Residency: Indigenous Vancouver Mainland Family Medicine Program
I became interested in medicine because I had been interacting with the medical system from a very young age. I wanted to help others like those who had helped me. Moreover, as a mixed-heritage Indigenous woman, seeing my family members interact with the healthcare system prompted me to work towards empowering Indigenous people to advocate for themselves in a Western system. I also loved science and puzzles growing up, and medicine was a perfect combination of those.
My favourite moment of my time at UBC would have to the student-led memorial service we held in our first year to honour the individuals who had gifted their bodies to the anatomy lab to support our medical education. It’s inspiring to meet the families of the individuals who had taught us so much about medicine and getting to hear their stories and about their mentorship.
Enjoy the process, but don’t let it consume your whole life! Medicine can be daunting and can easily take over all of your life, but prioritizing spending time with family, taking care of yourself and doing things that bring you joy and make you, you, outside of medicine are important to keep your cup full as you come into the program!
I’m spending the next few months travelling with my new husband before coming back to Vancouver to start residency in UBC’s Indigenous Vancouver Mainland Family Medicine Program!
I’m so excited to be able to continue to serve Vancouver’s Indigenous community, work with some incredible mentors and Elders, and to be in a program where I can be myself.