by Dr. Sarah Giles
This summer I finally had the chance to give back to a community that had given so much to me.
Ten years ago, as a fairly useless medical student with only two years of school under my belt, I spent three months volunteering with a doctor in a small town in the Northwest Territories. Prior to this not-for-credit experience, I had been convinced that I wanted to be a neurologist. I had an undergraduate degree in neuroscience, had spent three summers doing neuro research, and it seemed like the logical next career step for me. The summer of 2003 showed me that there was an amazing career out there that I had never even considered: remote family medicine.
That summer, I worked with Dr. Shane Barclay. Shane’s parting words to me were: “For God’s sake, don’t make any life decisions because of me!” Over the years, I have repeatedly thanked my lucky stars that I met that amazing family doc and, sorry Shane, but I based my entire career on that summer. After a few months of flying around in tiny Cessnas and dealing with every imaginable medical problem, limiting myself to the brain and nerves seemed boring.
While in the little N.W.T. town, I sat in on almost every appointment. I offered nothing of value to the townspeople but they accepted my presence and were kind and encouraging to me. I made friends with people that summer with whom I am still in contact. I had always intended to go back as a locum but, for various reasons, it never worked out.
This summer, I turned that dream into a reality—I came back as the town doctor. If you had told me 10 years ago that I would one day be able to return and capably perform that job, I think I would have been shocked. As a remote doctor, there’s so much to know and so many factors to consider—and that complexity now makes the job fun and challenging rather than completely terrifying (though an element of healthy terror remains!).
So, to the townspeople who welcomed me 10 years ago and subsequently changed the course of my career, thank you. I hope that by providing you with locum coverage during the coveted month of August, that you finally see the benefits of having an eager med student sit in on your consultations so many years ago.
Dr. Sarah Giles is a locum family doctor working in the Northwest Territories.
Dr. Sarah Giles in the Northwest Territories.
