Top 10 Reasons to Practice Medicine on the Sunshine Coast

	Great Work/Life Balance Enjoy short and easy commutes, free parking, and renovated clinics that are close to great pubs, shops, and restaurants as well as minutes from the beach or hiking trails. Supportive colleagues, access to specialists, and close ties with UBC’s medical school all work to foster a progressive and collegial practice environment.
	Use All Your Skills Our rural model of health care means that family physicians on the Coast are fully supported in practising their specialties such as anesthesia, obstetrics, emergency medicine, in-patient care, addictions medicine,  palliative care, and geriatric medicine in the hospital and in the community. They’re also encouraged to develop their own unique sub-specialties. Great opportunities to use everything you’ve learned on a regular basis with lots of full-scope practice options.
	Easy Access to Recreation The Sunshine Coast offers outdoor, arts, and cultural opportunities only minutes from home. There’s a flourishing cultural scene with a large population of artists, writers, dancers, actors, and musicians and a long list of weekly events. Every October, the community comes together for the Sunshine Coast Art Crawl when some of BC’s most beloved artists open their studios to the public.
	Caring Communities The communities on the Coast are inclusive and diverse. Residents from Langdale in the south to Egmont in the north work closely together to create thriving communities. There’s a level of volunteerism and generosity rarely seen in other communities, which helps to create such a warm and welcoming place to live and work in.
	Waterfront Everywhere There are dozens of beach access points throughout the Coast, making it easy for everyone to reach the ocean. Well-placed marinas give you easy access to ocean fishing and boating close to your home or clinic, as well as lots of spots for amazing kayaking, paddleboarding, kite-boarding, and windsurfing opportunities. The Sunshine Coast also offers world-class underwater diving opportunities while the Skookumchuck Rapids is one of the great whitewater wonders of the world.
	Hike, Bike, Ski, or Skate Sculpted by the Strait of Georgia, the Sunshine Coast’s rocky shoreline quickly becomes a coastal rainforest with a labyrinth of hiking and mountain biking trails suitable for every skill level. Consider hiking the renowned Sunshine Coast Trail, staying overnight in a cabin in Tetrahedron Provincial Park, or catching big air on your mountain bike at the Coast Gravity Park in Sechelt. One of the best kept secrets on the Coast is the opening of Dakota Ridge in December, offering an extensive network of groomed cross-country skiing, a thriving youth ski club, and over 14 km of snowshoeing trails.
	Great Views, Great Value The majority of Coast residents live within a few blocks of the ocean, and many homes have a breathtaking view of the Salish Sea. Homes are available in all price ranges, from centrally located condos and townhomes to rural acreages surrounded by majestic trees. Local farms up and down the Coast grow fresh summer produce and gorgeous flowers for sale at farmstands or at one of the many farmers’ markets.
	Excellent Educational Opportunities The public school system on the Coast features close-knit elementary schools and thriving high schools in Pender Harbour, Sechelt, and Gibsons. There’s also a French school for students with a Francophone parent. The schools are known for their small class sizes and supportive learning environments. After school activities include team sports, horseback riding at the equestrian centre, ice skating and hockey at the local arenas, or swim classes at the beautiful recreation centres.
	Rural but Not Remote There’s a rural model of medicine on the Coast but it’s not remote: Sechelt Hospital has a helipad and air ambulance service to leading hospitals in Vancouver. On your days off, there’s easy access to the city – it’s only a 40-minute ferry ride away from Vancouver, easy to walk-on and take express public transit from the ferry terminal in West Vancouver to downtown for a day.
	Innovative and Collaborative Physicians on the Coast are innovators with close working relationships between doctors and other health professionals. This has led to the launch of a maternal health collaborative practice and several other innovative primary care programs. All clinics on the Coast use the same electronic medical record system (Med Access EMR by Telus Health) which makes it easy to work as a locum in any of the clinics.