BC Family Doctor Day recognizes the unique contributions of family physicians
Over 240 patient nominations received for 2019
The front line of provincial health care, B.C.’s family doctors play a central role in the early identification of disease, improved management of chronic illness and helping people stay well. By developing trusting relationships with individuals and families, they provide effective, high quality, continuing care that can span a lifetime.
May 19, 2019, is BC Family Doctor Day, a day that acknowledges the work more than 6,000 family physicians do every day to support the health and wellness of British Columbians.
The British Columbia College of Family Physicians (BCCFP) invites patients to nominate their family physician for one of five My Family Doctor Awards. This year, they received more than 240 nominations.
BCCFP president Dr. Jeanette Boyd is a family doctor in Nelson, B.C. and says, “A common theme in the nominations we received from patients is their family physicians took the time to listen to them, and to appreciate them as individuals. This is the patient-centred approach that is the heart of family medicine. Their family physician will use this personal knowledge learned over time and work together with the patient and family to treat the whole person.
They take into consideration all of their patient’s preferences, complexities, experiences, relationships and their environment to co-create a treatment plan.”
Family medicine is a certified medical specialty requiring eight or more years of education and training.
Kyme Wegrich nominated Dr. Elizabeth Payne from Port Coquitlam. She’d been actively searching for a way to celebrate her family doctor, when she heard about the My Family Doctor Awards.
“Because family doctors work privately with their patients, they aren’t often recognized for how amazing they are,” she says. “Dr. Payne got to know me as a person first, and adapted her procedures in such a way that I could readily accept her care. Dr. Payne is now semi-retired, but I hope she passes on some of her amazing qualities to the doctors she’s mentored throughout the province.”
Michelle Lim nominated Dr. Margo Sweeny of Vancouver. Thanks to encouragement from her doctor, Michelle sought a routine colonoscopy, which detected Stage 2 rectal cancer.
“If it wasn’t for early detection through that colonoscopy, I wouldn’t have had such a positive outcome,” she says. “I’ve been with Margo for 20 years and she’s been a life coach, a central database for all of my medical information and someone who has accompanied me through all of the highs and lows of my life. As a family physician, she’s a vital part of the medical system and irreplaceable to me.”
Kara Przeczek nominated Dr. Marlowe Haskins of Smithers.
“His clinic is always busy, but Dr. Haskins never makes me feel that he doesn’t have time to answer my questions,” she says.” I really appreciate the exceptional, thorough, kind and considerate care that he’s provided to me and my family over the past seven years.”
Carrie Zelko-Norman nominated Dr. Christopher Collins of Nanaimo.
“When I saw the opportunity to nominate Dr. Collins, I didn’t hesitate,” she says. “He doesn’t profess to know everything, but makes an effort to research and gather information on anything that matters to me. He operates an evidence-based practice that recognizes all the dimensions of his patients. He’s committed to using the latest technology and ensures that patients are always informed and that their health care records are accessible to them.”
Dr. Collins notes that his practice is based on seeing the patient as an individual, not a collection of symptoms.
“Some patients want their doctor to treat them in a matter-offact manner and others want to be led down a gentler path regarding what’s happening in their lives,” he says. “Some appreciate it when you speak to them academically, while others want to be spoken to in simpler terms. You need to understand your patient and use the communication style that’s most suitable to them.”
As a family physician, Dr. Collins says he appreciates the relationships he develops with patients over time.
“Developing trust with patients over a long-term relationship helps both of us,” he says. “It isn’t simply a one-way street. I’ve practiced in Nanaimo for 11 years now and it’s really satisfying to look back at the many medical journeys I’ve shared with my patients.
Zelko-Norman says her doctor’s appointments always remind her of the well-known quote, “people may forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”
“That’s Dr. Collins,” she says. “When you leave the office, you’re still left with the feeling that someone else cares about you — that there’s someone in your corner who will act as your advocate.”
“When I saw the opportunity to nominate Dr. Collins, I didn’t hesitate. He doesn’t profess to know everything, but makes an effort to research and gather information on anything that matters to me. He operates an evidence-based practice that recognizes all the dimensions of his patients.” CARRIE ZELKO-NORMAN