Cardiology in Canada
Informative Guide on Training, Practice Settings, and Salary Expectations
What is a Cardiologist?
Cardiology is a subspecialty of General Internal Medicine. A Cardiologist specializes in cardiovascular conditions in people of all ages. Conditions include heart, blood diseases, heart failure, abnormal heart rhythms, and congenital heart defects. Their role is to diagnose, treat and prevent various cardiovascular issues in their patients. It requires extensive knowledge of the cardiovascular system, diseases and treatments.
When a patient has continuous chest pains, their family doctor may refer them to a cardiologist. Diagnosis of the heart is also done through a physical examination and the patient’s medical history is carefully studied. There are likely to be more tests like electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, CT scans, or CMR that use advanced technology. After the evaluation stage the doctor and the patient will come up with a tailor-made prevention plan agreed between them. On certain occasions, changes to diet and exercise prove to be effective in managing cardiovascular disease as well as enabling the person to have a healthier lifestyle. Nevertheless, if more severe problems like heart disease, heart failure or congenital heart defects are detected, then surgery may be the only solution. The cardiologist will partner with other heart and health experts in providing all round care for the patient.
Delivery of Care Settings
Cardiologists work in several settings and work as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing care to their patients in community hospitals, university hospitals, specialized cardiology clinics, outpatient clinics as well as research institutions. According to CMA survey data in 2017 - 54% of cardiology care is hospital-based practice with 16% providing group practice care. In Canada 85% of Cardiologists provide on-call services.
Canadian Training General Requirements
After completion of a medical degree, there is an additional 4 years required in general internal medicine, followed by a further 3 years cardiology residency program which includes cardiology rotations in different areas of the specialty including acute cardiac care and pediatric cardiology.
Applying to Canadian Medical Schools
Canada has 17 medical schools, which are accredited by the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical School (CACMS) and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. (LCME). The places available are defined by the provincial government and depend on the financial, educational resources and future demand for the specialty. The number of applicants applying is growing each year, however there is little increase in the available spaces each year.
Can International Students Apply to Canadian Medical Schools?
14 out of 17 of the medical schools in Canada accept international students. Canadian medical schools are funded and guided by the individual provinces, which means most of the spaces get allocated to Canadian residents in that province. This leaves limited space available.
What International Medical Schools are Recognized in Canada?
Anyone with a Medical Degree (MD) from outside of the accredited Canadian and American programs who wants to undertake residency training or practice medicine in Canada is considered an International Medical Graduate (IMG). This includes Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
The Medical Council of Canada (MCC) has a helpful guide to the acceptable medical schools as defined in the Model Standards for Medical Registration in Canada.
How are Cardiologists Paid?
Cardiologists have multiple payment models and methods to choose from when it comes to being paid. According to The Candian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) Physicians in Canada mostly rely on fee-for-service, a method that continues to cover 73% of payments. This can be further divided into procedures and consultations.
There are also other alternative ways to be paid including salaries, sessional and hourly rates, capitation models and contract-based payments.
How much are Cardiologists Paid?
The gross range of potential annual earnings can vary based on factors including hours, years of experience, level of specialization, province, rural or urban location, clinic setup, as well as incentives and bonuses offered. A range we see for Cardiologists across Canada is - $350,000-$700,00
Demand for Cardiologists in Canada
The field of Cardiology continues to be one of the top in demand specialties, with advancing health care technology and the increasing health needs of the aging population, this offers job opportunities for Canadian and International graduates across Canada.
According to the Canadian Occupational Projection System, this occupational group is expected to face labour shortage conditions over the period of 2022-2031 at the national level.
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This page is a general guideline only and is not intended as financial or other professional advice. Remuneration ranges are from both source information and our job board. All content is subject to change.