We are pleased to welcome Dr. Keith Menard as the new Medical Director, Medical Staff Human Resources Planning.
Dr. Keith Menard is a consulting Pediatrician in Nanaimo. He is the Department Head for Maternity Care and Pediatrics, and has now joined Medical Affairs as Medical Director for HR Planning and Recruitment. He is also the Chair for the Medical Education Resource Committee. When he is not in meetings or on call, Dr Menard enjoys spending time with his wife cycling or hiking, giving his teenage children unsolicited advice, and taking weekend rides on his motorcycle.
Meet Dr. Keith Menard:
My name is Keith Menard, and I am a pediatrician practicing in Nanaimo the past 17 years. Over the past few years I have become increasingly involved with medical leadership work, and this past year made the decision to reduce my clinical work such that I could increase my commitment to work with medical affairs.
I grew up in Winnipeg, what seems like a lifetime ago. I finished medical school at the University of Manitoba, and did my pediatric training in Edmonton. Before settling on the island, I practiced in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and New Zealand. In the end, was the beauty of Vancouver Island, the beaches and islands, the forest trials, and the accumulation of children (both my patients and my own) that eventually ensnared me to this beautiful place.
In the practice of medicine I was always drawn to the element of solving clinical challenges. In pediatrics this is often the case when our patients cannot tell us what is wrong and we need to rely on clinical acumen and collateral information. It is a similar challenge which I extrapolate to working in medical leadership, with complex systems which always seemed to confound us.
To be honest, I never wanted to work in medical leadership. Like most clinicians, I was always frustrated and resentful towards "the system", one which never seemed to offer any accommodation or do things the way we thought it should. I was becoming disengaged. Eventually I came to the realization that getting involved was the best way, indeed the only way, for me to influence change. Though change is never easy, I now see that it is possible. I’ve also come to realize that the people “in the system” are incredibly dedicated and that we all share common goals, which has bolstered my resolve.
My ultimate hope is that the work I do is able to affect change, and that step by step we can improve the system for our medical staff, and ultimately improve care for those in our communities. I also hope that in doing so, I am able to set an example and encourage medical staff to believe that they can also make a difference, and to understand that engagement is the only way.