Meet some of our first-year students (Class of 2020)
The NMP's first-year students, the Class of 2020, arrived at the UNBC campus in Prince George this past January after spending their first semester in Vancouver at UBC. Meet some of our newest students!
Laura Howlett
Hometown: Vancouver
What attracted you to the field of medicine?
I was always interested in healthcare and did my Bachelor of Nursing right out of high school. The main reason I decided to pursue medicine was because I felt that I wasn’t done learning about the human body. I really enjoyed taking my pre-requisite courses (yes, I even liked OChem) and this reinforced that going back to school was the right choice for me. It has been really helpful to have a clinical background in medicine and although it ended up being a bit more work, I wouldn’t change a thing about my path to medicine.
What are you most excited about beginning your studies with the Northern Medical Program?
I am most excited about the unique rural opportunities that the NMP offers. I am really looking forward to the remote community weekend shadowing program that is only available to NMP students, and the immersion in a First Nations community program that I will be doing as part of FLEX. I am also already enjoying the small class size and getting to know the faculty here at NMP. We have an amazing group of people up here in the North, they are definitely a highlight of the program!
What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and have fun?
There is no shortage of activities to get involved in up here in Prince George. Our classmates are super active and you can always find someone to rock climb or cross country ski with. I think one of my favorite things to do is to hit the Northern Sports Complex either before or after class. The facility is amazing and I love that all of my classmates have memberships because it is included in our school fees, it makes it super easy to find a workout buddy or organize a game of volleyball/squash/etc. I also love running on the campus trails, organizing lunch time workouts and cooking dinner with friends.
What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I worked in Obstetrics as a nurse for 6 years before entering medicine. I love the operating room and I secretly loved it when the doctor didn’t arrive on time and I got to deliver babies!
Kate Christison
Hometown: Prince Rupert, BC
What attracted you to the field of medicine?
Prior to medicine I worked as a Registered Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit and found that I loved the medical field. I enjoyed the challenge and always felt very privileged to be assisting people during their most vulnerable times. Although it was hard to leave nursing, I decided pursuing medicine was the best way to expand my knowledge and potentially do more for my patients.
What are you most excited about beginning your studies with the Northern Medical Program?
I completed my nursing degree at UNBC and am very excited to be back up North! I found the hospital in Prince George to be a great learning environment and the staff very supportive. Every one of the sites has a lot to offer but I do look forward to getting to know the small cohort and faculty really well here!
What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and have fun?
I grew up very active and am excited for all that Prince George has to offer in winter and summer sports. I plan on making it to each of the ski hills this area has to offer, Jasper included. Cooking has also always been something I make time for, mostly because I love to eat.
What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I worked as a city gardener every summer and seriously considered pursuing horticulture instead of nursing.
Rebecca Afford
Hometown: Nelson, BC
What attracted you to the field of medicine?
I can’t fully put a finger on this. In elementary school, my parents got me my first "anatomy textbook", a Scholastic children’s “Human Body” book that came with a little plastic figurine that you put the bones and the organs in the anatomically-correct positions. This is what may have sold me along with games of Operation with my cousins. When I was 13, I became fixated on becoming a doctor and by 16, I committed myself to pursuing this as a career even though I didn’t fully understand the breadth of medicine (I had only ever seen a GP before!)
What initially attracted me to medicine was my fascination with the human body. The more that I learned about it, the most interested I became - this is still true today. As my preteen self was still trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, working with people became a crucial aspect in my future career choice. I love working with people. Specific to medicine, I wanted to help people during times of need and when they are vulnerable. It may be cliché, but I really do appreciate medicine as an art and a science. Now that I am in medical school, I am amazed by how the interactions we have with patients and the clinical experiences that we are privileged with allow us to learn so much about ourselves. This personal growth aspect has been the cherry on top of being accepted into this field.
What are you most excited about beginning your studies with the Northern Medical Program?
I don’t know if I can pick a single thing that I am MOST excited about being a part of the NMP. My classmates are fantastic; admissions couldn’t have chosen a better group of people to send up here. Not only our class, but the Year 2’s are all amazing people that I am very proud to call my colleagues. The smaller class size and the hands-on clinical experiences are both a huge benefit of studying at this campus. The facilities that we have here are beautiful both at the UNBC campus and the hospital. As an added bonus, I have found out that there are unbelievable sunrises and sunsets in the north.
I come from a small town and I definitely miss some of the comforts and familiarity that comes along with that. Something I didn’t realize before coming to Prince George was how friendly people are. The people here are so inviting and just so interested in striking up conversations. Along with this, being so close to the mountains and all of the outdoor activities that come along with being in a smaller centre is such a benefit. All of these things, plus short commutes, make PG feel just a little more like home.
What do you like to do in your spare time to relax and have fun?
I swam competitively for 16 years including a stent with varsity. Now that I have retired, I consider myself a "swammer", but still love getting in the pool when I have the time. Because I grew up being physically active, I now make it part of my everyday routine. I get up every morning before class to get a workout in. It’s great stress relief and helps keep me focused for some of the longer days of lectures.
Overall, I love adventuring - whether that's travelling, getting outside, and/or trying something new, I am up for new experiences.
What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I love traveling (this may not be surprising - lots of people like travelling), but traveling has led to some incredibly memorable experiences including snorkelling with barracudas, swimming in a geothermal pool next to the Arctic Ocean, sleeping under the stars in the Australian outback, and booking a last-minute trip to Cuba three days before departing.
