT)

 You will register for Altus Suite for Canadian Postgraduate Medical Education (CSP-20201 – Canadian Postgraduate Medical Education),

Access www.TakeAltus.com to create an account and for more information on important dates and requirements, and the Altus Suite assessments.

 

EDIIA Institutional Statement:

The goal of resident selection is to identify trainees likely to succeed both in training and, once out in practice, in meeting the health care needs of patients and Canadian society.  We know that having a physician workforce that reflects the demographics of the patients that they serve improves health care outcomes.  There are many populations within Canada under-represented in medicine (UIM) with a paucity of health care practitioners who are Black, Indigenous, Persons of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+, from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and/or with disabilities, and other under-represented in medicine (UIM) groups. Diversity within training programs has also been shown to improve training environments.  Queen’s University PGME is strongly committed to diversity and inclusion within its community for these reasons as well as being part of the solution to address historic and contemporary inequities.

Equity and diversity

We welcome diversity among our trainees and seek to foster an environment that is welcoming to all, regardless of gender identity, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

We are committed to advancing equitable and inclusive practices.  Please refer to the PGME website for additional information / resources including QHS EDIIA Initiatives and EDIIA statements (Indigenous Land Acknowledgement, Anti-Discrimination Statement, Inclusion Statement, and Statement on Social Accountability)

Gaps in Training, Remediation, or Professionalism issues

Please address any gaps in training, remediation, or professionalism issues in your personal letter as a separate paragraph. This will not count towards your maximum word count.

Note to Transfer Applicants:

If you are a resident in a current Canadian post-graduate position using the second iteration of the CaRMS Match as a possible route to change program or specialty, in accordance with the Ontario eligibility criteria, which references the National Transfer Guidelines, you will need to upload all in-training assessments/evaluations and a summary of your training record in addition to the other required components of your CaRMS application.

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Return of Service

Ontario’s International Medical Graduate (IMG) Return of Service (ROS) program is intended to improve access to physician services across Ontario, particularly in areas with limited physician supply.  The IMG ROS program offers participants a postgraduate medical training position in return for a commitment to practise medicine in an eligible Ontario community. The ROS contract is between the Ministry of Health and the successful applicant, and is the responsibility of the applicant to confirm eligibility with respect to ROS requirements of other provinces. Ontario PGME offices are not involved in this process.  

 

The Ministry requests all ROS agreements before July 1 of the year they were matched. All agreements should be returned to the Ministry prior to the start of residency training.

 

More information for IMG ROS can be found here: Return of Service Program

 

If you have further questions, please contact the Ministry of Health at PPUProgramOfficer@ontario.ca

 

PLEASE NOTE: YOU ARE REQUIRED TO FULLFILL A ROS COMMITMENT IN ONTARIO IMMEDIATELY UPON COMPLETION OF YOUR TRAINING.

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

There are  between 20-24 residents to approximately 31 full time faculty in our training program. For an overview of the training program by year, go to: Queen's Pediatrics Program Overview.

 

Please note that due to the volume of applications our program receives we are not able to provide individual feedback to applicants who are not successful in the match.

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Supporting Documentation / Information

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Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on March 17, 2026

Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  March 17, 2026

Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on March 17, 2026

All applications are reviewed by Faculty members and pediatrics residents under the direction of the Residency Program Committee.

All applicant files submitted before the deadline will be reviewed by the selection committee. Each file is evaluated on a number of merits, including but not limited to academic potential, interest in scholarship, leadership activities, the strength of reference letters, and the candidate's personal statement. Our program values a broad range of electives, both in and outside of pediatrics. The program may contact any elective supervisor listed on your CaRMs application.  

After a review of documents, selected applicants will be offered a virtual interview. Due to the number of applications received, not all applicants meeting the minimum requirements may be offered an interview. The final ranking process is determined by a combination of file review and interview scores.

 

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria for interviews will include a review of the complete file looking for academic performance, 3 letters of reference, recent & relevant clinical experience, and a personal letter.

The personal letter should be no longer than 750 words. 

We are looking for an honest, original, and thoughtfully written letter. Do not be afraid to write in a frank manner about your past experience. Your personal letter should discuss why you want to pursue training in Pediatrics and should include examples of the qualities and attributes you will bring to the Queen's training program and your residency colleagues.

We are looking for candidates who demonstrate an intrinsic sense of responsibility with a high degree of collegiality and who have a strong desire for a career in pediatrics. Candidates who are successful in moving forward to the interview will be considered to be well rounded and have demonstrated a genuine interest in pediatrics through an articulate and insightful personal letter. Elective experience at Queen's is not necessary. After the interviews, a composite score from the MMI and file review will help determine the rank list. The chief residents and the Residency Program Committee contribute to this process.

Program goals

The Queen’s University Pediatric Training Program produces highly skilled and knowledgeable pediatric physicians capable of providing excellent care for children in any setting. The program recognizes the need for both general pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists and is designed to provide an excelleng clinical training for both these major career paths. The program achieves this objective with abundant practical clinical experiences, formal educational sessions, graded responsibility in the acquisition of clinical decision making and leadership skills, and curricular flexibility in the final year of training.

