The Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) is a national, not-for-profit organization that provides a unique electronic matching service for postgraduate medical education training in Canada. CaRMS provides an orderly and transparent process for applicants to decide where to train in Canada and for programs to indicate which applicants they wish to enroll in postgraduate medical training.
CaRMS administers four matches annually: the Main Residency Match (R-1), and three advanced residency matches. These include: the Family Medicine/Emergency Medicine (FM/EM) Match, the Medicine Subspecialty Match (MSM), and the Pediatric Subspecialty Match (PSM). CaRMS also administers the process for Canadian applicants to access the US electronic application system for postgraduate medical training (ERAS).
The R-1 Main Residency Match is open to final year medical students in all 17 Canadian medical schools, as well as prior-year graduates from Canada and the U.S. who meet basic eligibility criteria. The R-1 match is also open to international medical graduates from recognized international medical schools who also meet eligibility requirements.
The R-1 match is offered in two iterations. To be eligible in the first iteration, graduates must not have had prior postgraduate training in Canada or the United States. The second iteration is for applicants who were not matched in the first iteration, as well as applicants who have had previous Canadian/U.S. postgraduate training (at recognized institutions) and who wish to apply for an R-1 position in Canada.
1970 – CaRMS was originally referred to as the Canadian Interns Matching Service (CIMS), which came into being this year.
Founding organizations included: Association of Canadian Medical Colleges (ACMC), Canadian Medical Association (CMA), The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), Canadian Association of Medical Students (CAMS), Federation of Provincial Medical Licensing Authorities (FPLMA), Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada (RCPSC), Association of Canadian Teaching Hospitals (ACTH).
1982 – CIMS Advisory Committee becomes senior policy body for matching process. CIMS Advisory Committee becomes senior policy decision maker for entire matching process. Advisory Committee was expanded to include Canadian Association of Internes and Residents (CAIR).
1983 – The Terms of Reference for CIMS Joint Committee is written into bylaws at ACMC.
1988 – CIMS introduces a central application system for R-1 training for English medical schools in Canada.
1994 – CIMS is incorporated under the new name Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). The two iteration match is introduced.
2001 – Electronic, web-based application system is introduced.
2005 – Match becomes national as three francophone medical schools from Quebec join the organization.
2007 – The Family Medicine/Emergency Medicine Match is introduced.
2009 - The Medicine Subspecialty Match is introduced.
2010 – The Pediatric Subspecialty Match is introduced.