Back in 1993, new mom Debbie Dooler and baby Amy were just finishing an appointment with her obstetrician when inspiration struck. “She was a young, competent, and confident woman,” Dr Dooler remembers, “and I decided right there and then, that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a doctor.”
It was a long road from inspiration to Certification. First, she had to upgrade her high school credits in math, physics, biology, and English before she could enrol in the Mack School of Nursing at Niagara College in Ontario to earn her Registered Nursing Diploma. Next stop was Brock University in St Catharines, Ont, to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in community health science, followed by a Master of Education in organizational administration. And then it was off to McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont, for her Doctor of Medicine and, finally in 2005, her residency in family medicine.
“Nursing really taught me the basics of hands-on bedside care and ensured that no matter what happened, I would always have a job in medicine,” Dr Dooler says. From then on it was a lot of balancing and juggling, raising 3 kids with her fire-fighter husband, John, while she compiled her lengthy medical resume.
Today, Dr Dooler splits her time between a walk-in clinic in Waterdown, Ont—handling all the day-to-day emergencies and health problems that come through the door—and working as a palliative care physician with the Hospice Niagara-South Palliative Shared Care Team.
“We ensure patients are comfortable and offer compassionate care and counseling throughout their entire journey so they can die at home with dignity,” Dr Dooler says. She was also involved in setting up the Shared Care Team, which works closely with local doctors and community nurses to ensure there is equal access to palliative care services throughout the region. “[It was] a dream, getting the funding in place and assembling the full team, including a nurse practitioner, a clinical navigator, and 2 psychosocial bereavement counselors,” she says.
Dr Dooler also loves teaching. Shortly after graduation, she returned as Assistant Professor, tutoring the very first class of future medical doctors at McMaster’s newly opened Niagara Regional Campus. “Their enthusiasm is infectious,” she says. “It helps keep me excited about medicine and on top of the most recent developments.” A number of Dr Dooler’s students have also completed a 2- or 3-week elective with her palliative outreach team. “No matter what your area of medicine, every doctor benefits from gaining a better understanding of end-of-life care,” she says.
Dr Dooler says she and her husband are “empty nesters” these days. Her oldest child, Rick, has graduated with an accounting degree and is currently working as an accountant. Her daughter, Amy, has graduated from Ryerson University in Toronto, Ont, and is working as a registered nurse. And her youngest son, Johnathon, is studying to become an electrician at Niagara College. “We stay active, biking and hiking, but are looking for some new hobbies too,” she says. “We really enjoy target shooting at the gun range and have just passed our ham radio operators’ licence.” It seems that going back to school is habit forming.
“[Teaching] helps keep me excited about medicine”
PHOTOS (LEFT): (Above) Dr Dooler in her office within the Hospice Niagara-South Palliative Shared Care Team. (Far left) Dr Dooler with her community palliative outreach team (back row, left to right): Susan DeCicco, Clarence Braun, and Sue Battersby-Campbell; (front row) Dr Maria Becker and Dr Dooler. Dr Dooler returning from a community visit.
PHOTOS (RIGHT): (From top down) Dr Dooler with her husband, John. Dr Dooler with her target rifle at Silverdale Gun Club in St Anns, Ont. Dr Dooler practising target shooting at the range. (Above) Dr Dooler at home with her family (left to right): daughter, Amy; husband, John; and sons, Rick and Johnathon.
Footnotes
Dr Dooler is a family physician providing community palliative care and urgent care services in Niagara and Waterdown, Ont, and Associate Professor at McMaster University’s Niagara Campus.
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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