B.C. doctor who returned to her small hometown to practice shares ideas on how to get others to do the same

As rural communities across the province struggle with doctor shortages, a new practicein the northwestern B.C. community of Smithersmay point to a way out of the problem.

This is where I'm supposed to live and create my life.- Dr. Mallory Quinn

The new clinicis being led byDr. Mallory Quinn, who recently returned to her hometown after graduatingfrom the University of British Columbia's Northern Medical Program in Prince George.

Quinn said although she wanted to be a doctor since she was thirteen, it wasn't until a visit home last year that she considered opening a practicein the town of just over 5,000.

"I had gone for a hike with a few girlfriends, and returned home that evening and just had a moment of 'This is where I'm supposed to live and create my life,' " she told CBCDaybreak Northhost Carolina de Ryk.

By the next day, she said, the paperwork was in motion for the Northern Roots Medical Clinic, which started accepting patients Monday.

Province-wide shortage

Quinn said she believes the clinic, which includes two other doctors, will be able to acceptall ofthe estimated 1,500 people in the region without a family physician.

Aside from a lack of family doctors, the town has also been without a walk-in clinic since 2015.

This has meant that people are visiting the local emergency room for non-emergency issues, putting a strain on staff there, a situation seen in other smaller communities across B.C.

Province-wide, it's estimated up to 15 per cent of the population has no family doctor.

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Train doctors from the places they're needed

UBC's Northern Medical Programwas created to address doctor shortages in the north by exposing students to the possibility of practicing outside urban centres and making it easier for people from the region to become doctors.

Quinn says she doubts she would have returned to Smithers without the program.

"I think it's the main reason that I did stay," she said. "It opens your eyes, when you work in these small towns, as to what the challenges and benefits are."

She also said it'simportant to expose kids from smaller communities to the possibility of a career in medicine.

"The home-grown aspect is not to be undervalued," she said.

Still, simply training doctors in the region doesn't get them to stay. A CBC investigation in 2011 found that of the first 24 studentsto graduate the program, only fivehad opened a practice in northern B.C.

A later studyfrom UBC found improvements:nearly two-thirds of fully licensedgraduates choseto practice family medicine in rural and northern British Columbia. But shortages remain.

Offering support

Quinn said another important aspect of her decision was the ability to findtwo other doctors to practice with her, so each one can be guaranteed time off and support.

"There is concern about physician burnout and overloading at the start of your career," Quinn said.

Group recruitment has been used in northeast B.C. where, last year, medical clinics in bothFort St. John and Dawson Creek announced the arrival of three new doctors.

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