The first of July signifies new beginnings. On this day, Canadian medical students transition to residency and many family medicine residents transition to their lives as independent family doctors. For these newly minted professionals, the options for starting a practice in Canada seem endless, as there is great demand for their services across the country. While the recent Canadian Health Workforce Education, Training and Distribution Study report1 highlighted this national demand, the need is especially great in rural and remote areas. Today I am inviting new family physicians from across the country to consider rural and remote practice for 1 specific reason: joy.

While listening to NOSM University’s President’s Lecture Series presentation, “Reviving the Heart of Health Care: The Joy of Family Medicine”2 I was struck by the words of Dr Sarah Newberry from Marathon, Ont: “The opposite of burnout is not resilience … the opposite of burnout is actually joy in our work.”2 She went on to explain that joy in family medicine comes from the following sources: good relationships with our patients and communities, good relationships with our colleagues and teammates, and a sense of purpose and mastery in our work. These 3 themes were prominent when I spoke to 3 family physicians working in rural and remote parts of Canada about what brings them joy in their work.

Dr Meridith Penner shared that in her community of Iqaluit, NU, people look out for each other and this sense of community gives her work great meaning. Dr Kimberley Chang, who is currently locuming in rural and remote areas of British Columbia, explained the need to consider the unique community context when treating patients is not only rewarding, but also allows for closer ties between herself and community members. When patients prefer to have issues managed locally because they know their doctor “can handle it,” a deep trust develops that provides great satisfaction for Dr Sarah Giles from Kenora, Ont. These 3 physicians described great joy, overall, in developing these trusting relationships with their patients and the communities they serve.

All 3 physicians explained the unique impact of the support they receive from colleagues in rural and remote settings. They described a flattening of the typical medical hierarchy and allyship across the community of those who serve patients. The environment was described as collegial, supportive, educational, and fun, with fellows of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada valuing the day-to-day work of family physicians. Dr Giles explained, “When we work well together the job is easier and we all appreciate each other.”

Gaining a sense of purpose and mastery in work was seen to be 1 of the most impactful aspects of work in rural and remote areas. All 3 physicians described deep pride at the expanded scope of skills they employ on a regular basis, not only from a mastery perspective but also as a meaningful community service. Dr Giles expressed great joy in being able to provide definitive care for patients in their home communities, preventing the need for travel because travelling long distances to receive care “is not benign.”

Although all 3 physicians agreed that working in remote areas can seem daunting to new graduates, the joy of supportive colleagues and communities went a long way toward helping build mastery in a sustainable fashion. They provided great suggestions for new graduates considering practising in rural and remote areas of Canada: consider a community you visited as a resident; recognize we are all still learning in our first years of practice; go with a buddy; and realize that while you may be out of your comfort zone at times, you are not expected to work in a zone of panic—you do not need to “run the show.”

So, congratulations to all new family doctors! Welcome to practice. I hope you consider rural and remote work as a way to experience great joy in family medicine.