Vanderhoof is lucky to receive another new doctor into the community.
Bret Batchelor and his wife Stacy arrived in the community late last year after Bret accepted a permeant position at St. John Hospital and the Omineca Medical Clinic in May 2010.
Bret, a native of Oliver, BC, first came to Vanderhoof in February last year as a resident to complete his training.
The placement in Vanderhoof came about after a lottery draw of various rural areas where residents were sent to finish their training.
Stacy, who works as a teacher for School District 91, came to join him for a couple of months in April 2010 to work as a substitute teacher in the area and to get a feel for the community.
Bret says when he was offered a full-time position in Vanderhoof at the end of his residency, he was happy to accept.
“The medical community here is the most friendly and welcoming that I’ve ever been to,” said Bret.
He said that other communities he has worked in were not so welcoming and often left you on your own to figure things out, but not Vanderhoof .
“When I came here I got invited out every weekend to community pot lucks and stuff like that so they were always finding things for me to do and everyone was just totally welcoming and totally inviting and I had a great time,” said Bret.
He added that the hospital also offered to give him further training in other areas.
“It’s kind of difficult to get that training right now anywhere else, so I said that would be great.” he said.
Stacy and Bret first met when They were both completing their undergraduate degrees in Calgary, which is where Stacy grew up.
Stacy was in the midst of getting her bachelor of science and Bret was in medical school. Stacy had a job at the medical library at the hospital and thats how they met.
“I worked in the medical library in the hospital and Bret studied there all the time,” said Stacy.
The two got married in July last year, after Bret completed his residency in Vanderhoof. After a honey moon in France the two made preparations to head back to Vanderhoof.
The two love the area as they are both into the sports and outdoor activities that Vanderhoof has to offer.
“There’s various clubs you can join and sports you can do…the hiking, the mountain biking – we’re really into that,” said Stacy.
The two, along with their seven-month old German short-haired pointer, Linus, plan on staying in the community indefinitely – “We’ll be here for a while for sure,” said Bret.
