ESTEVAN - The newest physician to join the Estevan community has enjoyed her experiences thus far.
Dr. Erin Segstro started seeing patients on Sept. 13 out of the Primacy Medical Centre in northeast Estevan. She graduated from medical school in 2021 and finished her family medicine residency this past June.
Segstro said she decided to come to Estevan because she had a great mentoring experience with local physician Dr. Sarah Tsoi at the clinic. Segstro was a medical school student at the University of Saskatchewan at the time.
"I really liked her practice and how she was able to set up her patient load, so I thought I'm going to be in Saskatchewan for the next couple of years, so this seems like a good place to be able to do the type of medicine I'm most interested in and see the types of patients I enjoy," said Segstro, who hails from Winnipeg.
Everybody seemed to be very cordial in Estevan, and that added to her decision to come here. And she wanted to be at the Primacy clinic due to her rapport with Tsoi.
"This was the clinic that I knew here in town, and it's nice when you're first starting out to have the support of staff who have been working at this for a long time, and other doctors who are able to support me as I learn a new system. It just seemed to be nicer for me to start in a group practice as opposed to being on my own," she said.
Segstro has wanted to be a doctor for almost as long as she can remember. She read a "very moving" book as a pre-teen about somebody who went overseas as a doctor and shared their experiences about helping others.
"I thought this is something that I'm very interested in doing – helping people and hopefully being able to learn from their stories as well."
Segstro said she has an interest in obstetrics, women's health and pediatric care. She has considered the potential for additional training in obstetrics and being able to perform procedures.
The support shown for the St. Joseph's Hospital Foundation is also really impressive, she said, and people have told her the community takes pride in its hospital and the care provided.
Segstro said she is looking forward to getting into some of the fitness classes offered in Estevan, and she loves being outside so she has been making good use of the integrated sidewalk and pathway system.
St. Joseph's Hospital executive director Candace Kopec said they are pleased to have Segstro back in Estevan. She left a great impression during her previous time in Estevan.
"She just really enhanced the team that is here," said Kopec.
Segstro's arrival brings the total number of general practitioners in Estevan to 14, and Kopec believes the community is in good shape when it comes to GPs. There are also two specialists in the community.
"We're always really looking to enhance our specialty services, so we want to really look at physicians supporting our obstetrical program," said Kopec.
