Sask. Career Spotlight – Triston Gallais from saskdocs & Health Careers in SK on Vimeo.
Saskatchewan Career Spotlight
Triston Gallais is a physical therapist (PT) in Melfort, a city nestled in the heart of Saskatchewan’s farmland country just on the edge of some great outdoor adventure spots. Like many other health care employees who choose to work and live in rural communities throughout the province, Gallais appreciates and enjoys the work and activities you can experience in a small town and firmly believes you wouldn’t necessarily see those same amenities in a larger city.
“The work-life balance for me is 100 per cent. If I don’t get that I just wouldn’t be as happy. There’s something satisfying about being able to come home from a day of seeing patients, which I really enjoy, and doing something completely different like chores on the farm or working outside. That is real downtime for me and it would be hard to find that type of thing living in a bigger city.”
Gallais and her husband live in the small community of White Fox, which is about 100 kilometres northeast of Melfort. While living an hour away from work may not be ideal, Gallais doesn’t mind driving back and forth to Nipawin and/or Melfort.
“Some days I work in Nipawin, while other days of the week I work in Melfort. Either way, the drive doesn’t bother me at all. It is kind of relaxing and really everything I need in terms of shopping or recreational opportunities, they’re all here regardless of what town I’m in. We may be a few hours from an international airport, but we really have everything we need out here.”
Gallais chose her career path years ago while playing AAA midget hockey in Prince Albert. It was during this time she realized that hockey was a huge part of her life, but it wasn’t her whole life. After receiving an injury playing hockey, Gallais learned exactly what a PT can do to help her heal properly. It was then that Gallais knew she wanted to be a PT.
“I knew right then that I wanted to do PT. So right after high school I moved to Regina and enrolled in Kinesiology at the U of R (University of Regina). I wanted to get that degree before going into PT. Then after the U of R I got into the PT program at the University of Saskatchewan, graduated from that program and now I am working here and really enjoying it.”
Gallais is excited to work with a team of nurses, doctors, other therapists and people in the community who value her advice and her services as a PT. Her typical day includes seeing patients from 12 to 90 years of age. Some of the more common treatments involve people with back problems, repetitive strain injuries, sore necks, or recovering from surgery. She says at times the work, and the locations are demanding. However, at the end of each day she is grateful for what she does and where she chose to do it.
“There are some advantages of living and working in a larger centre, but for me working in a place where you know everyone and they know you, not just coworkers but patients too, you get a real sense of belonging. I don’t think that’s something you’d get in a big hospital.”
Hear Gallais’ story in her own words by watching her video on Health Careers in Saskatchewan’s Vimeo channel. While you’re there, subscribe to our channel to learn more about the many great clinicians like Gallais who choose to live and work in rural Saskatchewan.
Republished with permission from saskdocs.ca Saskatchewan Career Spotlight December 2017 Issue
saskdocs is a one stop shop for physicians and their families wanting to live and work in Saskatchewan Canada. Also known as the Physician Recruitment Agency of Saskatchewan, we work in partnership with students, medical trainees, physicians, international medical graduates, communities, health facilities and other partners to help find the right physician for the right community.
We’ve set ambitious goals. These goals include: increasing the number of University of Saskatchewan graduates remaining in the province; increasing the number of Canadian trained physicians choosing to practice in Saskatchewan; and, increasing the number of current physicians choosing to remain in Saskatchewan. – saskdocs website
