Dr. Nadra Ginting:
Vascular surgeon, medical lead for RJH surgery, wife, mother, daughter, sister, member of her family’s band, human
Throughout my life, I’ve always followed what I found interesting. Ultimately, what drew me to vascular surgery is the fine work involved, as well as the different patient populations you treat. It never feels like you’re doing the same thing day-in and day-out.
During school I excelled in science. Once I started my undergrad at Queen’s University in Kingston, I realized that you could do a lot of interesting things with science, including medicine. I decided to pursue writing the MCAT, got into med school, and found I liked surgery. Through general surgery, I had the opportunity to explore other subspecialities and I ended up in vascular surgery.
After visiting Vancouver in my first year of university, I thought it would be interesting to experience living on the west coast. I grew up in Ottawa, did medical school in Toronto, went to Calgary for my general surgery residency, and then set my sights on UBC in Vancouver for my fellowship. I ended up marrying a west coast boy and staying on this side of the country.
After working for a few years in Fraser Health, a job posting came up for a vascular surgeon in Island Health, which had a great reputation as a vascular centre in the province. I was lucky enough to be asked to join the team here in Victoria. We moved to Victoria in 2016; we had a small child and wanted to have a shorter commute to work, access to services and activities within a closer proximity and wanted to build a community for our small family. Over the years, my brother, sister, and parents eventually relocated from Ontario and now everyone lives either here or in the lower mainland.
“During school I excelled in science. Once I started my undergrad at Queen’s University in Kingston, I realized that you could do a lot of interesting things with science, including medicine. I decided to pursue writing the MCAT, got into med school, and found I liked surgery.”
“When my daughter, Samara, started taking piano lessons in January 2019, I decided to take lessons as well. We ended up with a piano teacher who also has a passion for singing, so now we’re doing what we call our family band.”
When my daughter, Samara, started taking piano lessons in January 2019, I decided to take lessons as well. We ended up with a piano teacher who also has a passion for singing, so now we’re doing what we call our family band. Over the past few years My husband, Jesse, my daughter, and I put together a performance for our yearly recital with our music teacher and we enjoy practicing at home together.
I enjoy learning piano as it has required a new set of motor skills; I’m used to performing surgery with my hands, but trying to translate that into piano has required a little bit of rewiring of the brain. Somehow, it seems my daughter can pick it up a bit more naturally than me. I will say it’s been helpful to learn alongside her, so we can troubleshoot together. Would I say I’m a strong pianist? No. But I’m having fun.
We’re also a big outdoors family; we love to hike and walk. We live within walking distance of Willows beach and spend a lot of time there. In Victoria there’s no shortage of great places to explore.
Right now, my passion is really trying to mentor young female scientists, doctors, and young girls in general. I don’t want them to ever think, “Oh, this is a boy thing or a girl thing.” Interestingly, my cohort of residents for general surgery were all women. We were four female residents going through it together, which I believe made the journey much easier. We were equals on the playing field and judged through individual performance; favouritism couldn’t be shown based on gender. I’m grateful to have had those capable ladies alongside me during residency.
Some of us ended up having daughters who, when they were super young, didn’t realize that men could be doctors. When they were one and two years old, they had their dads looking after them, while the moms were on call at the hospital – being doctors. They are older now and realize that women and men can do any role, but it was an interesting perspective for them to have had from such a young age.
I feel fortunate to be on the path that I’m on: to have got into medicine, be a woman in medicine, be a woman in surgery, and then get to a place where I’m also in a leadership position. And to be honest with you, I don’t think that it really hit me until very recently, that I am a leader that people are possibly going to look to for answers and that trainees are going to look up to. I’m grateful to be in a place where I can help other girls and women find their voices and do the things that they’re interested in.
“Interestingly, my cohort of residents for general surgery were all women… Some of us ended up having daughters who, when they were super young, didn’t realize that men could be doctors.”
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