medicalpractitioner
BREAKING DOWN THE WELLNESS PIE, ONE SLICE AT A TIME
Robbie Pozer, Communications Advisor, Northern Health
How does someone in the world of medicine and healthcare manage their own wellness? I think many people just assume, “Hey, she’s a doctor, she must be healthy – she’s so involved in supporting wellness that it must be just easy!” The fact is, it’s not that easy. Yes, doctors help patients with their health every day, from stitches to prescriptions and everything in between, but the reality is often overlooked. They are people too! They’re individuals who, like everyone else, need their own wellness and support systems, inside and outside the busy healthcare system. This past month, I had a chance to speak with Dr. Susan Knoll, a family practitioner in Prince George, someone who, among many other wonderful traits, has incorporated wellness throughout her life. Here’s her story. What did your road to practicing medicine look like? Helping people has always been a passion of mine, and when I was in high school I enjoyed biology and physics. Truthfully, my mother suggested medicine and got me thinking it might be possible. If you were pointed in the sciences direction out of grade school when I grew up, the choices were a little more limited than they are now! I completed my two year pre-medical and my full medical program at the University of Saskatoon, and then went on to residency for a year each in Saskatoon and Regina. Once my residency finished, I moved to La Ronge, Saskatchewan, a town of 5,000 people, where I spent nine wonderful years! What inspires your personal wellness? Wellness for me comes down to what I preach to 18
Healthier You
SPRING 2018