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Catching up with U of A PM&R program alumni!
Catching up with U of A PM&R program alumni!
Dr. Taunya St. Pierre - Class of 2011
Dr. Taunya St. Pierre - Class of 2011
Current position: Community Physiatrist
Academic/clinical affiliation: Kanata Sports Medicine Centre, Almonte General Hospital and Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital
What have you been up to since graduation (ie. clinically, academically, personally)?
I am a community physiatrist working on the west end of Ottawa, and as such, my practice is purely clinical. I do EMGs in the morning and then see general physiatry patients in the afternoon, and love that my job involves constant problem solving. Many of my EMG consultations are for the standard carpal tunnel, radiculopathy, and diabetic neuropathy, but I have diagnosed a lot of less common diagnoses, such as myasthenia gravis, AIDP, Becker’s muscular dystrophy, isolated trauma to the temporal branch of the facial nerve, neurological consequences of immunotherapy, and acute onset polyneuropathy due to thyroiditis. In my general physiatry clinic, I see localized MSK issues, both acute and chronic, as well as some amps, SCI, stroke, and TBI. I have a particular interest in young hips, feet, and hands.
Working in the community leads to a lot of variety, both within the field of physiatry, as well in other related fields such as rheumatology, neurology, orthopedics, and spine surgery. As there are not many specialists working in the community, I have a broad scope of practice. This means that I am always learning new things and constantly reading.
My primary practice location is the Sports Medicine Centre in Kanata. This clinic is associated with the Ottawa Senators, and patients love it when pro hockey players walk by while they are waiting. I see some athletes, but most of my patients are not athletes. I see all age groups from pediatrics to geriatrics. One day per week, I run a clinic in a community 20 minutes outside of Ottawa. Community resources are scarce in towns compared to in the city, so coming up with creative solutions to the distance issue can be challenging. It is hard to believe, but many of the patients will refuse to drive into the city themselves.
In my free time, I love to be outside and active. I play tennis with my husband in the summer and ski with my friends in the winter. I love to travel, surf and scuba dive. I have 2 dogs that I swim, hike, bike and snow shoe with. In my down time I love to read.
What is something that is done in your current centre that would be beneficial to consider at the U of A?
Like all physicians during COVID, I have transitioned to virtual care. This has been a huge success. I have developed standardized protocols for a general neurology exam, and multiple MSK exams (back/hips, neck/shoulder, foot/ankle, hand/wrist). This has been much more successful than anticipated, from both my point of view and from the patients’ points of view. In the future, I see virtual care video consults working well for people that live in remote areas and have a long drive to doctor’s appointments, seniors who do not like driving in the winter and/or are afraid of falling, people with disabilities who have a hard time getting transportation and mobilizing from the vehicle to the clinic, and people who struggle to get time off work. In addition, I had a recent conversation with a person with autism who works with different groups to raise awareness for autism. Virtual care consults are great for people with autism as it negates the need for eye contact and touch, two things that make people with autism very uncomfortable. I suspect that virtual care is here to stay and that it will be important for all doctors to be comfortable in providing care both in person and virtually.
What are you most proud of from your residency training at the U of A?
After finishing residency, I went right into community practice on my own. During residency, I had developed a strong foundation in physiatry, but also the self-confidence to believe in my own ability to solve novel problems outside of my comfort zone. I really feel that this ability to solve problems outside your comfort zone is the difference between being a resident and staff. During my residency, I was encouraged to be independent, to be a self-learner, and to take the lead in the care of my patients. I was not simply told what to do and how to do it, but was asked how I would handle a problem. Although it seems like asking a resident how they would handle a clinical case is such a small and obvious thing to do, many times it does not happen during residency training for a multitude of reasons. However, I feel that it is a key part of residency training and something that the U of A does very well.
Closing comments?
The residency program at U of A prepared me extremely well to become a staff physiatrist and electromyographer. I have built a practice and business that I am proud of and that I enjoy. It allows my to do what interests me in the field of physiatry, as well as providing me with a good work life balance.
Updated July 2020
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