OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY
Was there an aspect of the residency program that was unexpected and required adaptation on your part?
Sharing of tasks between residents.
The rapid progression of responsibilities and having to combine the assessment of several patients while ensuring the coverage of the delivery room.
No
What is your favorite alcoholic drink?
Quebec natural wine
Like any gynecologist, the Bloody Caesar
Gin and tonic with gin and tonic from Quebec
What do you think is the most difficult medical practice?
Practice with nights and work the next day on call; especially with young children.
Heart surgery is the most difficult for me, because they are always a heartbeat away from death. As for the easiest, it's the one we practice, otherwise we wouldn't have chosen it! At least, we thought so at one point….
In your opinion, what is the easiest medical practice?
Day only without guard. What does not happen to me!
What personality traits are typical of your profession?
leadership and efficiency
Hard-working, rigorous, open-minded.
Enthusiasm, kindness, lots of energy, good adaptability, compassion and empathy
Would you be friends with your colleagues if you had met them outside of work?
Yes, one of my colleagues and I did our medical course together, did the same subspecialty and work together on a daily basis. I have several of my colleagues who are my friends with whom I do activities outside the hospital.
Some yes, some no
Not easy and rather rare, since we like it or not, the work puts us in contact with people that otherwise we would never have met. In addition, this relationship can sometimes go wrong when the border between work and friendship is weakened by the positions held, conflicts or differences of opinion. But, it can also happen that beautiful, real, intimate and lasting friendships are born. It all depends on everyone's ability to bond, the vibe and the compatibility of everyone's lifestyles.
What do you think is the most important factor for a successful residency in your specialty?
The determination!
Enthusiasm, motivation and energy.
Technically skilled, good ability to tolerate the stress and suffering of others, good knowledge and great desire to acquire others, excellent judgment and great capacity for work
What do you think is the most important factor for a successful career in your specialty?
Empathy and humility.
Passion for women's health.
Technically skilled, good ability to tolerate the stress and suffering of others, good knowledge and great desire to acquire others, excellent judgment and great capacity for work
What is the best advice you have received?
When we want we can.
Do not say yes to all requests!
There are only those who do nothing to whom nothing happens, so go for it in life and go towards the areas that attract and fascinate you. Don't think about money, power and ease, because that's not what brings professional happiness. Another version is the 5 tips for surviving as a doctor: Be yourself, say thank you, eat vegetables, take an afternoon nap, and be happy no matter what!
What is the most common criticism you receive?
That I don't think enough of myself.
Delay in my clinics, poor patients who have their appointment at the end of the clinic.
That I am very demanding, but as I am also even more so towards myself, people forgive me willingly and this leads others to surpass themselves!
How would your colleagues describe you?
Energetic, attentive, positive, leader.
Authentic and a little German
Ah! He has the answer to everything! I answer right away that I'm not the good Lord, because if that were the case I would have a halo above my head and holes in my arms. Adopt it according to your religion. If you're an atheist, I can't help it, but artificial intelligence can do the job... Jokes aside, it always makes me happy to pass on my knowledge, especially after several years when we have actually seen a lot of things…
What specialty would you never do? Why?
Pathology. Too many microscopes. Not enough patients.
Ophthalmology, because it affects the eyes
Pediatric intensive care, I believe that I would have great difficulty detaching myself from the events of my work and I would be afraid that this would affect my personal and family life
Do you have to practice OB for your entire career or is it possible to change to office gynecology exclusively later in your practice?
As a gynecologist oncologist, I no longer practice obstetrics since the end of my residency.
If you had to change your specialty, which would you choose?
If I had the choice I would not change. If I had to change I would choose another surgical specialty, surely general surgery.
Anesthesia, for the technical component and acute management.
ENT, general surgery, palliative care, medical oncologist… I have a lot of interest
Several specialties, those that stimulate adrenaline: MD emergency, intensive care, anesthesiology...
Honestly...no idea.
General surgery or urology for the technical side, general medicine for obstetrics and the global approach, psychiatry for the psychological dimension, internal medicine for the complexity or even medical oncology to succeed with research at cure cancer!
Do you have to practice OB for your entire career or is it possible to change to office gynecology exclusively later in your practice?
In large urban centers it is possible to do only gynecology. In the smallest regional centers it is difficult not to do childcare and therefore obstetrics.
I am a gynecologist oncologist so I no longer do obstetrics, which is what the majority of my colleagues do. The workload and the preservation of expertise would be too heavy and difficult to preserve.
Does your specialty take jokes well at work?
Yes!
Is there room for men in OB?
Certainly! Hoping there will be more in the next few years.
Unfortunately, less and less. Despite the desire for sexual non-discrimination, the integration of men into the “feminine” professional environments that medicine and particularly obstetrics are becoming will be a challenge for the coming decades. Moreover, even if medical training is marked by a strong desire for professionalization detached from gender norms, the expectation of pregnant women and the arrival of midwives amplifies the sexualization of our specialty. However, it is not necessary to have already given birth to understand and treat a pregnant woman, just as it is not necessary to have had a major depression to understand a depressed person. A reflection of the medical and general society is essential...
Is there a place for research in OB?
Yes, and several research projects are underway in our center.
More than ever, research is important to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality rates. There is a real delay in the acquisition of knowledge. We're taking care of heart attacks in smoking men and producing a vaccine to defeat covid-19 in 6 to 12 months, but we don't even understand yet how labor really starts, preventing preterm labor, preeclampsia, low-weight babies and so on. It requires not only understanding the magnitude of the problems, but also identifying innovative evidence-based solutions. Often there is a lack of valid data on identified factors associated with maternal complications (older maternal age, obesity and comorbid conditions). Hopefully the next generation will do better than us!
