There are 8 major First Nation reserves scattered around the small town of High Level, deep in the boreal forests of northwestern Alberta. It’s one of the primary reasons Dr Jennifer Parker moved there in the summer of 2014 to continue her career in rural family medicine after a couple of years in Fort St John, BC. “My Métis-Cree heritage is a big part of who I am,” she says. “Don’t let my white skin fool you. There is a proud Native heart beating inside me.”
Having just completed a residency in enhanced surgical and obstetric skills in nearby Grande Prairie, Alta, Dr Parker splits her time between a growing family practice at the High Level Medical Clinic and emergency shifts at the affiliated Northwest Health Centre. She also operates a weekly outreach clinic in Meander River, a predominantly Dene Tha’ community about 70 km north of High Level. And, whenever she can, she drives in to smaller, more remote reserves.
When working on a reserve, it always pays to be respectful of traditional First Nations knowledge and medicines, especially when conventional approaches don’t seem to be working. “You have to let go of the reins sometimes,” Dr Parker says. “It’s an honour and a privilege when traditional healers are willing to work with me. I’m still earning my stripes, but it’s something I’m quite happy to do.”
She and her partner—electrician and current stay-at-home dad, Shane—are also learning some valuable lessons about parenting. “Our 16-month-old son, Holden, blows my mind every single day,” says Dr Parker. “I don’t know a lot about parenting yet, but at least I can legitimately tell nervous mothers, ‘Don’t worry, you can get through this.’”
Following graduation, during her off hours as a staff physician at the hospital in Fort St John, Dr Parker started working closely with at-risk youth, sharing her personal experiences and warning them about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. “I grew up in a small town. I went to the parties. I had the tattoos and the coloured hair,” she says. “Maybe that’s why my message resonates with them.”
She still enjoys mentoring young people, both Native and non-Native. “I tell them they can go to university. I show them there is a life beyond the reserve, beyond the small town. I’m always available to ‘jabber on’ to anyone who wants to listen,” she laughs.
But rural medicine is now and has always been the overriding plan. “At one time, I briefly considered a career as a pediatric oncologist,” says Dr Parker. “But family medicine is a calling. I love having to deal with whatever medical problem walks, crawls, or drags itself through the door.”
“You have to let go of the reins sometimes”
PHOTOS (LEFT): Dr Parker at home (above) and with her dogs, Ember and Quinn (right). Dr Parker in the office (left).
PHOTOS (RIGHT, FROM TOP): Dr Parker with husband, Shane Fallows; son, Holden; and baby number 2 on the way (above). Dr Parker with Holden, Ember, and Quinn (top, down).
Footnotes
Dr Parker recently completed her certificate of added competence in surgical obstetrics and basic gynecology and now practises full time in High Level, Alta.
THE COVER PROJECT Canadian Family Physician has embarked on a project to assemble the portrait of family medicine in Canada. Each cover of the journal features a family physician chosen at random from our membership list, along with a short essay—a brief glimpse of the person and the practice. Over time, the randomness will become representative and the differences, taken together, will define what it is that all family physicians have in common.
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