Two takes on COVID-19 Dr. Steven Goluboff retired during the pandemic; Dr. Jared Diederichs is one of the physicians who took over his practice By Girard Hengen Longtime Saskatoon family physician Dr. Steven Goluboff admits to some regret about retiring while his colleagues continue to grapple with a resilient COVID-19 pandemic. “I feel that by retiring, I’m abandoning the ship,” he told the SMA. “I’m feeling a little bit guilty. Everyone says I’ve gone beyond the call of duty. How many guys in their 70s are still working in Saskatchewan? Probably not a lot, but I kind of feel like I shouldn’t quit now.” Dr. Goluboff, who joined the forerunner to the City Centre Family Physicians (CCFP) practice in 1981, retired from CCFP on July 31, 2021 – but not totally from medicine. “I’m still having too much fun being a doctor. I’m not tired of seeing patients,” he said. “I’ve said to my group, any time you need help or advice, just call me. I’ll give you a bit of guidance, because I want them to take good care of my patients.” He could be providing advice to Dr. Jared Diederichs, who along with another physician, Dr. Patrick McMahon, joined CCFP in 2018 to begin taking over from Dr. Goluboff as he tapered his workload. When the pandemic hit last spring, Dr. Goluboff was preparing for retirement while Dr. Diederichs, who graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine in 2016, was just getting established. “Nobody expected a global pandemic,” said Dr. Diederichs. “In the first five years of practice, every day is a learning opportunity, and I am still asking my colleagues and mentors for advice. I felt like my career was going as planned. I was building my practice, getting involved with undergraduate medical teaching, and exploring other areas of interest like obstetrics.”
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SMA DIGEST | FALL 2020
