Resident Monthly Feature

Profiles

Name: Bree Harris

School (Undergrad, Med School, Residency):
Undergrad – University of Alberta
Med School – University of Saskatchewan
Residency – University of Alberta
Residency Year – PGY-5
Hometown – Saskatoon

Activities outside of residency: When I moved to Edmonton I took up biking. It started with road biking and it started with one bike, and then there were two, and well, as every biker knows, my collection will never be complete. Biking has been an amazing excuse to explore the city and the mountains and abroad.

Favorite surgery to do: Middle ear exploration, although I still love a good satisfying neck abscess drainage

Career plans/Leanings?: General otolaryngology practice in Penticton, BC starting in August.

What would you be doing if you weren’t in otolaryngology, or weren’t in medicine at all? – I’d likely have continued down the engineering road from my undergrad program, but growing up I always did have career aspirations as a monster truck driver… so who knows where I would’ve ended up.

Any on-call superstitions or routines? – I always brought an armload of extra underwear, socks, and filled meal-sized Tupperwares for weekends on call. It always seems when you don’t have what you need you end up at the hospital for the whole weekend.

Favorite residency traditions/memories at your home program? – I have great memories of hockey games and ski trips with the residents. That’s what I love about our resident team, no matter how busy everyone is there’s always someone up for an adventure.

What will you miss most about residency when you’re all done? – I’ll definitely miss the residency team. It has been pretty amazing to be part of such a diverse, talented, and fun group of people


 

Name: Tim Phillips 

School (Undergrad, Med School, Residency):
Undergrad: University of King’s College
Med School and Residency: Dalhousie

Residency Year: PGY 5

Hometown: Halifax

Activities outside of residency:   Hanging out with family and friends, trying all the good restaurants in Halifax, occasionally exercising, and travelling.

Favorite surgery to do:  Parotidectomy + Neck Dissection

Least favorite surgery:  Adult Tonsillectomy

Career plans/Leanings?  I’m doing a Head and Neck Fellowship at UC Davis in Sacramento, Ca. I also completed a Masters of Medical Education during my residency. I would really like to be involved in medical student and residency training in some aspect. I am currently on the job-hunt for July 2018….nudge-nudge, wink-wink…

What would you be doing if you weren’t in otolaryngology, or weren’t in medicine at all?  Tough to say… A job that would pay me to travel. Pilot? Writer? Sexy flight attendant?

Any on-call superstitions or routines?   Nothing major. Although I do like to make bets on when patients being transferred from an outside hospital will arrive. A good guess is to double the average driving time and add 20 minutes.

Favorite residency traditions/memories at your home program?  I have a lot of great memories from residency. One day I look forward to each year is the Annual Surgery Golf Day. It’s always sunny and the beer is always cold.

What will you miss most about residency when you’re all done?   Residency was overall a great time in my life. A lot of big life moments occurred including buying my first home, marriage and 3 kids (twins in April)! Directly related to residency, I think I will miss the camaraderie among the other residents and the unique aspect of having a job where essentially your main role is to learn.

 

 


Name: Kristine Anne Smith

School (Undergrad, Med School, Residency):
Undergrad: University of Saskatchewan: Major: Toxicology
Medical School: University of Saskatchewan (MD)
Residency: University of Calgary

Residency Year: PGY 5

Residency Nickname: Special K

The Pus Princess (due to my horrendous call karma and propensity to attract neck abscesses)

Hometown: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Activities outside of residency:
Despite coming from a flat place like Saskatchewan, I’ve become addicted to all the vertical sports! Rock Climbing and Scuba Diving are my favorites by far. Living in Calgary, I also got into Backcountry Skiing and Hiking. And of course video games (guilty pleasure).

 

Favorite surgery to do:
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery. I love how it’s different every time, how the anatomy is always changing and how every case has its own challenges. Plus, it’s basically like boney bubble wrap inside the nose… Ethmoid bulla – pop! Anterior ethmoid cells – pop pop! #nosenerd

Least favorite surgery:
Stapedotomy – I hate fracturing the anterior crura, I’m always worried the whole footplate is going to come out. >.<

Career plans/Leanings:
I’m moving to Salt Lake City, UT in June 2017 for my fellowship in Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery with the University of Utah. After that, I’m hoping to pursue a Masters Degree in Health Services Delivery research and tackle some of the big access issues in Canada.

What would you be doing if you weren’t in otolaryngology, or weren’t in medicine at all?
I’d probably be the most amazing administrative assistant ever – it would be great! Lists and organization… Then I’d have all my weekends free for fun stuff instead of call. Or I’d run a dive boat in the Caribbean. Probably the dive boat!

Any on-call superstitions or routines?
Do not say ‘quiet’ around me when I’m on call – you will bring down the panultimate disaster of consults. No Q words! I have the worst call karma. Even the staff know it and dread it. One of my staff told me that on call, I am Voldemort and he is Harry Potter… I’m the bringer of consults apparently.

Favorite residency traditions/memories at your home program?
At U of C we have a Christmas photo/card we do every year. It’s always hilarious and it’s a great bonding experience. I have an awesome collection of resident Christmas cards from the last 5 years! We also have awesome chief resident led half-days in the summer – 50% learning 50% fun! Who knew you could learn so much at a trampoline park.

What will you miss most about residency when you’re all done?
The other residents of course! Our program is so small everyone feels like family. Gaby, Ashley, Julie and Carrie are like my sisters and Devon, Justin and Fran are like my brothers. It won’t be the same! Also, how all the hospital coffee shops know and recognize me. You have to drink a lot of coffee to be able to wander up at 2 am and mumble something and still be able to get your regular order.

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