“I always wanted to practice rural medicine because I feel like you get to do more. Your scope of practice is wider. I get to do it all and that excites me.”

Dr. Jensen moved to Uxbridge in 2007 to practice family medicine, emergency medicine and hospitalist work. Her passion though is in emergency medicine where she says she feels like she’s making an immediate, tangible impact.

Despite the heavy schedule that comes with the various practices, Dr. Jensen has made it a priority to protect herself and other physicians from burn out.

“Burnout is one of the biggest dangers of rural medicine. There are constant demands for your attention. When I became Chief of Uxbridge Hospital in 2013 one of my top priorities was to increase the ranks of physicians so that none of us would burn out.”

To attract more physicians to the Uxbridge area, Dr. Jensen says she has utilized the Rural Ontario Medical Program, which helps put medical students and residents into rotations throughout rural Ontario. She explains that a higher number of physicians in an area leads to a higher quality of care, which in turn, entices physicians to stay in the area and lessen the chances of becoming burned out.

The days of panic about who would cover a shift in the ED at the hospital are behind us.

“We’ve worked really hard to fill gaps and we’ve got a really solid group of doctors here. The days of panic about who would cover a shift in the Emergency Department (ED) at the hospital are behind us.”

For Dr. Jensen, who grew up in Calgary and passed Uxbridge Hospital on her way to the family cottage in the summers, the rural lifestyle makes her happy.

“I like small town living. It’s really convenient and we’re lucky that we’re rural, but not so rural that I can’t get access to what I need.”

She also reflects the ideals of a small town feel in her role at the hospital.

“I like to know everyone by their first name and know them beyond the job. I want to know about them. It helps create that family feeling.”

Recently, Dr. Jensen along with a group of Uxbridge physicians joined together to announce an agreement to build a new medical office building on the grounds of Uxbridge Hospital.

“I’m very excited. What I’m looking forward to the most is having medical consultants – such as surgeons – with us, which will make accessing care easier for patients. This facility will no doubt improve healthcare in Uxbridge.”

Dr. Jensen’s passion for providing health care doesn’t stop at Uxbridge. She, along with fellow Uxbridge physician Dr. Jennifer Wilson and a team of health care professionals, will soon be going to Ghana, South Africa on a medical mission. This will be Dr. Jensen’s seventh trip. The group will be teaching, training and transferring skills to local health care professionals and assisting in the final planning of a 50-bed hospital, which is slated to open in 2021.

“I always come back refreshed despite the long hours. It also gives me a global lens and I realize how extraordinarily privileged we are and how grateful we should be. We’re blessed with the care we can provide here.”

In her limited free time, Dr. Jensen is active in sports, including running and mountain biking. “I’m lucky to be healthy and have a working body. I like to put it to the test.”