To pay tribute to the many dedicated physicians practicing at Island Health and in honour of National Physicians’ Day, we are profiling some of the doctors leading innovations and delivering high quality service to show the human behind the profession. Dr. Ontko is a hematologist and internal medicine specialist in Nanaimo. Originally, from Calgary, Dr. Ontko came to Bamfield on a school trip when he was 15 years old and wanted to return to Vancouver Island after completing his fellowship.
- Why did you chose medicine and your speciality/field?
这是一个很好的问题，我不知道这是否可以表达出来，但让我尝试。在所有不同的亚专业中，我喜欢血液学，从某种意义上说，您可以测量很多东西。您可以取出的器官很少，看看它的外观。血液学是一个正在迅速增长的领域，并且正在发生很多事情。
- What is most meaningful to you about your work in medicine?
我认为其中的一部分是与真正喜欢工作的人互动。另一部分是他们真的很喜欢人。如果您是不喜欢人的医生，那么您可能会在某种程度上成为一名贫穷的医生。纳奈莫（Nanaimo）这里的许多医生都意识到我们不在主要的学术中心，这有助于我们专注于试图使患者感觉更好并且做得正确。我们以务实和实用的方式进行医学，我们根据患者的需求进行调整。
We have an interesting collection of doctors, too. I think it’s amazing I get to work with people like Dr. Kevin Patterson, a famous writer. We have such brilliant people like, Dr. Mike Kenyon, one of out intensive care doctors, and we have a very collegial environment, we get along very well.
- What are your professional interests and notable achievements?
I scored in the 99 percentile in the MCAT, but I haven’t won any big awards. I am proud of participating in the development of a new internal medicine unit here in Nanaimo. We’ve been trying to get an inpatient rounding unit for many years with limited success. We were finally successful due to the work of many people over the years and my role as medical lead.
我很高兴在这里帮助发展血液学。在我到达之前，我们没有在纳奈莫有永久性血液学家，但Denegri博士在一周中拜访了他们在一起。开发服务允许有趣的经验和患者护理。我们已经能够弄清楚这里的血液学应该是什么样的。其中很多取决于我所谓的“家庭化学化疗”。我对待许多无法前往维多利亚的老年患者，我们试图最大程度地提高生活质量。
我的孩子也是我一生的重要组成部分。一个四岁，两岁和第三岁。
- Who or what do you turn to for inspiration?
In medicine, there is no lack of good mentors. Many people, who have worked for many years and done quite spectacular things, are here in Nanaimo. Dr. Robin Love is a family physician who has done all sorts of medicine including minor surgeries and he’s set up the palliative care program, that I consider world-class. He is an excellent example of positive physician leadership. I’m also impressed with Dr. Sam Williams in Port Alberni. She is a great advocate for physicians and patients.
- 您要去哪里，或者做什么，以补充电池？
I’m a big reader and since moving to the island I’ve started playing chess, which I’ve never done before, it’s my non-mindless activity. But mostly these days it’s entirely work and chasing after children.
- 您喜欢的最后一本书或播客是什么？
Kevin Patterson sent me “The Meaning Of Everything” by Simon Winchester. It’s a good story about making the dictionary. I’ve been reading a lot of ephemeral literature these days like the New Yorker, although it’s all about COVID, like the entire world, all the time.
- What change has occurred on during the COVID-19 pandemic that you want to remain?
The alterations of the rules surrounding telehealth have allowed us to utilize technology to care for patients remotely more easily. It’s nice to be able to phone patients and have increased access to them. Most patients I still need to see in-person but this change has been helpful. It’s difficult because it will change a lot over the next few months. Patients we aren’t seeing are going to need to be seen and morbidity may increase as we have to assume heart attacks continue to occur.
Since the pandemic began, I’ve been working out of the hospital and talking to my patients remotely. I’ve split my hematology practice and been working on the COVID team, so it’s a big change. My colleagues working at the traditional clinic have a hard time booking patients.
- What do you wish more people knew about practicing medicine?
虽然我们strive to have answers, we often don’t. And this troubles doctors as much as it does the patients.
我们需要意识到，在实践循证医学时，您仍然需要考虑特定的患者。例如，假设我们知道一种在统计上证明的治疗方法，可将心脏病发作的相对风险降低3％。但是与此同时，它可能对特定患者起作用可能很低。这是因为疾病和药物的性质，平均而言，药物的工作人员与您面前的患者不同。