By the end of their training, the residents will have developed the skills and confidence needed to practice general pediatrics expertly in any sized community. Those who successfully complete the pediatric residency program at Queen’s will not only have the medical expertise needed, but also the skills required to function as a consultant pediatrician in a variety of settings, including community hospitals where they must balance a busy outpatient clinical load, consultations in emergency departments, attendance at deliveries and neonatal resuscitations, and care of admitted inpatients, including neonates in special care nurseries.

Selection process goals

We are looking for candidates who show evidence of being dedicated team players with a desire for a career in pediatrics. We strive to identify candidates who are well-rounded, have a growth mindset, are curious and take ownership of their learning. Candidates will have demonstrated a genuine interest in pediatrics through an articulate and insightful personal letter. Elective experience at Queen's is not necessary. After the interviews, a composite score from the MMI and file review will help determine the rank list. The chief residents and the Residency Program Committee contribute to this process.

File review process

Evaluation criteria :

Elective criteria

Interview process

Interview evaluation criteria :

Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

Specifically, we may consider:
Social interaction during program related events
Communication with program administration
Social media
Unsolicited reference letters
Unsolicited email references
Unsolicited verbal information on a candidate's prior performance
Unsolicited feedback from colleagues and co-workers

Ranking process

The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :
Unprofessional or inappropriate behavior   
Did not attend interview   
Interview performance was not competitive   

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Program Highlights

** We are a smaller center with no subspecialty training programs. As such, residents are first in line for learning experiences, working directly, often one-on-one, with the faculty. There are subspecialty residents or fellows, with the exception of clinical fellows in the NICU.

 ** The program is rewarding for self-reflective and motivated learners who are proactive in identifying their own learning goals, excel in seeking out feedback and learning opportunities, are great team players, and have a sense of responsibility to their patients and colleagues. Residents always note the excellent hands-on experiences with early, supported, responsibility while on-call.

 ** Queen's is an innovator in competency-based medical education. As early adopters having fully moved to competency-based assessment and progression in 2017, we have developed innovative tools for assessing CanMEDS competencies and facilitate competency-based assessment and training. See the Important Information section for details on Queen’s and competency-based medical education. 

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Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 4 years.

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

The pediatric residency training progresses over 4 years. The program length of training does not exceed the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada standard.

The Department of Pediatrics at Queen's includes academic general pediatricians, community consultant pediatricians, and academic subspecialists. Particular strengths include general pediatrics, behavioural and developmental pediatrics, neonatology, and genetics. Our philosophy is geared towards providing excellent foundational training in pediatric medicine for those planning a career in general pediatrics, whether in private, mixed, or academic practice, or for those planning to pursue subspecialty training where having a strong clinical base in general pediatrics is a must.

The relatively small size of the program allows for a close and supportive working relationship among our trainees and faculty. Each resident is assured an exposure to a wide diversity and optimal number of patients relative to our program's size. Excellent hands-on and broad ranging clinical opportunities at Queen's are enhanced by subspecialty and core rotations at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, in Ottawa, and by community neonatal and consulting pediatrics rotations at Lakeridge Health, in Oshawa.

Our program is committed to providing each trainee with experiences individualized to his/her personal career goals. Residents, by the end of their training, will have developed the confidence and skills needed to expertly practice general pediatrics in any sized community.

 

Transition to Residency and Foundations of Discipline (PGY-1):

The first stage of residency training will give the trainee a solid base in general pediatrics. By the end of the Foundations of Discipline stage, the resident will be skilled in the diagnosis and initial management of less-complex presentations.

Rotation/Area	Number of Weeks (scheduled in 2- and 4-week blocks)
Outpatient Pediatrics (ambulatory pediatrics including general pediatrics clinics, minor emergency, and pediatric subspecialty clinics)	16 weeks
Inpatient Pediatrics	8 weeks
NICU	4 weeks (level 2 NICU - Lakeridge Health in Oshawa)   6 weeks (level 3 NICU)
Hematology/Oncology	4 weeks (2nd half of academic year)
Pediatric Anesthesia	2 weeks
Research / Quality Improvement and Patient Safety	2 weeks
Pediatric Emergency Medicine (CHEO-Ottawa)	4 weeks

 

 

 

Core of Discipline (PGY-2 and PGY-3):

Now that the resident has acquired foundational knowledge of the field of general pediatrics, the Core of Discipline stage is designed to provide a deeper exposure to subspecialty areas of pediatrics and to coach the resident into a leadership role in the care of each patient. As this stage progresses, the resident transitions into a senior supervisory role, responsible for the management of ward and/or ambulatory patients, including those with complex problems. The resident also takes on a supervisory role over more junior trainees. In the latter half of this stage, the resident assumes supervisory roles on the in-patient acute pediatric medicine service and neonatal intensive care unit. This stage encourages the development of a sense of critical judgment and increasing self-confidence. 

