U.S. doctor, mentor makes rural Manitoba the next stop on career journey
A Manitoba-born doctor who had been working in the Emergency Department at a hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the last 15 years has come ‘home’ to rural Manitoba to continue her medical career. Dr. Arleigh Trainor, who was trained in the U.S., had opportunities to take positions across Canada, but decided ‘home was where the heart was’ and recently began working in Brandon.
Dr. Trainor works in the Emergency Room at Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC) and has a separate academic position with the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine at Brandon’s Satellite Campus as Assistant Dean. The Campus provides training for medical students in their third and fourth years. Her relocation efforts were a bit of a challenge, but she’s glad to be in the ‘Wheat City.’
“Not many people relocate from Sioux Falls, SD, to Brandon, MB. There was the option of only one moving company, and they had never done that (move to MB) in 25 years, so there were many issues with transport across the border. But Canada Border Patrol was lovely!”
Dr. Trainor’s journey and career path have wound their way through many provinces and American states.
“I went to college at Univeristé Laval as well as the University of Manitoba and the University of North Dakota. I graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 2003”.
Dr. Trainor completed her residency in Emergency Medicine at Hennepin County Medical Centre in 2006. She accepted a position in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at Washington Regional Medical Center, working clinically and in administration as the Assistant Director and then the Chief of the Emergency Department. There, she developed a love of academics, which led to a position as the Chief of the Division of Emergency Medicine at the University of South Dakota- Sanford School of Medicine.
“I am very excited about my academic position at the Brandon Satellite Campus, which is why I chose Brandon over the other job offers. I have a passion for academics, particularly rural academics. I am so pleased to be part of such warm and welcoming people. And of course, very happy to be working clinically within the BRHC Emergency Department.”
Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) Vice-President of Medical Services and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Adrian Fung says the region continues to build on its strong partnerships with the Max Rady College of Medicine (University of Manitoba) residency programs within the health region.
“The Brandon Satellite Campus, along with the Parkland Family Medicine Residency Unit, based in Dauphin and Neepawa Family Medicine Residency program have provided exceptional opportunities for physicians to train in rural settings. They’ve led to an increased number of physicians who continue to practice in PMH and in other rural and more remote communities,” Fung stated.
One thing that immediately impressed Dr. Trainor was how Brandon had flourished in the years since she left Keystone province.
“I grew up in Thompson and hadn’t been to Brandon since my mother had done summer school when I was a child, so it has grown tremendously, and there is construction everywhere! It’s been a very busy couple of months as I’m just getting oriented to my clinical and academic positions, which have taken up much of my time!
She was asked if there had been many adjustments from working in emergency medicine in the U.S. to seeing patients in the Emergency Department in Brandon.
“It has been a change to be sure, from the medications used to the units of measurement.”
For now, Dr. Trainor says each day is new, offering exciting challenges and opportunities ahead.
“I am really excited to be in Brandon, to provide service in rural Manitoba and to facilitate academic education to introduce others to the joy of rural health care!”
“There are some real positives in healthcare going forward here, including the new critical care centre, which is set to open soon at BRHC. I’m happy that there will be more beds as they are desperately needed in the area.”