Dermatologist

What dermatologists make

CIHI (Canadian Institute for Health Information) reports average gross payments of about $520,000 a year for dermatology (2023 to 2024), but the median is closer to $380,000 because a small number of very high billers pull the average up. Office overhead takes 25% to 35%, so most dermatologists net roughly $280,000 to $450,000 from public billing. Cosmetic work is paid privately on top. It varies by province and by how you bill.

During residency

Paid employees with benefits and a union contract. Quebec pays the least, Alberta and Ontario the most.

Private-pay work

Some dermatologists do none of it. Others build a practice that is mostly cosmetic and earn well above the typical range. The medical side alone still pays very well.

What it costs to get there

Undergrad degree (3 to 4 years)

$7,000 to $10,000 a year

Medical school, the MD (doctor of medicine), 3 to 4 years

$15,000 to $28,000 a year

MCAT (medical school admission test), applications, interviews

$2,000 to $5,000

Licensing exam (the MCCQE, the national medical exam) and the Royal College certification exam

$1,500 for the MCCQE, plus several thousand for the Royal College exam

Roughly, all in

$88,500 to $164,500

Tuition, fees, exams and kit. Not rent, food or travel

The low end is a three year undergraduate degree and the shortest medical school at the cheapest tuition, plus the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), the MCCQE (Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination) and the Royal College certification exam. The high end is a four year degree and a medical school near $28,000 a year with the full set of application, interview and exam fees. The years of dermatology residency after medical school are paid work, so they add training time but no tuition. Typical debt at the end of medical school is $80,000 to $150,000 once living costs and interest are counted, and office equipment, lasers above all, comes later.

Typical debt at the end of medical school is $80,000 to $150,000. Setting up an office adds equipment costs later, especially for lasers.

Benefits

• Pension only if salaried

  Almost all dermatologists are self-employed. Ontario residents are in HOOPP (the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan) during training.

• Union contract during residency

  Provincial residents' associations negotiate pay, call limits and leave.

• Malpractice coverage

  Through the CMPA (Canadian Medical Protective Association), mostly reimbursed by the province. Fees are low for dermatology.

• Office hours

  Almost no nights, weekends or emergencies. One of the best lifestyles in medicine.

The path

Same road as every doctor, then a match that only a few dozen students a year win.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Top marks in biology, chemistry, math and English. You need a very high average for a science undergrad.

2. 2

   Bachelor's degree

   3 to 4 years

   Any major works. Keep a GPA (grade point average) above 3.8, volunteer, do research. Write the MCAT (medical school admission test).

3. 3

   Medical school, the MD (doctor of medicine)

   3 to 4 years

   Acceptance rates are 5% to 15%. Classes, then clinical rotations. Dermatology electives and research are close to required for the match.

4. 4

   Dermatology residency

   5 years

   Matched through CaRMS (the residency matching service). Skin clinics, skin surgery, pathology of skin, pediatric skin and hospital consults.

5. 5

   Certification and licence

   End of residency

   Pass the Royal College exam to become FRCPC (Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada), then register with your provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons.

High school courses that help

• Biology and chemistry

  Required for nearly every pre-med path.

• Calculus and functions

• Physics

  Tested on the MCAT (medical school admission test). Lasers are physics.

• Visual arts

  Dermatology is diagnosis by looking. A trained eye for colour and pattern is the core skill.

Time and money, at a glance

Years after high school

11 to 13

Med school acceptance rate

Roughly 5% to 15%

Residency match

Among the most competitive in Canada, only a few dozen spots a year

Total tuition

$90,000 to $150,000

Paid while training?

Only during residency

Heavily regulated

You need a licence from your provincial College of Physicians and Surgeons to practise, and Royal College certification to call yourself a dermatologist. Many cosmetic clinics are run by other kinds of doctors or by nurses; only a certified dermatologist can use the title. The Royal College credential is national, so moving provinces is mostly paperwork.

Fellowships that change the job

Optional 1 to 2 year add-ons after residency.

• Mohs surgery

  Remove skin cancers layer by layer while checking each under the microscope. Procedure-heavy and well paid.

• Pediatric dermatology

  Eczema, birthmarks and rare genetic skin disease in children.

• Dermatopathology

  Read skin biopsies under the microscope.

• Cosmetic and laser dermatology

  Private-pay procedures. Business skills matter as much as medical ones.

Nice-to-haves before med school

• Research experience

  Dermatology programs weigh publications heavily. Start early.

• Fine motor skills

  Drawing, sewing, instrument playing. Skin surgery is delicate.

• French

  Opens Ottawa, New Brunswick and Quebec programs.

• A backup plan

  Most students who want dermatology do not match to it. Have a second specialty you would be happy in.

A typical day

Thirty to fifty patients, most visits 5 to 15 minutes: acne, eczema, psoriasis, warts, rashes nobody else could figure out, and full-body checks for skin cancer. You biopsy suspicious spots, freeze or cut out others, and prescribe. One or two half-days a week may be minor surgery or cosmetic work. Home by 5 p.m. most days.

The honest trade-offs

Work life

Typical hours

40 to 50 a week, weekdays

Remote work

Some photo-based virtual consults

Physical demand

Low

Unionized

Residents yes, attending doctors no

Similar paths

• Plastic SurgeonRebuild what injury, cancer and birth defects take away, and reshape what patients pay to change. Far more reconstruction than Hollywood.
• Family DoctorThe longest path on this site, and one of the highest paid. Ten years, then a job for life.
• PharmacistSix-figure pay after six years. Retail, hospital or industry, and no residency required.

The most common cancer

Counting all types, skin cancer is the most common cancer in Canada. Most is curable if caught early, which is why dermatologists spend so much time looking at moles.

Fewer than 1,000 in the whole country

CIHI (Canadian Institute for Health Information) counted 772 dermatologists in Canada in 2024, for about 40 million people, and only a few dozen new ones finish training each year. That is why the wait to see one can run months.

The largest organ

Your skin weighs about 4 kilograms and covers about 2 square metres. Dermatologists learn to recognize thousands of named conditions that show up on it.