Dr. Maria Rojas and Jorge Villamil were looking for a better quality of life when they found Powell River.
Rojas’s friend, a psychologist in Powell River, suggested she apply for a job as an internal medicine specialist, so Rojas and her husband travelled from Rochester, New York, to visit. They arrived in May 2012 and she was offered the job.
For the last five years Rojas has practiced as a nephrologist, a doctor who treats kidney diseases.
“I always wanted to work in Canada,” said Rojas. “I thought the Canadian health system, as a public health system, was much more fair than the American health care system, which is efficient in many ways but has poor coverage.”
Rojas said she struggled with knowing that some of her patients in Rochester were not having the procedures they needed because their insurance did not cover it. “That’s something that really got to me,” she said.
The family spent 10 days touring the area and liked what they saw. “There’s a demand for doctors everywhere,” said Villamil. “We wanted to see how doctors’ practices are here.” Deciding to take the job wasn’t easy because it meant changing everything.
Rojas started at her job at the hospital after she, Villamil and their six-year-old daughter Juliana, arrived in mid-July, 2013.
“It’s been quite a learning process,” said Rojas, “but everyone at the hospital has been very supportive.”
Because Rojas had been board certified in the United States it was a straightforward process for her to obtain a temporary BC medical licence, but she had to provide accreditation for her medical education in Colombia. She works under the supervision of Dr. Sneeta Takhar and has three years in which to take the Royal Canadian Medical Association exams.
Villamil, a journalist, marketer and business developer, recently completed his masters of business management at the campus of New York State University in Buffalo, New York. He is looking at opportunities for consulting in Colombia, but he is also investigating how to start a business to meet community needs in Powell River.
His father, also named Jorge, is considered by many in Colombia to be the country’s most important composer and songwriter, having given up a promising medical career for music. He explained that his father’s choice has stayed with him through his life, that he should always follow his heart.
