Estevan Mercury 20210811

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Great shots. Check out this year’s Summer Photo Contest. PAGE A10-11

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021

Dr. Sarah Tsoi now practising in Estevan Limitless. Organization advocates for people with disabilities. PAGE A3

Fantastic music. Bow Valley Jamboree a hit. PAGE A8

A person who is well-known to many in the community has bolstered the number of physicians practising in the community. St. Joseph’s Hospital announced Monday morning that Dr. Sarah Tsoi has joined the Primacy Medical Group, located in the No Frills Grocery Store building. Tsoi is originally from Estevan. She completed her honours undergraduate degree in microbiology and immunology at the University of Saskatchewan while playing in the Saskatoon Symphony. She then went to the

Ross University School of Medicine in Barbados and completed her medical school clerkships in the U.S. and her fourth year electives in Saskatchewan and Ontario. Tsoi then had her two-year family medicine residency training through the University of Saskatchewan in Moose Jaw, where she developed a special interest in women’s health, palliative care, and working with remote Northern Indigenous communities. She loves acrylic painting and baking. Her father, Dr. Edward Tsoi, is a long-time

physician in Estevan and is also at the Primacy Medical Group. “We are very pleased to welcome Sarah to the medical staff and we are very appreciative that she has chosen to start her medical career in Estevan,” said St. Joseph’s Hospital executive director Greg Hoffort. “St. Joseph’s Hospital is very appreciative of the support of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation, for the support they provide towards physician recruitment in Estevan.” There are now 14 physicians practising in Estevan, including two specialists.

Dr. Sarah Tsoi, back row middle, is pleased to begin practising in Estevan. Also in the photo are her father, Dr. Edward Tsoi, top row left, St. Joseph’s Hospital executive director Greg Hoffort, top row right, and new longitudinal integrated clerkship students Devynn McKenzie, bottom row left, and Murphy Walker. Photo submitted

Aspiring physicians have arrived in Estevan, and they’re looking forward to the upcoming year

Lots of racing. Estevan Motor Speedway holds double header. PAGE A8

Paying tribute. Jay Pierson Memorial Golf Tournament a hit. PAGE A9

By David Willberg For the fourth straight year, St. Joseph’s Hospital is part of a longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) program, and it’s bringing a couple of hopeful young physicians to Estevan to gain some much-needed experience. Devynn McKenzie hails from Churchbridge, while Murphy Walker is from Comox Valley, B.C. Both are third-year students at the University of Saskatchewan’s School of Medicine who arrived in Estevan on July 31, and have enjoyed their time in the community. “I’m really excited,” McKenzie told the Mercury. “Everyone at the hospital and in Estevan has been really friendly and so welcoming, so we’re really excited to be here.” Since arriving in Es-

tevan, McKenzie has had some shifts in the family medicine clinic and the emergency department, giving her some varied experiences. She has been working with a few of the physicians as well. Estevan has made a great first impression on Walker, too, thanks to the people he has encountered. “So far everyone’s really friendly,” said Walker. “My neighbours are great, and everyone in the hospital is really welcoming. I’m just really excited to work with all of the doctors here. They seem really knowledgeable and eager to help me learn.” He has spent time in the emergency department and in the family medicine clinic at the hospital and at the Primacy Medical Group in the No Frills building. This week he will

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be spending time at the Addictions Treatment Centre at St. Joe’s and getting to know the patients. It’s something he’s looking forward to, because he has a keen interest in mental health. “I think it’s becoming increasingly important in medicine for family physicians to be familiar with how to treat mental health and illness,” said Walker. The past 18 months have been challenging for everyone, including Walker, because a lot of his learning had pivot to virtual sessions. He’s excited to be back meeting with people in person, talking with them and building connections. Over the course of the year, Walker and McKenzie will devote time to each of the different departments. McKenzie said she

was interested in the LIC program because she hails from a town near Yorkton, so she wanted to experience practising medicine in a smaller centre. “I guess one of the biggest reasons would the longitudinal nature of the program,” said McKenzie. “Normally we would be doing rotations in different disciplines in medicine, one after another. But in the program here in Estevan, we get to experience lots of different disciplines and environments within medicine at one time, which makes for a really great learning experience, and allows you to integrate what you’re learning throughout,” she said. McKenzie had heard wonderful things about the LIC program, the physicians in Estevan and the administrative staff at St. Joe’s from the

previous LIC students. “They said it was a really great experience and they were really sad to leave, so that was a good sign,” she said. Walker added the LIC program seemed like a better way to build relationships with people, not just the physicians, but the patients at the hospital. He recalled visiting Estevan in 2019 through the Saskatchewan Medical Association’s Road Map Tour, which takes students from the College of Medicine to smaller centres in the province in an effort to have them consider rural medicine. “I did a little tour of the hospital, and then toured the town, and it was my first time coming to Estevan. It just seemed like a really welcoming environment,” said Walker. A2 »THE


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