Profile

Born in rural British Columbia and raised in rural Alberta, Dr. Erika Mehl is familiar with small-town medicine. “I appreciate that, due to the geographic nature of Canada, it is impossible to provide true equitable care,” she says. “Patients don’t always have a doctor when they need one.”

Dr. Mehl graduated from the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine in 2013, with an intention to pursue pathology due to an early interest in cancer research. “During medical school, I started interacting with patients and I was intrigued hearing their stories,” she says. “I found myself enjoying family practice rotations with several inspiring and compassionate preceptors, so I pursued a family medicine residency in Moncton.”

After completing her residency through Dalhousie University in 2015, Dr. Mehl relocated to Saskatchewan and practised in the remote northern community of La Loche. To be closer to family in British Columbia, she travelled to several First Nations communities before eventually accepting a hospitalist position at Langley Memorial Hospital.

Working in rural and remote communities across the country, she has repeatedly been reminded of the social determinants of health. Often, patients did not follow through with specialist care in urban centres due to separation from family support and child care, the resources required, or concern about facing discrimination outside the community.

In First Nations communities, Dr. Mehl felt that historical and ongoing trauma was often palpable during her interactions with patients. It highlighted how when trauma is not addressed it can lead not only to mental health issues but to many medical issues as well. “It was often a very overwhelming experience as a new-to-practice physician — and very eye-opening.” However, it was also inspiring and a privilege to witness the resilience of the communities.

In retrospect, Dr. Mehl says her work in the North was the most challenging yet rewarding aspect of her career. “There is a lot of need — you felt that you were really contributing something, really helping people.”

The COVID-19 pandemic struck soon after she became president of medical staff in Langley, and Dr. Mehl admits she was unprepared for the extent of the political issues around the pandemic and public health measures. COVID-19 shone a light on many historically neglected systemic issues, but Dr. Mehl also witnessed the collateral damage to her colleagues and other frontline workers due to the moral distress of the environments they had to work in.

“Physicians are often seen as needing to be invincible, sacrificing yourself for your patients. But self-sacrifice has had major ramifications during COVID-19,” she says.

While she notes that physician wellness has been a prevalent topic in her circles since residency, response at a higher level has been slow and ongoing system-related issues continue to impact the profession. Particularly during COVID-19, Dr. Mehl saw the resulting impact as colleagues — particularly nurses — started walking away, and she tried to take an advocacy position to draw attention to an escalating crisis. In her role, she sat on multiple committees locally and regionally to ensure the medical staff voice was heard in hopes of bringing about change to policies that were impacting psychological safety and wellness. Though slow, there have been significant steps in the right direction during the post-pandemic period. She has since made the decision to step away from her leadership role for her own wellness and focus on clinical work again, expanding her practice to long-term care.

“When it comes to burnout, we have to let go of this strange inertia, to not pretend things are OK, to come to terms with the depth of the problem rather than waiting for a crisis before we respond.”

Dr. Mehl joined the MD Physician Council for its unique nature, for the chance to hear diverse perspectives and opinions, and to gain greater financial acumen. She thinks financial literacy is a critical knowledge base for physicians, particularly early in their careers.

“Coming out of debt at a time in life when you are trying to develop a career, it’s not always clear where to put your effort sometimes, especially if you lack guidance,” says Dr. Mehl, noting the pressures of debt repayment, starting a family and buying a first home.

“There are a lot of balls in the air, so financial planning is the most important aspect.”