Doctors Speak To Students About Rural Medicine

Groups of first and second year medical students from the University of Saskatchewan heard first hand from Dr. Adeyemi Laosebikan, a general surgeon in Melfort, about some of the realities of rural medical practice and how it might be better than choosing to work in the city.

The students were part of regularly scheduled tours the Saskatchewan Medical Association (SMA) has conducted around the province in partnership with Regional Health Authorities for three years now. They were touring Nipawin Hospital on Saturday, August 26.
“If you have an area of interest, you can develop that without the system bearing down on you,” said Laosebikan during one of the break-out sessions the students participated in.
A larger city would have more doctors offering more specialized services which might make it more difficult to be able to practise in that area, he said.
“There is more scope in rural areas,” said Laosebikan. “Bottom line, it can be very exciting.”
While first year medical students might not worry too much about balancing family life with a career, Laosebikan advised them at some point they would probably need to.
“It depends on the community and what your spouse wants to do,” Laosebikan said. In his case, his wife is a lawyer and set up her own practise.
In the case of Adam Neufeld, one of the students touring, his wife is a clinical psychologist which means they will likely need to live near a major centre but he jumped at the chance to tour the Nipawin Hospital.
Along with spending some time with his fellow students, Neufeld wanted to hear more about rural practise.
“I wanted to meet some docs here and see what it might be like to practise in a rural setting,” he said.
At age 30, he is more cognizant of the need for quality of personal life as well, with children likely in his future in a few years.
“Having a work/life balance is pretty important so having the ability to go out on the lake and spend some time outdoors, is something I put a lot of value on,” he said
“I’m not ruling it out, I haven’t really decided yet,” said Neufeld of a possible career in rural practise, although he is interested in family medicine.
“I have an interest in science and working with people,” he said “It’s just a really rewarding career option.”
Options for families are one of the key considerations for doctors choosing a practise location, a message backed up by Laosebikan, who moved to Melfort planning to stay for one year.
That became three and then 13 years as his family developed.
“Every time we talked about going away, the kids said no, we want to stay,” said Laosebikan.
“By the time you get to a certain age, it’s not about you. It’s about your family, your kids,” he stated.
Having a smaller city to work in means he can take his children to hockey practice because he can still stay within his maximum response time if he gets a call.
“If you look at work/life balance, you are ahead,” he said.



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