Resident Spotlight: Dr. Nicole Mak

Dr. Nicole Mak is a recent graduate of the UBC General Surgery Residency program. She received her Bachelors degrees at the University of Saskatchewan, and she is a graduate of the McGill University School of Medicine. Recently, she received the Excellence in Surgical Research Award, the Surgical Leadership Award, and the W.H. Sutherland Memorial Award. Continue reading below to read more about her residency experience.

Choosing the UBC General Surgery Residency Program

The most important aspects Dr. Mak was looking for in a residency program during her CARMs tour was the community and learning environment. As a student still exploring the different paths she can take, she wanted a well-balanced program that would be able to support her wherever her clinical and research interests might take her. For her that was this program.

Having access to both the high-volume and research-intensive centres in Metro Vancouver and the more rural community practices and hospitals around the province, the UBC General Residency program allow residents to explore their interests, whether they intend to pursue academic medicine, community surgery, or anything in between.

Community culture & learning environment

For Dr. Mak, one of the best parts of her residency was the community and collaborative culture of the program.  In particular, she talked about how much she learned from her senior residents and the importance of her teaching role in her growth. She is grateful for how her senior residents took the time to guide her and teach her. As a senior resident herself, she tried her best to emulate that when teaching her juniors. This teaching role built into the program is something that she believes was vital to her learning. Particularly, she noted how questions from her juniors encouraged her to reflect on her decision-making process.

The faculty she encountered all over the province were all very supportive and invested in the residents’ success as well. She praised the dedication and breadth of knowledge of her clinical supervisors. She also admired their attitude, love for their job, and the positive energy they bring to their teams.

Diversity of Experience

When asked about her favourite rotation, Dr. Mak said it’s impossible to pick. Instead, she says the diversity of experience was what made her residency truly valuable. For Dr. Mak, her junior residency years in Metro Vancouver, mostly at VGH and St. Paul’s Hospital, is when she grew as a general surgeon and built a strong foundation to prepare her for her years as a senior resident. On the other hand, she learned new perspectives and the different ways common and important procedures are performed in her rotations around various hospitals in BC as a senior resident. She also learned how the practice can change in different levels of resources and different kinds of communities. Along the way, she developed an interest for providing general surgery care in the community setting.

What’s next for Dr. Nicole Mak

Dr. Mak is looking forward to gaining more experience and exploring various communities across BC as she grows into her role as an independent general surgeon. She knows that her experience practicing and working with different teams around the province will be an important part of her development.  In the meantime, her goal is to help as many people as she can. A believer that the best opportunities come from trying everything before writing it off, she is excited to see where her career takes her.