Dr. Andre Grobler (pictured right)
Dr. Andre Grobler | Family physician surgeon, Prince Albert, Meadow Lake and Nipawin I live and mainly work in Prince Albert. I am a GP surgeon working in multiple locations, including Meadow Lake and Nipawin. I do clinics once a week in Sandy Bay (a fly-in clinic – about a two-hour flight by small plane from Prince Albert) and once a week in Big River (a 1 ½-hour drive north of Prince Albert). I am married to Zirkia Grobler and have two boys, Andre Jr., 7, and Daniel, 5. I trained in South Africa and moved to Canada in 2008. I lived and worked in Estevan until 2014, and moved to Prince Albert to do an extra year of training in surgery. We decided to stay in Prince Albert.
What do you like to do with your leisure time and why? I love spending time outside. I enjoy hunting, fishing and flying small aircraft, especially if my family can join me while doing it. I love teaching my boys about nature and it gives me great joy to see the excitement when they have a fish on a hook or come hunting with dad. I also try to incorporate these things into my work. I do flyin northern clinics. In summer we will land at an island (on floats) to catch fish on the way home after the clinic. I am very privileged as not many people can fly, fish, and make a
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SMA DIGEST | SUMMER 2018
day’s wage while doing their job. Doing these things keeps me relaxed and makes me look forward to work so I can do it again.
Why do you think it is important for physicians to have outside pursuits? Work easily takes over a physician’s life if you are not actively involved in other activities. I believe a balanced physician is a better physician. When residents apply for the GP surgical program or ask to work with me, my first question is, ‘What are you doing outside of medicine?’ ◆