Specialty Café

Are you a medical student or resident choosing your path in healthcare? Grab a coffee and settle in… this café is for you! Our hosts (med students & residents) chat with Royal College specialists and residents about their day to day lives, the reasons behind their specialty choices, the joys, the challenges, and more! Although conversations are full of specialty insights, you’ll gain invaluable life advice about being a fulfilled and excellent clinician (and human being). Feedspot has voted Specialty Café as one of the 10 Best Canadian Medical Podcasts. The Royal College produces a uniquely French version of this podcast - Café des spécialités: https://cafedesspecialites.libsyn.com/.

What A Surgical Program Director Looks for in CaRMS Applications | REWIND

Oct 6, 2026

Your personal letter matters, and authenticity is key.

In this REWIND episode of Specialty Café, host Mark Garabedian, MD (now a PGY1 in Orthopedic Surgery), chats with Justin Rivard, MD, FRCSC, General Surgery Program Director at the University of Manitoba, to discuss what program directors are really looking for...

General Surgery: Community, Academic, Women, and More!

Sep 22, 2026

General Surgery in the community vs in academic centres: what's the true difference? Is one practice busier than the other? Being a women in General Surgery... are some of the myths true (for example, do you make less money?). Does being a General Surgeon mean you're in the OR five days a week?

In this episode of...

'I Chose the Wrong Specialty - For Me': From Plastics to Pathology... with a good outcome!

Sep 9, 2026

What would you do if going to work no longer brought you joy? If you felt out of sorts, disconnected from your program, and unsure whether the specialty you had once been so certain about was just not the right fit? How do you know when it’s time to consider a different path?

In this episode of Specialty Café, host...

Pediatric Emergency Medicine: Finding Fulfillment at the Edge!

Aug 25, 2026

“I’m a person who is always looking for the edge… and I sometimes dance a bit too close to the edge.” For Dr. Katrina Hurley, FRCPC, a career in Pediatric Emergency Medicine has meant embracing the unexpected, evolving with each stage of life, and finding fulfillment both in and beyond the emergency department.

Public Health & Preventive Medicine: Rural Practice, Open Minds & Better Health

Aug 11, 2026

A quote (and the vibe) from today's guest: "Our operating room is the world."

What if improving health meant looking beyond the patient in front of you? How do rural practice, community experiences, and a willingness to embrace the unexpected shape a physician's career and impact?

In this episode of Specialty Café,...