2023 CaRMS Match Results

Each year, the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) connects candidates with training programs across Canada and releases their results. These results are broken down by first and second iteration, along with a full summary analysis. The College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) is following with interest and would like to share the available CaRMS results for family medicine.

2023 CaRMS Match

First Iteration

Table 1. 2023 CaRMS Match – First iteration basic national statistics for family medicine

	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
Total Number of Family Medicine Positions (all streams)	1,629 +60	1,569 +6	1,563 -10	1,573 +21	1,552 +24	1,528 -3	1,531 +10	1,521 +9	1,512 +25	1,487
Total Filled	1361	1,344	1,356	1,403	1,414	1,370	1,375	1,390	1,400	1,387
Total Unfilled	268	225	207	170	138	158	156	131	112	100
Fill Percentage	83.5%	85.7%	86.7%	89.2%	91.1%	89.6%	89.8%	91.4%	92.6%	93.3%

Family medicine filled a total of 1,361 positions with an overall national 83.5 per cent fill rate. It is encouraging to see an overall increase in the number of students entering family medicine, even though the position fill rate declined in comparison to previous years. We will have a more complete picture after the second iteration is finished in late April.

Second Iteration

Table 2. 2023 CaRMS Match – Second iteration basic national statistics for family medicine

	1st Iteration				2nd Iteration
	% Filled	Available	Filled	Unfilled	% Filled	Available	Filled	Unfilled
2023	83.5%	1,629	1,361	268	63.6%	264	168	96
2022	85.7%	1,569	1,344	225	56.0%	225	126	99
2021	86.7%	1,561	1,354	207	57.4%	209	120	89
2020	89.2%	1,573	1,403	170	71.2%	170	121	49
2019	91.1%	1,552	1,414	138	76.1%	138	105	33
2018	89.7%	1,532	1,374	158	58.9%	158	93	65
2017	89.7%	1,535	1,377	158	64.6%	158	102	56
2016	92.2%	1,518	1,399	119	65.5%	119	78	41
2015	93.4%	1,509	1,409	100	55.6%	99	55	44
2014	94.1%	1,485	1,397	88	69.3%	88	61	27
2013	91.5%	1,422	1,301	121	63.2%	117	74	43

168 out of the 264 family medicine positions available in this round were filled. When combined with the first iteration results, a total of 1,529 family medicine positions have been filled so far, representing a 94.1 per cent fill rate. The full breakdown of the results has not been released but will be available on May 4th when CaRMS hosts their annual forum.

Summary Analysis
May 4, the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) hosted its 2023 virtual CaRMS Forum, sharing detailed data, statistics, and insights from this year’s R-1 Main Residency Match (first and second iterations). In taking a closer look at the 2023 match cycle, here are the following highlights:
- 30.3 per cent of Canadian medical graduates (CMGs) ranked family medicine as their first-choice discipline in the first iteration (down from 30.7 per cent last year as part of a gradual downward trend over the past five years)
- There was a total of 3,390 program applications to family medicine compared to 3,352 applications in 2022, seeing a slight increase
- A total of 1,629 family medicine residency positions were offered in the first iteration (an increase from 1,569 positions last year and part of a gradual increasing trend over five years)
- A total of 1,529 family medicine residency positions were filled after the second iteration compared to 1,470 positions filled in 2022
- The CMG supply-to-demand ratio for family medicine positions in the first iteration was 1.58 (same ratio as last year)
- The match rate for CMGs choosing family medicine was 99.4 per cent (slightly decrease than last year’s CMG match rate of 99.7 per cent)
You can access the presentation and full analysis through the CaRMS site.

Please reach out if you have any questions or comments you would like to share with the CFPC and our Academic Family Medicine team ([email protected]).