Uptown Saint John, New Brunswick

I was lucky enough to be able to take over the lease of one of my former med school classmates as they were leaving town for residency!

I am from the Greater Saint John area and have always called this place my home; I feel well supported here and I also believe this site has a lot to offer in terms of practice opportunities, access to a broad range of specialists, etc.

I love how despite Saint John being one of the larger sites, it feels like a very tight knit community where all of us residents are close and get along super well.

It felt like the right fit for me because I knew I'd feel well supported here with many family members and close friends in the area. I also felt as though training at a site like this would prepare me well for life after residency.

I find the relationship between us residents and our preceptors/ program representatives at this site is second to none. Our Site Director is super approachable and receptive to any feedback or concerns we have, and the same is true for the entire leadership team.

Absolutely! In every rotation I've gone through up to this point, whether it be family medicine, pediatrics, surgery, etc., I've had countless opportunities to work directly with patients and support/ advocate for them on different levels.

This is really dependent on the particular rotation or service that you find yourself on, but in general a typical week would consist of mostly traditional workdays (8 am - 5 pm, Monday to Friday) with some call shifts/ weekend work sometimes added into the mix.

I find maintaining work life balance is a strength of this program and something that is regularly emphasized when we meet with program leadership. We are always encouraged to use our vacation time and to reach out anytime if we're starting to feel burnt out or worn down.

The Saint John site regularly hosts social functions that bring us all together; whether it be the annual Christmas party, the welcome get together, or the farewell celebration, there are always fun things to look forward to. We also have a wellness rep each year at our site who makes an effort to organize informal ways for our cohort to get to know each other better.

I find working with this local patient population has been a great learning experience for me because I've met individuals from all walks of life. I've had experience working with clinically complex patients, those living in rural environments, newcomers, and under served populations.

There are many opportunities to work in rural areas when you're based out of Saint John; whether it be the Charlotte County area, Hampton or Sussex. We have access to a number of rural communities that are always more than willing and excited to welcome us as learners.

I'd encourage them to reach out for more information! One of the main factors that encouraged me to pursue the Saint John site was the consistently positive feedback that I was getting from current residents who were placed there, so if you would like to know more about the Saint John area or just the program in general, I'd love to chat!

sam.palmer@dal.ca