Dreams come true for UBC med student

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Going to medical school not only changed Shannon Waters' life, it also brought her closer to the heritage that she'd never known.

Finishing up her last year of medical school at the University of British Columbia, 25-year-old Shannon Waters from Chemainus First Nation on Vancouver Island is now in the midst of applying for residency. Her first choice is the First Nations Family Practice program, in its inaugural year run by UBC, which sends medical school graduates to rural areas of the province with large Native populations.

The residency would take Waters back to Duncan, where she worked with Dr. Stephen Faulkner, a general physician who specializes in psycho-spiritual healing. Having worked in Duncan for the past 15 years, Faulkner recognized Waters' last name and thought he might have treated some of her relatives.

"My mom was adopted off the reserve when she was five years old and grew up in Duncan . . . but she didn't have much contact with [her birth family]," Waters explained.

"I ended up meeting some of my cousins and great aunts through Dr. Faulkner. They didn't know what had happened to my mom, and there I was . . . it was quite amazing," she added.

Although Waters has never lived on a reserve, her heritage played a big part in her education and will continue to do so in her career as a family doctor.

When Waters got accepted to the zoology program at the University of Calgary, her father suggested that she write to the Chemainus First Nation band council's education co-ordinator for some advice. The band was impressed by Waters' drive and determination and promised to sponsor her through college, provided that she maintained a B average.

"The band values education very highly. It even has its own college right on the reserve," Waters said. Four years later, when Waters opted for medical school over marine biology, the band renewed their financial support, including tuition and a monthly allowance for another three years.

The rest was supplemented by bursaries won by Waters with her excellent performance at school, but four years of medical school still left Waters with a sizable debt.

She said that a mandatory one-month rural stint between the second and third year of medical school is slowly changing the way would-be-doctors look at rural medicine.

"I was overwhelmed with some of the most remote communities I visited," said Waters. "There are some amazing walk-in clinics, but nobody working there.

"A lot of people in my class didn't think they could go to a small community, but after one month, they realize how much they can do for these people. Exposure is very important," Waters said.

In fact, Waters rates dealing with patients the most rewarding part about becoming a doctor. It's also what attracted her to the high-stress profession.

"You can be such a big part of a patient's life, the birth of their babies and helping them overcome illness. There's such a potential to make a good change."

Currently there are only three Aboriginal students out of 120 in Waters' class, and one each in the first, second and third year of UBC's medical school. Waters knows first hand that becoming a doctor can be an intimidating, and seemingly unattainable, aspiration.

"I never thought I'd be a doctor," she said. "And four years [of medical school] may seem like a long time, but it goes by quickly." Now she's excited about going back to her community, being a good physician and making a difference in the community. She'd also like to be a good role model, to show Aboriginal youth that they can be all they want to be.