As the new academic year begins, we caught up with some of our Southern Medical Program (SMP) students heading back to the lecture theatres and hospital bedsides. Here’s a Q&A with Claire MacKinlay:
Claire MacKinlay, 3rd Year Southern Medical Program student
Hometown: Kamloops
What inspired you to pursue medicine?
I loved the combination of scientific detective work and being able to be present during the big, trying moments in peoples’ lives, hopefully making a difference for the better.
What are you looking forward to most this upcoming year?
Clerkship is full of exciting firsts! First delivery of a baby, first time assisting at a surgery, first trauma patient, first code (I’m cheating a bit because 3 months in I’ve already had all of these firsts!). Mostly I’m excited to see myself progress over this year. Clerkship is a really cool opportunity to push yourself into new roles while having the safety net of a preceptor there to guide you along the way. I want to make sure I take full advantage of that and see where it takes me. I also have a lot of firsts happening in my personal life this year – first house purchase, first puppy and a wedding!
What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I took up painting this year. An hour or so at the easel became my reward for a productive study session.
Best piece of advice:
Don’t worry about how long it will take to pursue a potential goal – the time will pass by anyway. Write a detailed vision for your life 10 years from now, right down to the smell of your coffee in the morning, and design your life around what you need to do to get there.
What superpower do you wish you had?
Being a morning person.
Where in the world would you like to get lost?
The Italian countryside, preferably on a bicycle, with a picnic basket and my partner.