Dr. Gil Kimel hiking
- Sites: PHC – St. Paul’s Hospital, MSJ and St. John Hospice (PHC)
- What’s the best part about your job? Learning about what matters most to my patients and their families and trying to help them achieve it as best as our team can. I learn from every patient both in terms of medical knowledge and also often about life, relationships and communication.
- Favourite song: I love music (but I can’t play any instruments). I really like the Tragically Hip and I listened to their music lots during university. One of my favorite songs by them is “Fiddlers Green” on the album, Road Apples. I also like the album ‘I Don’t Live Here Anymore‘ by the band ‘War on Drugs’ which I think is fantastic.
- Favourite past-time activity: Reading (non-fiction), hiking, wood working (I find it very relaxing and creative) and gardening.
- Favourite restaurant in your community: I like ‘Odd Fish’ in Kits. I’ve gotten to know some of their staff which makes the experience even better and I think that their fish and vegetarian dishes are top notch.
- Favourite travel destination: The Aravah Desert in Israel. It’s the desert on the border between Israel and Jordan. A most amazing place to visit with your family and friends. Super dry heat, amazing food (grown with cool local technology) and great hiking/ walking. I also really love the ‘West Coast Trail’ and we’re planning on heading there again for the 9th time this summer.
Dr. Gil Kimel and his family
7. A book or article you would recommend: Recently I read ‘The Watchmakers‘, by Harry Lenga and Scott Lenga. Very important and educational book about the Holocaust. It is hard to read with many incredibly sad sections. The book is about the atrocities that can happen with racism and hatred and about the importance of education, importance of family, resilience and the will to live.
8. What are you creating in the world right now? Always continually working on my communication skills to create trusting and meaningful relationships with my colleagues, friends and family. I know that sounds cliché but I think it’s really important.
9. Best piece of advice for new physicians: Make sure to spend time doing things that you really enjoy outside of clinical work (hobbies, outdoor activities, etc). More importantly, spend your time with people that you love and that love you. Make sure to learn from your mistakes (in medicine and in life) and understand that making mistakes is normal. Practice self compassion. Continue to read lots around your interests in medicine and teach others what you’ve learned. Reflect on the privilege of being part of your patients’ lives during a most vulnerable time. Develop a relationship with a mentor and meet with them twice a year to talk about your career and life. Minimize social media time.