Rotation/Area	Number of Weeks (scheduled in 4-week blocks, except subspecialty rotations which may be contiguous and night float and research)
NICU	8 weeks
Inpatient Pediatrics	12 weeks
PICU (CHEO-Ottawa)	8 weeks
Infectious Disease (with Allergy)	8 weeks
Cardiology / Respirology	8 weeks
Pediatric Surgery (General, Orthopedics,  Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology)	4 weeks
Neurology	4 weeks
Genetics	4 weeks
Developmental Pediatrics	4 weeks
General Pediatrics	4 weeks
Subspecialty (CHEO- Ottawa): Nephrology, Rheumatology	8 weeks (4 weeks each)
Child Psychiatry	4 weeks
Endocrinology / Gastroenterology	8 weeks
Hematology/Oncology	4 weeks (first half of 3rd academic year)
Community Pediatrics	4 weeks
Electives	8 weeks in PGY2 and 4 weeks in PGY3
Research	2 weeks in PGY2 and 2 weeks in PGY3
Night Float	2 x 2 weeks in PGY3

 

 

Transition to Practice (PGY-4 equivalent):

The Transition to Practice stage is designed for the refinement of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes learned in the preceding stages. The primary clinical experience of the Transition to Practice stage is ambulatory pediatrics. Residents identify their own learning needs and fill in knowledge gaps with a variety of experiences including ambulatory and in-patient blocks, and a longitudinal "teaching" consulting clinic. The residents also assume a junior attending supervisory role in our pediatric urgent care clinic and the inpatient acute medicine ward.

 

Rotation/Area	Number of Weeks (scheduled in 4 week blocks)
Ambulatory Pediatrics (combination of ambulatory general pediatrics, subspecialty pediatrics, minor emergency, senior resident consulting clinic)	32 weeks
Junior Attending (inpatients)	4 weeks
Community Pediatrics (Lakeridge Health - Oshawa)	4 weeks
Electives	8 weeks
Night float	2 x 2 weeks

Education and Assessments:

The Academic Half-Day rotates through a 2-year core curriculum that includes teaching in general and subspecialty pediatrics. Mock oral examinations (observed History/Physical Examination) are held twice per year for all residents. In addition, formative OSCE examinations are held twice a year, as preparation/practice for the Royal College exam in pediatrics; these are part of national OSCE collaboration between all other pediatric programs. This program takes advantage of the Clinical Education Centre and the Standardized Patient Program at Queen's University. Residents write the American Board of Pediatrics in-training examination every July, as well as biannual MCQ/SAQ Canadian In-Training practice exams.

Scholarly Work:

Each resident is expected to complete a scholarly project. A research mentor is available to each resident to assist in this process. Training in research methodology is provided in first year. All residents are expected to present at the annual Department of Pediatrics Research Day, held as a forum for the presentation and discussion of resident research projects and other basic science or clinical projects affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics. Presentation are made to resident and faculty colleagues, plus an expert panel consisting of a moderator, prominent in research and a statistician or epidemiologist to critique the project methodology, statistical analysis, tabulation of results and appropriateness of the conclusions. Ongoing work such as literature reviews or interim results can be presented by residents who have not completed their projects. A prize is awarded to the resident with the best presentation.

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Training Sites

Resources

- Kingston Health Sciences Centre including Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH) Site

- Lakeridge Health, Oshawa

- Quinte Healthcare, Belleville

- Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Ottawa

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Additional Information

Benefits: Accommodation for mandatory rotations at CHEO, Community Pediatric sites (Oshawa and Belleville), Moose Factory

PALS & NRP courses provided in PGY1 year with recertification at the beginning of PGY3 year.

Education and Conference leave funding is available to residents every year.

There is an annual resident retreat

Canadian Pediatric Society, and American Academy of Pediatrics memberships/registration provided

Access to electronic journals, electronic textbooks, Medline, through Queen's Health Sciences Library.

Residents are matched with an Academic Advisor and meet at least 4 times per year. The Academic Advisor reviews the residents' performance, advocates for the resident in all ways and offers career counseling.  

Elective blocks are available. There are 5 blocks that can be taken through the PGY2 through PGY4 years, with a maximum of 2 in any given year. Electives may be undertaken at interprovincial and international sites.

There are three community-based rotations:

   - 4 weeks of community level 2 NICU at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa during the Foundations stage (PGY1)

   - 4 weeks of community pediatrics at Quinte Healthcare in Belleville during the Core stage (PGY2)

   - 4 weeks of community pediatrics at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa during the Transition to Practice stage (PGY4)

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FAQ

RE: Interviews

Q: How many candidates do you interview?

A: Typically 10-15 candidates for each position

Q: Can I change my interview date? 

A: There is an increasing interest in Pediatrics and we turn down qualified applicants for interviews each year. We will do our best to accommodate changes; however, as there are only certain number of slots per day to facilitate the interview process, changes can be quite difficult and are generally unlikely.