Residents Gain Perspective in Remote Regions

Residents from the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine are gaining valuable skills and perspective by completing electives in Northern and remote regions of Canada. These experiences offer exposure to community-based medicine, diverse patient populations, and the unique challenges of delivering care in resource-limited settings. Below, three residents share reflections from their time spent in Nunavut and Thunder Bay.

For Dr. Ariana Sauret, Class of 2025 Family Practice Anesthesia (FPA) Resident, a four-week community rotation in Iqaluit offered both clinical and cultural immersion. Timed with Toonik Tyme, the community’s spring festival, the rotation gave her a chance to participate in local traditions like helping build an igloo and witness the power of team-based care in action.

Upon reflection, Dr. Sauret noted that “a major highlight of the rotation was joining a medevac transfer to help a patient in a remote community… I felt incredibly grateful for how well the Family Practice Anesthesia program at the University of Toronto had prepared me for this kind of work.”

FPA Resident Graduate Dr. Nardin Hanna also completed a rotation in Nunavut, navigating both harsh climate conditions and clinical uncertainty.

“Sometimes Medevac was not an option for several days due to the weather, and so we had to manage with only the tools and personnel we had in the hospital,” said Dr. Hanna. Experiencing Inuit culture and community life, alongside complex patient cases, made the rotation deeply memorable for her.

In Thunder Bay, Dr. Chenchen Tian, PGY-5 Anesthesia Resident, completed an elective with support from the Northern Ontario Resident Streamlined Training and Reimbursement Program (NORSTAR). This three-year pilot program (ending March 31, 2026) aims to increase access to Northern Ontario learning experiences for medical residents and fellows from Canadian medical schools, while also supporting physician coverage in communities across the North East and North West Ontario Health Regions. During his elective, Dr. Tian cared for a broad patient population, often working with limited resources and incomplete information.

“Practicing anesthesia in Northern Ontario made me appreciate just how skillful and versatile these clinicians need to be in remote areas," said Dr. Tian. "They must deal with anything that comes through the door, including acute and complex patients that I quickly realized aren't only found in academic institutions." The experience reaffirmed his desire to pursue a generalist practice and serve diverse patient communities.

These electives are more than a clinical opportunity, they’re a chance to build resilience, deepen cultural awareness, and gain confidence in adapting to unfamiliar environments. As these residents demonstrate, anesthesia in remote Canada is not just about delivering care – it’s about learning, connecting, and growing as a physician.