Meet Samantha Reeves: The new doctor moving to Fort St. John for her residency

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A new graduate student from UBC is excited to move to Fort St. John on her journey to becoming a family doctor. 

Dr. Samantha Reeves found time to speak to Energeticcity.ca on April 28th before taking her Medical Council of Canada qualifying exam the next day. 

Born and raised in Kelowna, Dr. Reeves said practicing family medicine has been a dream of hers since high school.

“It’s always been something that I have been interested in and the dream that I’ve had since I was about 15 or 16 years old,” said Reeves. 

She completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Northern Medical Program (NMP).

The NMP is delivered by the UBC’s Faculty of Medicine in partnership with the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC).

After completing an under-graduate degree at UBC in Kelowna back in 2010, she moved to Vernon and worked for non-profit organizations like the the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Okanagan for the next 10 years. 

She then went back to UBC to obtain a doctorate in medicine in 2021. 

Reeves graduated as part of the UBC NMP class of 2025. 

“To be graduating from the medical program is an incredible privilege and just really a lifelong dream come true.”

The newly-graduated doctor will next move into her medical residency on June 1st, choosing Fort St. John for the next two years.

Reeves said she is very excited to move to Fort St. John, choosing it for her residency because of the polite people in the region and the opportunity to work in rural emergency medicine, including emergency rooms. 

She also chose Fort St. John for the outdoor adventures for her and her husband, Conner. 

“The north can be such a supportive community, and the people definitely helped make our experience there so impactful,” said Reeves. 

“My husband and I love being outside, camping, hiking and being in the backcountry.” 

At this time, Dr. Reeves is unsure whether she will start her own family practice after completing her residency and is taking things “one step at a time.”