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!