Residency: Family Medicine in Prince George, B.C.
There was never a specific “eureka” moment for me, but there were a multitude of life experiences and interests that led me to pursue family medicine as a career. A genuine fascination and love for science, general curiousity, wanting to know how to respond to an emergency situation, and working with people through complex detailed areas of their lives are just a few reasons I chose family medicine. I’ve always found the hands-on and relational aspects of the work desirable and motivating. Anyone who knows me well knows that I’ve always felt that, above all else, pursuing and practicing medicine is a significant team-based venture through and through, with countless people working with you and supporting you to succeed.
My favorite moment was the latter half of our final year in the program. This is because the NMP cohort came back together in-person after all of our clinical experiences and electives. We were able see one another, share stories and encourage one another through our CaRMS applications. This ended up being a very memorable and fantastic time in my journey.
Be intentional with your time (it is after all your most limited resource) and remain steadfast. You’ve signed up for a career where you’ll be learning indefinitely and frequently saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” Pace yourself to make the most of your learning experience, but always invest time into your family, social life and other interests as they will support you through the endeavor. Practice now, because most of us are still working on this!
Reflecting back, the last four years have certainly been challenging with long hours and the immense volume of learning. With that in mind, I am going to be making the most of the opportunity to enjoy downtime for adventure and leisure activities with my family. After that, residency begins and I’ll see what the next phase of education holds.
Fortunately, I matched to my first choice of family medicine residency programs here at UBC and will be remaining in Prince George, B.C. I’m really looking forward to continuing my education in a familiar setting with the healthcare teams and clinics that I’ve already been learning with and have built professional relationships with over the last several years. My family has a foundation of supports and friendship here that aided us through this journey so far, and I’m looking forward to being able to invest back into the community!