CAPE BRETON - SYDNEY

The heart of Gaelic culture in Canada, Cape Breton Island is a truly magical place—physically, culturally, and socially. Here, lively kitchen parties are balanced with world-class golf and hikes on breathtaking trails. Where the cliffs of the Highlands meet the sea, the Cabot Trail winds its way from stunning view to stunning view. Besides being the island’s only city, the area boasts cozy seaside towns and welcoming inland communities.

  • CNN named the Cabot Trail “One of 49 journey’s that’ll change your life”

  • Rich in Mi’kmaq, Acadian, and Celtic culture 

  • Hike, bike, sail, kayak, ski, and golf some of the worlds best golf courses 

  • Countless historic sites and nature parks  

132,000

POPULATION

NAMED #1 ISLAND DESTINATION IN CONTINENTAL US AND CANADA, #3 IN THE WORLD

DISCOVER CAPE BRETON

Rated one of the best island destinations in the world

Cape Breton - Sydney facilities

The family medicine teaching unit is a community-based program primarily serving the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The program offers residents a variety of rural community experiences—in places like Cheticamp, Neil’s Harbour, Baddeck, and Arichat. Residents can expect placement in practices that expose them to the full spectrum of family medicine, including a wide variety of illnesses in a number of clinical settings—office, nursing home, hospital, and house calls.

  • Part of the Nova Scotia Health Authority’s Eastern Zone. 

  • One regional hospital, three acute care facilities and five rural facilities. 

The Cape Breton Regional Hospital, located in Sydney, serves as the community hospital for Sydney and the surrounding area. 

  • The second busiest healthcare centre in Nova Scotia

  • Over 9,400 acute admissions per year 

  • Over 41,000 emergency department visits per year. 

  • Varied patient care mix of approximately 130,000 people. 

Hike, bike, sail, kayak, ski, and golf some of the worlds best golf courses.

Salary and benefits

During your residency in Cape Breton - Sydney, as with all our residency sites, your salary will be very competitive.

$77,038 – $82,259

PGY1 - PGY2 SALARY AMOUNTS

The curriculum

Our core curriculum is enhanced with programs that have been developed based on needs identified by our residents and faculty. The academic curriculum consists of:

  • Practice-based small group learning sessions 

  •  Evidence-based medicine curriculum

  • Resident-presented common problem seminars

  • Core faculty-presented seminars

  • Journal Club

  • Resident-driven specialty seminars

  • Annual family medicine resident-education weekend

  • Exam preparation (written and practical) for the CFPC Family Medicine certification exam 

Clinical experiences

PGY1 ROTATIONS

  • Core family medicine

  • Rural family medicine

  • Internal medicine

  • General surgery

  • Orthopedic surgery

  • Pediatrics

  • Obstetrics/gynecology

  • Emergency medicine

  • Hospitalist

  • Selective

PGY2 ROTATIONS

  • Core family medicine / integrated psychiatry

  • Community family medicine

  • ICU

  • Geriatrics

  • Electives

  • Palliative Care

To cross reference and compare the sites in our program, find more information by clicking below.

Dr. Rebecca Button-Sibley

PGY2

  • My partner and I bought a home at the start of residency. It was about 20 minutes from the hospital.

  • My experience is a bit different as I bought a house, although I did live in an apartment prior to this in the Sydney area. Most common ways to find accomodations are through Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, and word of mouth! If you're having trouble, try discussing with the program admins because chances are they know someone who can help out!

  • I chose Sydney as it is home for me, but also because I spent time during medical school training here. I love the small feel of the medical culture here, and the one-on-one experiences you get with preceptors. I also love living in Cape Breton, there is beauty everywhere you look!

  • I love the small learning environment - you are often the only learner with a preceptor and therefore get much more hands-on that you would in other, larger programs. Preceptors get to know you and you build relationships during training that are second to none!

  • I think the relationships with everyone - patients, colleagues, other residents, members of the community at large. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly and that makes life so much better!

  • The best! This is one of my favorite things about the program. Preceptors get to know you, your strengths and weaknesses. They care about you professionally and personally and want to see you succeed! They remember you and you get to build relationships with people who will be your colleagues one day!

  • Absolutely. Because it is a small site, you have the opportunity to be front-line, hands on with patients. You get to build a small roster of "your own patients" within your primary preceptors practice. You feel like you matter to patients and are really making a difference.

  • It depends what block you are on, but generally we have one "day-back" in family medicine every 2 weeks. The rest of the time is spent on service depending on the block. We also have academics every 2 weeks for half-days, and some SIM mixed in there as well! It is a great balance.

  • AMAZING! Our site admins are great to work WITH residents to make work-life balance the best it can be. Scheduling is flexible. I feel like my quality of life is the best it has ever been!

  • We have funding that we plan resident events to help with team bonding! The admin team is always available and super supportive whenever we need them. The program is always looking for ways to support us.

  • The patients in Cape Breton are generally very medically complex with multiple comorbidities. The socioeconomic background varies but generally can be quite low. It is a unique experience to work with patients in planning how they can access care, and this adds another layer to learning. You get very comfortable with that here.

  • Yes, you get to work in rural communities often. You can also request to work in underserved areas. If there is something you're interested in, you can request to do it and they will make it happen!

  • Do it, you will not regret it!

Sound like a good fit?

If you want to learn more about a residency in the community of Sydney, get in touch. Our Sydney staff would be happy to answer all of your questions.

Site Director 
Dr. Joan Salah
joansalah@outlook.com 

Associate Resident Leader
Dr. Rebecca Button-Sibley
rb472115@dal.ca

Site Administrator
Lorna Jardine
lorna.jardine@nshealth.ca
(902) 567-8055