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/.

'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,...

Orthopedic Surgery Residency: CaRMS Tips, Team Culture & Life as an Ortho Resident

Jul 28, 2026

Are you okay with 5 am starts... and not seeing the sun for weeks? Orthopedic Surgery may be one of medicine's most demanding specialties... but for the right person, it's also one of the most rewarding (and of course fun too!). Bonus: Our guest shares her journey in law and how it can benefit her life in medicine.

In...

Emergency Medicine Residency: The Reality Behind the Specialty

Jul 14, 2026

Is Emergency Medicine the right specialty for you?

In this episode of Specialty Café, host Henry Tran, a medical student at the University of Alberta, sits down with Dr. Prince Asare-Agbo (PGY5) from the University of Ottawa for an fullsome conversation about the realities of Emergency Medicine residency. From managing...