Biggest challenge? What obstacles do you encounter most often in your field and how do you overcome them?
Service leadership and management in this pandemic time with limited resources.
The mismatch between growing needs and the lack of resources amplified by the indifference, powerlessness and/or lack of accountability of managers not supported by politicians and an inadequate performance indicator management system. We manage to overcome this thanks to the will and unwavering commitment of a collaborative team, patient-centered and dedicated (in energy and time) marked despite everything by the good humor and remarkable humanism of all. Small daily miracles!
What obstacles do you encounter most often in your field and how do you overcome them?
The announcement of bad news which is quite common in high-risk pregnancies. I overcome this challenge by discussing complex cases with my colleagues and taking the required time that the couple requires. I thus have the feeling of having accompanied these patients to the maximum.
Best part of the specialty?
The joy of birth!
When you receive a warm THANK YOU simply with a big smile and sincere eye contact.
Which specialty gets on your nerves the most?
Good question! None...but what bothers me is when residents get declined exams and when I pick up the phone the situation changes😉
The one who does not collaborate when something essential is requested to investigate or optimally treat a patient, the one who refuses to communicate effectively and the one for whom the financial imperatives are more important than the quality of care. Fortunately, it does not exist!
Do students/residents sometimes make you feel overwhelmed?
No
Not yet, but I will welcome this with serenity, since it will be time to retire! No, but that's what's very motivating about being in a university environment, it's being around people with IQs 15 points higher than us who encourage us to stay up to date and be better people day after day. . Students/residents are strong, awake and engaged aware of social issues even more than we are. They impress me.
How many hours of work per week on average?
I always answer that I don't count... 50?
Between 60 and 70 hours
40 to 60 hours
50h
What do you dislike most about your practice?
Not operating as much as I would like.
The many follow-ups of laboratory and imaging results
To no longer have effective treatment for patients with advanced cancers.
Nothing
Nothing
Do you follow the recommendations you give to your patients?
Yes!
As often as possible.
Not always, because I am a human being like everyone else! But seriously, most of the time yes, because I find it inconsistent not to be a role model also for our patients and not just for our students. It also makes us more credible!
How would you describe an extern/resident who is excellent in your eyes?
A learner who thinks, who asks questions, who is open to learning and who is rigorous in what he does is for me an excellent learner.
An extern/resident who pushes his thinking, who tries to get involved as much as possible in the care of patients and who masters basic knowledge well.
Good role as a learner, pleasant, motivated, resourceful, good adaptability
What is one of the most important qualities to possess as a gynecologist?
Ability to maintain composure in stressful situations.
Adaptive capacity/resilience
Empathy
When did you know for sure that you wanted to become a gynecologist?
It became clearer in day school. Going into medicine, I didn't know what a gynecologist did.
I never knew for sure, I also had other interests where I would have been happy!
When I did my internship in clerkship, I loved the energy and the fact that nothing was routine
During your medical studies, what did you do on a Friday evening?
The partyyyyyyyyyyyy
I went to have a drink at the Siboire with friends, except at the end of sessions when I literally lived in the library.
I was playing volleyball or I was with my NB gang
What are the difficulties, the least pleasant aspects that you encounter in your specialty? (and how do you overcome them?)
Adverse outcomes, particularly in obstetrics. Post-operative complications.
Limitations of access to the operating theater and delays in patient care. Also, some difficulties when the goals and expectations of care are not aligned with what is possible to offer in 2021.
For oncology, these are patients who have difficulty accepting their diagnosis or when stopping treatment.
The greatest difficulties are to treat or cure incurable diseases, such as cancers, but it is also what is most rewarding. Knowing that through our small technical prowess and applied knowledge we have been able to overcome death or prolong the life of significant moments for the patient, makes it good to get up in the morning to go to work. We are useful and we see the result of a successful process when everything goes well. Otherwise, we accept the imperfections, sometimes our mistakes, we analyze and we tell ourselves that we did our best in the circumstances, while mobilizing to do better next time.
What do you think is the most difficult medical practice? The easiest ?
The most difficult = family medicine; The easiest = nuclear medicine….
What car do you drive?
A Toyota Prius
Subaru Impreza
Toyota highlander hybrid (for my 4 children and my trailer) and a Nissan leaf
Does your specialty take jokes well at work?
Yes
Absolutely, jokes at work make us happy and joyful, promote cohesion and are an anti-stress weapon to defuse sometimes difficult and complex situations for which there is no immediate solution. However, we must be careful not to target anyone and avoid sensitive subjects (sexism, racism, etc.). It is therefore better to often remain vigilant, to go towards self-mockery and generic April Fool's jokes!
Do students/residents sometimes make you feel overwhelmed?
In which way ? Overwhelmed in my skills or overwhelmed by the heaviness of the task? My skills: very rarely, I especially feel stimulated, nothing better than being challenged by a resident 5 who has just done her exams… The heaviness of the task: Yes sometimes when I am tired.
If your specialty had to have a romantic relationship with another which one would it choose?
Neonatology for the obstetrics part and anesthesiology for the gynecology part.
Pediatrics, because obstetricians-gynecologists take care of their future babies together with them, like an old couple!
How do you plan your vacation?
I like small and big trips. I try to do it when I'm on vacation.
Normally looking at a map of the world and plane tickets. During the COVID pandemic, looking at a map of Quebec.
With my spouse especially to be as often as possible with the family.