Program Information

Welcome to the 2-year Pain Medicine Subspecialty Residency Program in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine!

Pain Medicine is a medical subspecialty concerned with the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis treatment and rehabilitation of patients with acute and chronic cancer and non-cancer pain.

Eligibility requirements include being enrolled (re-entry application is not currently possible) in a program leading to FRCPC certification in the following areas: Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry and Rheumatology. Internal medicine Candidates enter Pain Medicine after 4 years of Internal Medicine. Canadians who are completing one of the listed eligible residency programs at ACGME accredited US program may also be eligible.

In addition, entry from the following Royal College accredited disciplines is possible in exceptional cases, with the approval of the Specialty Committee in Pain Medicine: Medical Oncology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic Surgery, or Palliative Medicine.

If you have questions or are interested in finding out more about our program, eligibility criteria or resident experience, we would be happy to speak with you directly and also to put you in touch with our resident representative. Please contact residency.painmedicine@utoronto.ca

Why Pain Medicine?

CaRMS Application Process

The application process is administered through the CaRMS [Canadian Residency Match Service] Medicine Subspecialty Match (MSM). The application can be accessed on the CaRMS website available at: https://www.carms.ca/en/

The following timelines are applicable for the upcoming match for the Pain Medicine residency positions starting on July 1, 2021. All interviews will be conducted virtually.

NOTE: If you have also applied to the U.S match through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), please be advised that the University of Toronto is a participating institution and adheres to the match policy. The policy states that "Applicants who have matched to a program or have accepted a position during the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP), shall not apply for, discuss, interview for, or accept a concurrent year position in another program prior to the NRMP granting the requested waiver."

More information is accessible at https://www.nrmp.org/fellowship-applicants/

CaRMS Application Process Timeline

The following timelines are applicable for the upcoming match for the Pain Medicine Residency Program positions starting on July 1, 2025.

All interviews will be conducted virtually.

July 11, 2024: Applications OPEN on CaRMS website (at 12 noon EST)

August 20, 2024: CaRMS application DEADLINE

August 31 – September 22, 2024: National interview period

October 2, 2024: Rank order list submission deadline

October 23, 2024: Match Day (at noon EST)

Internationally Sponsored Trainees

Postgraduate training agreements are currently in place between the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine and sponsoring agencies from the following countries:

  • Bahrain
  • Kuwait
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • United Arab Emirates

Prospective applicants who are internationally sponsored trainees should contact the Program Director and Administrator at: residency.painmedicine@utoronto.ca

Prospective sponsoring agencies should contact Shannon Spencer via email at sd.spencer@utoronto.ca.

Applications for residency training from international applicants must reach the PGME Office directly from the sponsoring agency after the signing of a postgraduate training agreement. The PGME Office forwards the residency application to the appropriate University of Toronto Program Director with verification of sponsorship authority.

For more information, please visit the PGME- International Residency Applicants website: https://pg.postmd.utoronto.ca/applicants/apply-for-residency-training/

Post-Graduate Medical Education

The PGME office offers a wealth of information and guidance on the different application streams, visit their website for more information: https://pg.postmd.utoronto.ca/

Click here for UofT PGME Video