A year went by like a moment, and the latest longitudinal integrated clerkship (LIC) program student, Marlize Hipwell, is saying bye to St. Joseph's Hospital and the community.
She came to Estevan at the end of last summer and is to complete this stage of her education in mid-July. For eleven months she's been working at the hospital side-by-side with local staff, learning first-hand what it takes to be a doctor.
Now she will continue with her university-based education, however, she said the last months were very valuable.
"It's been great. I've learned a lot and had a lot of patient encounters and experiences that taught me a lot," Hipwell said in an interview with the Mercury.
She was able to help with prenatal care and baby deliveries, which is her primary interest. She also had many shifts at the emergency department, but also worked in a family medicine clinic, which allowed for building long-term relationships with patients.
While a lot of interactions were over the phone due to COVID, many appointments still were in-person.
"I worked with patients in person, whenever it was obstetrical related, or an emerge. A large part of my interactions in the family medicine clinic were over the phone. But I still got to see patients in person if they had something that needed to be looked at in person," Hipwell said.
She's put in many hours, which she really enjoyed.
"I love being busy. I love being in the hospital. I love managing a lot of cases all at once. I was really a valued member of the care team here, so I got to do a lot of things kind of independently, still under supervision, of course. But I was very independent, especially later on in the year when I had developed more skills. So I was busy and I really enjoyed doing things," Hipwell said.
She got to try on different hats, and also had a chance to work alongside various specialists, who shared their knowledge and expertise. She also built great relationships with the hospital staff and said that the entire experience definitely made her a stronger professional.
"I think that my confidence in my clinical skills (improved). I had the opportunity to be a member of the healthcare team and not just the students who observed. I got to actually participate in care. So I think that improved my confidence throughout the year and my abilities. And I learned a lot just medical knowledge-wise. Like that patients don't present the way that the textbook tells you they do and you have to always have a broad differential in terms of what you think might be going on with the patient so you don't miss anything," Hipwell shared.
While she had a lot to do at the hospital, she still was able to check out what Estevan has to offer. She toured the area, went kayaking, dined at local restaurants, travelled to Roche Persee and checked out Woodlawn Regional Park and its free part, including the dog park.
"Estevan and the surrounding area were really enjoyable to explore and to see all the things that you could do here."
Now Hipwell is going to Saskatoon to finish off her last year of medical school. And then she is planning to apply for a residency program with the intention to go into rural family medicine. A lot still needs to be done, but she said she hopes to return to Estevan as a professional.
"I've been promising everyone, so I guess I better put it on record. It is my intention to come back here," Hipwell said.
She added that the LIC program, particularly at St. Joseph's Hospital, is something more students should consider.
"I've been advocating to the years below me about how great this program is, especially at this site. One hundred per cent, I think this is the way to go … You get so much hands-on experience here and a lot of one on one time with your preceptor, so you really can enhance your learning and tailor your learning to your learning needs here."
She added she was grateful to everyone who's made her experience in Estevan so great.
"Just a big thank you to everyone that invested time in my learning and helped me navigate everything as I spent my year here."
