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“Until just a few weeks ago, Claresholm was still where I was hoping to end up because I felt really supported by the community when I was down there on an elective, I have a lot of friends there and I really love the work,” said Meunier.

“I’m 32 years old. I’m at a stage in my life where I’m hoping to put down roots. My dream has always been to establish a small hobby farm and be part of a rural community. I think especially working in mental health, I see more and more how important that community engagement piece is.”

In other words, if she does move to B.C., Alberta may well lose her forever. And that’s a huge loss of human capital and investment — since it costs a lot of resources to train a doctor anywhere in Canada.

“Alberta is where my family is, Alberta is my home. I feel very connected here. All of my friends are here, so this is heartbreaking for me,” she said.

So why leave?

Well, after getting her B.Sc. in Psychology (four years), then her medical degree from the U of C (three years), she has spent the past five years in a psychiatric residency at the U of C, working mostly out of the Foothills hospital. That’s 12 years of post-secondary education that has left her with a student loan debt of more than $300,000.

Meunier says the psychiatric community’s concerns about health-care changes are not just about money — rather, on the type of care they can provide patients — but says finances are a consideration for her because of her mountain of debt.