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With more than 50 years of rural family medicine under his belt, Dr. Chris Elliott, semi-retired since 2019, has recently passed on the mantle of medical site lead at Aberdeen Hospital, a position he held since 2019. This July, he also retired from the Aberdeen Walk-In Clinic.
Born in Vancouver, after several moves due to his father’s career, Dr. Elliott eventually landed in Pictou at the age of 10. He attended St. Francis Xavier University and completed medical school and a one-year family medicine residency at Dalhousie University in 1974. His 45-year, full-time career in family medicine began in 1974 with his own private practice in New Glasgow. Over the decades, Dr. Elliott took on various roles at Aberdeen Hospital including working in emergency medicine, leading the emergency department, and serving as Chief of Staff and was the long term care lead for the former Pictou County Health Authority. As a generalist, for years he was able to perform a variety of procedures, from obstetrics to minor surgeries.
As he reflects on his long career, Dr. Elliott is happy to share memories, both professional and personal, as well as insights regarding the changes in family medicine and rural healthcare he witnessed over the years.
One of the most rewarding roles in Dr. Elliott's early career was delivering babies. "It’s pure joy”, he recalls with evident pride and pleasure. “That thrill of following somebody through their pregnancy to delivery and afterward is like nothing else.”
When asked about the most significant changes he's seen, Dr. Elliott notes the decrease in number of family doctors, increase in medical specialization and expansion of primary care teams to include other health professionals such as nurse practitioners, pharmacists and social workers. "Today, people are a lot smarter about maintaining a better work-life balance,” he remarks. Although, when looking back, Dr. Elliott sees clearly how he and his colleagues overworked for years, carrying an unhealthy load of stress day in and day out. He credits his never-diminishing passion for hunting, fishing and--in the earlier years--hockey, for helping him avoid burnout.
Advising new doctors, Dr. Elliott emphasizes the importance of listening to patients and communicating effectively. "You've got to be able to explain things to people at their level,” he says with conviction. “When you talk over people, you're not doing them any good." He also encourages involvement in the local community as an important vehicle for physicians and their families to get to know and become known by others through volunteerism and participation in other community-based activities which appeal to their particular interests and talents.
Until he fully retires at an undetermined future date, Dr. Elliott plans to continue working four mornings a week as medical director at two long term care facilities and two residential care facilities in Pictou County.
In the meantime, semi-retirement affords him more frequent outings with Sharon, his wife of 51 years. As a family, the Elliott’s made many memorable trips over the years with their two daughters, Angela, and Shawna, who is a health services manager at the Aberdeen Hospital.
Dr. Elliott also finds time to go fishing with his grandson, read murder mystery novels and solve sudoku puzzles "to keep my brain active.” Once fully retired, he plans to take up something he briefly pursued 40 years ago – guitar lessons!
Dr. Elliott has created a distinctive legacy of compassionate care and wisdom to guide future generations of family doctors. We will miss his service, but we celebrate his contribution and well-deserved retirement.