The new physician coming to practice in Estevan is not a stranger to the community.
Dr. Ryan Cormier will start in Estevan in early September. He completed his medical school training at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine, and graduated two years ago.
Since that time he had his two years of family medicine residency training in Winnipeg in the bilingual program, which he said is rural family medicine program. He will start his local tenure in September.
Cormier will establish his practice with the South East Medical Group, collaboratively with Dr. Edward Krickan, who arrived in Estevan in July 2017, and Dr. Neal Cabigon, who came to Estevan last summer.
Cormier’s first experience with Estevan came between his second and third years of medical school, when he came to the city and spent about six weeks working at St. Joseph’s. He returned for additional stints in each of his third and fourth years, as part of his rural family medicine block, and really enjoyed it.
“Just having those early exposures probably played a huge part in why I’m coming back today. I made a lot of close friends, and my girlfriend is from here, so potentially there is some family there too.”
He finds Estevan to be a very tight-knit and enjoyable community.
“I would say I have a good amount of exposure and experience, just how the hospital and how the clinics work,” he said.
Everyone he dealt with when he was in Estevan previously was great to work with, he said.
The past experience with Estevan should be beneficial once he starts, because he knows how many of the different departments operate.
“I understand how things function, and have worked with the staff before, so it’s going to make that transition a bit easier, for sure, when I start.”
He has not worked closely with Krickan or Cabigon before, as he was in Manitoba for his residency at that point. But Cormier has met with Krickan when Cormier has come back to the community for a visit.
Cormier does not have formal specialty training, but he has an interest in the emergency department, acute care and in-patient hospital care. Obstetrics is another area of interest for him.
He said Estevan has a lot to offer him beyond work. He likes to spend a lot of time outdoors, and is an avid angler, so he has enjoyed time spent on Boundary Dam and Rafferty Dam. He also enjoys cycling and golfing.
“I find I can do all of that here. In the winter, I enjoy going to the (Estevan) Bruins games, and following up on the hockey and the community sports. Having the friends and the family already in the community, it definitely helps. You have people to go out with. And there’s a lot more things to do.”
Cormier decided to go into medicine because he finds each day in the profession to be unique. It forces him to be willing to learn, to stay sharp and to read up on the latest developments in the medical field.
“Of course, the main reason most people go into it, and why I went to it, is you get to play a huge part in someone’s life, helping people out, helping the sick and making their day much better. It’s rewarding in that way.”
Cormier’s arrival will bring the number of physicians practising in Estevan to 11, with 10 of those focused on family medicine.
