A mix of my apartment in Halifax, Air BnBs in Bridgewater (cost was covered), and a rental apartment provided by the Queens Hospital Foundation in Liverpool.

In Bridgewater it was just Air BnBs. Liverpool, the foundation helped.

I wanted to do a rural residency without being too far from the city. I appreciated this was a block-based, rather than longitudinal program, yet there was still good integration of emergency, hospitalist, and clinic when on the South Shore. When we moved here for residency, my partner was planning to work in Halifax, and this program was perfect to allow us to both follow our goals.

Having a rural medicine experience while still gaining exposure to specialists at a tertiary centre. This is really asking for two separate things, and this program met it perfectly.

The warmth of the preceptors and patients when I did my initial tour and was solidified during my first week. People are so kind and really just want you to succeed. It felt personal and I felt like I was an actual member of the healthcare team, not just another learner.

I have a good relationship with other residents, which I believe the initial orientation block was very supportive of. I have also developed a strong relationship with many preceptors in the South Shore across multiple specialties after doing my rotations. I feel like my main preceptors have also become my friends and my mentors.

Very much so! I got to gain a lot of independence early on in Liverpool, while still feeling like I have a solid safety net. Early in R1 my preceptor was letting me take the wheel and investigate/manage conditions, allowing me to learn and grow as I go.

Clinic was typically Mon-Wed 8-4, usually with a bit of charting or consults to clean up at the end of the day. Thursday morning was longterm care rounding and the afternoon is our academic half day. On Fridays my preceptor did not work so I would go to the ER and do a day there. Weekend commitments were often optional.

Incredible. The South Shore is beautiful and there are so many opportunities for outdoor adventure, from beach walks to excellent scenery and roads for bike rides.

I feel it encourages community and staff frequently check in. Especially after more challenging cases, I have had staff personally reach out to see what kind of supports they can offer, which I do not feel happens in most sites.

The people of Liverpool are so kind! It is in an area of NS with a relatively low SES, but you see all walks of life. I classic day in clinic ranges from a well-baby visit to decompensated heart failure, or those who cannot take time off work to get imaging to those who book a private MRI that week. It is a huge variety of individuals and it has been great gaining experience and meeting people from so many backgrounds.

Liverpool itself is quite a rural site. You do have opportunities to go up to Bridgewater which is the regional centre for more acute, complicated experiences.

It is a great space to enjoy nature and rural medicine without sacrificing the skills gained from the urban rotations. If you're comfortable with feeling like a bit of a nomad at times living in different areas throughout the year, then this is the spot!