From left to right: Hilde Seal, Blair Fulton, Christopher Nixon-Giles and Andrew Seal
When Christopher Nixon-Giles started medical school, he was overwhelmed and didn’t know what to expect. Between navigating the campus, reading stacks of text books and memorizing medical terminology, he had little time for much else.
He was assigned to a mentor group which was comprised of fellow students in each year of UBC’s Vancouver Fraser Medical Program. Upon learning the name of the group’s lead mentor, Nixon-Giles asked one of his PBL instructor’s for an assessment.
“You got a good one,” was what he was relieved to hear.
Dr. Andrew Seal was the faculty mentor for Nixon-Giles’ group. Dr. Seal, former Associate Dean of the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Office of Student Affairs (O.S.A), has been instrumental in the success of the Mentor Program. He was recently honoured by his fellow mentors and mentees at the annual “Mentor Program Meet and Greet”. Among those present to tout Dr. Seal’s dedication and service was Dr. Janette McMillan, a former mentee and the current Associate Dean of O.S.A.
“I remember my classmates, in 1983, talking about the very young, approachable surgeon who was happy to sit down with students and tell them what being a doctor is like,” reflects McMillan. “Dr. Seal opened doors for me and I was happy to follow him. For that I will always be thankful.”
Dr. Seal’s enthusiasm for teaching and guiding his students is apparent, although, he is quite modest about his involvement. “One of the great pleasures and privileges of being on our faculty…has been the relationships I’ve had with students and colleagues who have become great friends.” Dr. Seal and his wife, Hilde, have been welcoming mentees into their home for over twenty five years where they would sit and discuss everything from CaRMS and career opportunities to family life and to a life outside medicine.
“As a mentor it is a great privilege to get to know the students in a social setting,” says Dr. Seal. “You can teach students in a large group but, there’s nothing like having a small group of students that you meet outside of medicine.”
Nixon-Giles, who is now completing his second year of residency in anesthesiology at UBC, couldn’t agree more.
“When I was in third year…I was having trouble thinking about what the future held in store for me. I called Dr. Seal to ask if we could talk and in less than a day I was sitting in his living room,” he recalls. “Medicine is a huge system…and without some of that inside knowledge it would be really stressful. It still is, but having a mentor certainly makes it easier.”
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The VFMP Mentor Program has been running for over 20 years and provides students with the opportunity to focus on their own personal and professional development in an informal, supportive environment with an impartial person – a mentor – outside of their day to day relationships