Hometown: Nanaimo, B.C.
Program: MD Undergraduate Program (Island Medical Program)
Nathan Stefani
What attracted you to your field?
Emergency departments represent the one place in our society where any person can come at any time of day or night and find the help they need – all ages, cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic statuses, personal expectations, and pathologies come through those doors. I am attracted to the inherent unpredictability, the patient diversity, and the diagnostic challenges that arise on every shift in emergency medicine.
What UBC moment will you still be talking about?
A defining moment for me was when I started a young man on suboxone therapy during my addictions elective at St. Paul’s Hospital. He was addicted to heroin, and had watched many of his friends die from opioid overdose. He was terrified of the same thing happening to him, but couldn’t stop using heroin. Suboxone is a drug that binds to the brain’s opioid receptors in such a way that cravings are reduced, protecting the person from overdosing. This patient did very well on suboxone and cried with gratitude when he left the hospital because he didn’t feel chained to his addiction anymore. It felt like we had saved a life and that interaction sparked a passion in me for addictions medicine that I hope to further pursue during my career in emergency medicine.
What’s next for you?
I am starting an emergency medicine residency in Victoria, BC, on July 1st. Before then, you’ll find me on a beach in southern California.
As you look ahead, who inspires you?
I am inspired by the doctors I know who are many years into their practice but still find meaning and pleasure in what they do. They are excellent clinicians and dedicated patient advocates but not at the expense of their families or their sanity. I want to be like them someday.
Name one thing on your bucket list
To surf inside a barreling wave.