Shadowing his rural family physician for a day inspired Jarom to pursue a career in medicine
Channel: RhPAP
Date: 2022-05-24

Congratulations to Jarom Stevenson of Rosemary! 

Jarom just finished his second year of medicine at the University of Alberta. He is the recipient of a $5,000 RhPAP Rural Medical Student Award.

Stevenson grew up on a farm near Rosemary. He left to work in oil and gas but became bored with his job and started looking for a new career. 

“So I called my family doctor and he’s like yeah, you can come shadow me and I fell in love with medicine that day," explains Stevenson.

He’s looking forward to doing a rural clerkship and then after graduation, one of two options.

“I’m thinking rural medicine and maybe that’s specializing in something like nephrology, or rural family medicine,” said Stevenson. Nephrology is the branch of medical science that deals with the kidney.

When he looks back on his own physician, Dr. Vince Elgersma in Brooks, he feels a strong draw to practise rural.

“I really fell in love with the way my family physician runs his clinic," add Stevenson. "You get to know the people in your community. I remember when my family doctor came out to my family farm because he bought a couple bales of straw for his little acreage that he had going on. And I thought that was really cool that you saw that side of your family physician as well.”