Kimberly R. Babin is a program coordinator for the Undergraduate Pediatric Clerkship in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON. She began in Pediatrics a little over 10 years ago and has always done so in an education coordinator capacity. Prior to that she was in Nursing for 7 years in curriculum. For the past 17 years at McMaster, she has been involved in curriculum with a focus on student well-being.
“It happened approximately 6 years ago on a Friday afternoon. I had returned from a site visit. I thought I would go back to my office and grab paperwork to complete over the weekend and found my phone ringing. A student was calling from their car. They had experienced a few difficult rotations, including Pediatrics, and were at risk of unsuccessful completion. The student voiced negative thoughts on their performance and eluded to driving off the bridge ahead. We spoke for nearly 3 hours. I had zero experience, education or background in this area but felt I had to continue to connect, empathize and listen. I shared my own difficulties and explained how I learned to overcome with hopes they could see something in themselves to try also. It may have reached them because they were laughing shortly after. This made me see how unprepared I felt as a support for students. I sought out guidance in the area of suicide and depression thereafter. Eventually, this lead to me completing Mental Health First Aid training through the Mental Health Commission of Canada which helped prepare me to help further...
If I could change one thing about the Canadian healthcare system, it would be to provide less stigma and more resources regarding mental health. Patients can wait up to, and longer than, a year for initial appointments and workers have high burnout rates.”
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