Dr. Jeana MacLeod receives 2024 award for resident wellness
Dr. Jeana MacLeod has been named the recipient of Maritime Resident Doctor’s 2024 Dr. Kitt Turney Well-Being Award. Dr. MacLeod recently completed her residency in Family Medicine at the Annapolis Valley site.
Her nomination outlined a resident who focuses on others and bettering their lives, be they patients or colleagues.
“Jeana has played a pivotal role in bridging the geographic isolation that can come with rural residencies. Her enthusiasm and creativity in planning resident wellness events worked to strengthen the bond we share by providing a much-needed opportunity for relaxation and camaraderie. Time and time again, she shows up for her co-residents, and on more than one occasion she’s been the go-to shoulder at the end of a very long call shift or clinic day. She anticipates what you need in the moment (likely having figured it out long before you did) and will go out of her way to make you feel loved and supported. Going out of town? She’ll be right over to check on your cats. Car broke down? She’ll offer up hers. Need a place to stay? She’ll have the guest room made up and the kettle already on.”
This award is presented in memory of Dr. Kitt Turney’s life and her positive energy as a resident leader in the Maritimes. She was a former resident at Dalhousie in the Anaesthesia Program from 2013-2018. She sat on the Board of Maritime Resident Doctors where she took on numerous wellness initiatives and represented resident interests with passion.
The purpose of the award is to recognize a resident who makes an outstanding contribution to resident well-being. The following characteristics are sought: Strong team player, respect for peers and patients, dedication, enhances the residency experience for other residents through: teaching and support of peers, approachable and a role model for balancing work and personal life.
“With her patients, she is able to reach beyond the biomedical lens and find the person often buried beneath their illness," her nomination continues. "On inpatients, you’ll find her handing out treats and going for walks around the hospital with her patients. In clinic, she’ll be integrating the newest interviewing techniques she’s learned to better understand and support those in her care. In the community, she’s organizing collections for families in need at Christmas, and writing letters to the editor in her spare time promoting physician wellness.
“Through constant reflection and introspection, she strives to find innovative ways to strike that balance between work and personal life. She leads by example, openly acknowledging the challenges she’s faced these last two years and using them to inform her continued growth. Her transparency from day one laid the foundation for what would become our support system: a safe space to share in the highs and lows of residency without fear of judgment or shame. In a profession fraught with feelings of inadequacies and self-doubt, at a particularly vulnerable stage in our careers, this has been paramount to our collective success. Her selflessness and dedication to the well-being of others truly make her an invaluable asset to the profession, beloved by her patients, colleagues, and friends alike. Because of residency, we are more competent physicians. Because of Jeana, we are more human.”
In a recently published editorial, Dr. MacLeod herself shared her thoughts for healthcare workers and the future of healthcare.
“My message to healthcare workers is: Do things thoughtfully. Go at the speed it takes to provide care safely and effectively. Be engaged and provide your perspective on system changes. Make space for voices that are not always heard. You are valued for your care of patients, and also your ability to keep caring for yourself. That’s what Nova Scotia healthcare providers deserve.”
