Kelly first came to Kamloops as part of the city’s first family medicine residency cohort.
What she found was a community and a hospital culture she didn’t want to leave.
“It was such a welcoming community. The medical staff were so welcoming – the hospital, the collegiality, the way that people treat each other in general was just really inspiring,” added Kelly.
Since April 2025, nine new hospitalists have accepted positions at the RIH. Kelly says the mentality of the approach hasn’t been about convincing doctors to move here, but instead showing them what life in Kamloops is really like.
“I think I would get away from saying ‘convincing’ people to come here. I think that was the mental shift we all made. Kamloops is an amazing place to be. Let’s showcase what is amazing about our hospital, what’s amazing about our community, why we love to live here and that will attract the right people,” Kelly stated.
Those new additions are already helping improve stability within the hospitalist program, while reducing the existing pressures on physicians. Kelly believes the group has now reached an important milestone.
“We are at a place now where things are more stable, which is amazing. Now we can be pickier, too, about continuing to find our people. That’s really important to us, finding the right people to join our group.”
While recruitment remains a challenge across the province, Kelly says she’s optimistic about the future of health care in Kamloops.
“An abundance of doctors and all other health care professionals and nurses,” says Kelly when asked on how she hopes the healthcare system will develop in years to come. “I mean, we still have a ways to go with recruitments, so I would like to see us fully staffed, and I see that in our future.”
For Kelly, the goal isn’t just bringing more doctors to Kamloops – it’s building a stronger healthcare system for the community she fell in love with ten years ago.