When I first started medical school, I pictured a career as a medical researcher.

My plans quickly changed when I  was offered an opportunity to work as a clinician in Northern Manitoba. The opportunity really showcased how diverse my work could be and the ways in which I could enjoy applying clinical and surgical skills with the opportunity to apply evidence-based practice. This has allowed me to provide meaningful change for women’s health in the North, which is both rewarding and exciting for me!

I was recruited when I was a medical student and had a chance to complete some training in northern communities until I left for specialty training. When I finished in 2012, I came back to live and work in the region as an obstetrician-gynecologist. And I haven’t left. 

I highly recommend medical students and residents look for training opportunities in the North to discover how rewarding the clinical experience can be outside urban tertiary centres. 

In the North, you really do use all your training because you are the one person there to support the community. I’m the first person that people have access to address their care needs. While I can refer people to a larger centre, providing care to patients in this region provides a chance to apply all of my skills.

We depend on each other as a team. The nurses, the clerks, the obstetricians and the neonatal doctors. Everybody has to be able to work together because it takes all of us to care for a mom and a baby, particularly in times when there could be crisis. The nurses in the North are some of the best I’ve ever encountered. They are highly skilled because they not only do routine labour and delivery but they have to deal with pre-term babies, high-risk situations and everything else that comes their way.

We not only manage care together, we also laugh and sometimes cry together. Up here, you work independently but still need to be a team player. It’s important to understand the population you are serving.  Some of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had are working with our First Nations communities to bring birth options closer to home.

I love working in the North. This work is my life. I’m pretty lucky to work alongside really skilled providers who share my dedication and commitment to the betterment and care of everyone.

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Manitoba celebrates physicians who work in every sector of our health system whose skills, compassion and contributions to quality care make a difference in the lives of Manitobans every day.

For employment opportunities in the Northern Health Region, visit  https://northernhealthregion.com/careers/