Coming from a family of doctors and achieving good grades at school, one might imagine that Julie Massé’s career path was written in the stars. But Dr. Massé wanted a career of her own choosing, whatever that field might be. After having been tempted by veterinary medicine, she soon realized that family medicine was indeed in her blood. There was, however, one condition: she only wanted to practice medicine in a rural setting. Born on a farm in Mont-Laurier, Dr. Massé has always been very close to nature, so when an opportunity in Val-d'Or presented itself, she did not hesitate.
Val-d’Or: a beautiful region to discover
A mining town in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Val d’Or is approximately 525 km from Montreal. The area is served by the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue which includes the Val-d'Or hospital and the GMF-U, both of which welcome family medicine residents for a two-year training course.
“Val-d’Or is a beautiful region with magnificent landscapes. I personally have the privilege of living by the water and my work/life balance works quite well. During the pandemic, the people of Val-d’Or had the great outdoors to occupy themselves,” shares Dr. Massé. “The people here are warm, and the population is diverse. Approximately 10 percent of the patients we serve are First Nations people from the Cree and Algonquin communities. The Indigenous cultures are of course rich and unique, so it is a privilege to serve this community.”
Excellence in leadership
As Director of the University Family Medicine Group (GMF-U) of Vallée-de-l’Or, Dr. Massé wears many hats. Apart from managing the operations of her clinic, she is also the co-Director of their educational component and manages an entire program for training residents. She is also a family doctor, caring for her 700 patients and, as a member of the Emergency Department, provides emergency care as well. For those who might think that family physicians don't have enough on their plate, they have yet to meet Dr. Massé.
“I have a good sense of organization, which helps me keep on top of my projects. Our teaching style here also allows residents to develop their own autonomy so that they can become excellent, versatile physicians. It is not always easy for the residents to be thrown into the deep end, but it allows for an enriching learning experience," she notes.
Dr. Massé has served as Director for 11 years and notes that over time, much of her work has become intuitive. She also finds coming into the office fulfilling, especially because the combination of the clinical and educational aspects to her work suits her.
Team dynamic is key
Interestingly, almost all Val-d’Or medical residents decide to settle there after their training ends, but what is the attraction?
“One thing is certain, you can’t compare the experience of living and working in a rural setting to that of the city. Over here, we have an easy and direct access to technical expertise and to consultants. We are at the heart of all health care,” explains Dr. Massé. “Also, we have a lot of trust in our residents and the team dynamic is our strength. I would even dare to say that the cohesion between the members of the GMF-U team is hard to beat.”
Thanks to the solidarity between colleagues, Dr. Massé adds that her team is more than just a team of professionals. Her colleagues organize outings outside of the office and this family ambiance is appreciated by all.
In 2019 in recognition of her leadership and dedication to her work since her arrival in 2009, Dr. Massé received the “Field” Clinician-Teacher Award from the Quebec College of Family Physicians. Today, what occupies her most as Director is the project to move the GMF-U to a brand-new building, equipped with the latest high-tech equipment to better support the medical activities. After all these years, she has no regrets about going into medicine: “It is still the best job in the world!”
For more information, please visit our website: https://www.mcgill.ca/med-dme/training-sites/rural-sites-location/val-dor