The Arcola Health Clinic now has a new doctor added to their staff and in a recent sit-down with the Observer the newest member of the community shared a little about himself.
It has only been two weeks since Dr. Anthony Davis moved to Arcola and started working at the town's clinic but said he is already enjoying his time. Dr. Davis moved from Lagos, Nigeria to Canada in 2011 where he spent a year in Manitoba and then in the fall of 2012 he and his family moved to Saskatchewan. In the same year he successfully passed his Saskatchewan International Physicians Practice Assessment (SIPPA) exam. SIPPA was a program implemented by the government in 2011 used to assess all International Medical Graduates (IMGs) for readiness to practice in Saskatchewan. The program ensures that IMG physicians have the appropriate mix of academic knowledge, technical skills, and clinical judgment to provide safe patient care.
"I was in the last batch that started in September (2012) and we were done in January. I was sponsored by Sun Country Health Region, so I did a stint with them for one year which I just completed, working in the emergency room, nursing home and hospital in Canora" he said.
Although Dr. Davis officially started only a few weeks ago he has made several visits to Arcola since last July and he said it was then that he knew he would like to practise in town.
"Each area is different in terms of the mix of cases you see, so being a general practitioner is more rewarding if you see different kind of cases," he said.
"You're seeing older folks; you see younger folks who are also just starting their family, so I liked it for that but by far the most compelling thing for me to move is the [infrastructure]"
He said the work space and offices are well arranged which exudes a sense professionalism. Additionally he praised the Moose Mountain Health Care Corp that he said is very proactive and notices how the organization plans well.
Davis said he will soon start doing anesthesia in the hospital and said the scope of practise is sufficient and broad enough for him to do different things in town. He also highlighted the fact that he considers himself a rural doctor as his practise profile has always been in rural areas.
"I like it here and I want to practise as long as possibleI never liked city practise because you are kind of limited in what you do, there are so many people competing for a little piece of the cake," he said.
He also indicated that the things he has found to be attractive in Arcola are its patients and how welcoming and friendly they have been. He said the patients he's seen so far have a good understanding of their issues and that allows him to better target problems.
