Physician comes from a tradition of healing
- EFN Staff | March 25, 2017
The medical profession is one that takes a special kind of personality to master. To be an effective practitioner, you become an integral part of people’s families and lives. Dr. Lucy Nickel has dedicated her career to delivering health care to her patients through her own practice over the past fifteen years.
Lucy comes from a tradition of healing. Her kookum, who she lived with as a young girl, was a healer in her home community of Star Blanket First Nation.
Grace Adam, Lucy’s Mother, moved her and her three sisters to a one room teacherage on Pasqua First Nation to pursue a teaching job. Lucy’s Mother always heavily encouraged education as a means to provide a secure future to her girls. “As a young girl, I wanted to be a doctor, but I remember thinking that I wasn’t as smart as other kids, because I grew up on a reserve.” This just wasn’t the case, and Lucy and her sisters have strongly proven otherwise. As a result of their mother’s work ethic and encouragement, three of the four girls have degrees and one runs a highly successful business in Manitoba. “Attitude is everything” she comments about what it takes to find your own success path.
After graduating high school, Lucy started University with her sights set on a phys-ed degree. “I wasn’t really loving it, and decided that I would quit university and become a hairdresser.” But, her Mom wouldn’t have it. She gathered up all the information she needed to enroll Lucy, even forged her signature on the applications. How could she not go?
She completed her first year at SUNTEP, living at home with her tuition funded. During this time, she became a mother. She spent one year at the University of Saskatchewan in the nursing college, which is where she decided that a career in the medical field was her best fit. After her partner Allan accepted a job in Regina, Lucy attended SIFC (now First Nations University) and while in pre-med completed her first degree in Indian Studies with high distinction.
“It was a long path”, taking a total of twelve years of schooling, and residency, all the while being a mother of two, and losing her own mother in that period of time. “For me, it was really important to have a good partner. There were times that I needed to study from early in the morning until late at night. Allan took care of everything so I could do that.” Relying on a support system was key. Lucy was fortunate to find a mentor in Veronica McKinney who was there for her during times when she needed extra support and encouragement. “I wasn’t sure if I should take a specialization, having had a lot of opportunity to practice obstetrics in residency. I decided that rather than specializing, I could do more as a family physician.”
After graduating in 2002 Dr. Nickel went straight to work, opening Packham Avenue Medical Clinic in Saskatoon with the help of her husband. She recalls one of the biggest challenges was finding answers when she had questions about running her practice. “The first year of any career is a steep climb. I didn’t have anyone to ask those questions of. Today, young physician have so many more tools at their fingertips.” When asked how she stayed motivated to succeed, her comment is “I never really worried that I wouldn’t be successful. I knew I had the work ethic to persevere.”
This is the fifteenth year anniversary of the medical clinic with five physicians (four of whom are First Nations) practicing together as colleagues. The clinic is a wonderfully diverse addition to the medical profession in Saskatoon.
Dr. Lucy mentors others by way of being involved in the entrance program with the U of S College of Medicine, and also by accepting students and residents which she really enjoys as she can see a lot of growth in the people she supports.
As a woman Dr. Lucy sees the steady rise of women in the medical profession mentioning that over half of those graduating as physicians are women. “This will require looking at the industry in a different way going forward.”
Her advice to young people is “find what you love, find your passion. All goals are achievable if you work hard enough and set you mind to it.”