Jordan Nostedt, SMP 2015
I really enjoyed my rural rotation in Creston. Not only was the medical community great, there was plenty to do outside the hospital and clinic as well.
Early on in the rotation there was a BBQ at one of the local doctor’s home that made me feel very welcomed right from the beginning. This provided an opportunity to meet most of the local physicians in a setting outside of medicine. The warm welcome I experienced there extended to the office and hospital as well. Everyone was very supportive and excited to have learners in the community.
Having preceptors who were excited to teach, combined with a broad scope of very interesting medicine provided for a great month. Things were fast paced and my preceptor continually challenged me. As a result I learned a lot and the four weeks seemed to be over before I was ready to leave. I was fortunate to be exposed to a wide variety of things both in the small local hospital as well as in the clinic. Being in a smaller center also provided some insight into the challenges of stabilizing patients for transport to larger centers, something I had not had to think about in previous clinical experiences. All in all Creston provided a great example of what it is like to be a full scope rural GP in BC and I thoroughly enjoyed this experience.
As great as the medical experience was, a recap of a month in the Kootenays would not be complete without a brief mention of some of the things to do outside of the clinic and hospital. The Creston Valley has some great cycling, beautiful trail runs, stunning lakes, incredible alpine hiking and some top-notch wineries. For someone like myself who loves the outdoors, the surrounding area provided a spectacular playground during time off from clinical work.
My month in Creston, although it went by very fast, was a great introduction to clinical work and I am grateful to the community doctors whose passion to teach made it a great learning experience for me.