Milestone for family of doctors

PIERS FULLER - WAIRARAPA NEWS

A birth is a special event in any circumstances but there was extra significance for Dr Simon Prior recently because he was delivering the baby alongside his daughter Sarah, who is in her last year of medical training to become a doctor.

It was the second time Simon has had the opportunity to deliver a baby with one of his own children. Six years ago Simon and his son David, who is also a doctor, were responsible for delivering another baby together while David was doing a stint at the then Masterton Hospital.

It was a big thrill for Simon to be able to work alongside his children in medicine and he says there are "wonderful continuities" that are illustrated in these family connections through the years. He still remembers the car hitting a big bump on Essex Street as he was rushing his wife to the hospital on her way to give birth to Sarah.

"I thought we were going to have her there and then in the mini," says Simon.

Sarah grew up in Masterton and she said it is nice to see familiar faces amongst the people she has been looking after while she is based at the medical centre for a month.

This year also marks another milestone in the family's long history in Wairarapa. The Priors have been in continuous general practice in Masterton for a hundred years - a century ago Dr Norman Prior delivered his first baby after moving to the region. His youngest son, Dr Owen Prior, who is a well-known community leader and retired GP, took over the practice from his father in the late 1950s after working together for a short period. Dr Simon Prior in-turn took over from his father in 1984.

Sarah said coming from a family of doctors initially steered her away from the idea of becoming one herself, but as she got older and saw through her father how rewarding the profession could be, she decided near the end of her secondary education that medicine was the direction she wanted to go.

Her father says he is tremendously proud to see the work his children have put into their chosen pursuits and the focus they have applied to their studies.

"I think they are lucky because they've known what they wanted to do. They're very focussed and they turned out really well- but then, I'm biased." Now that she is in her sixth and final year of her studies she thinks she would like to either go into paediatrics or general practice. After spending the last four weeks at the Masterton Medical Centre where she "had a ball" she thinks general practice might be a more enjoyable and rewarding career option than working in a stressful hospital situation.

In the medical profession general practice had become the 'poor cousin' of the specialties, but lately it has become a more popular choice because of its closeness to community and the lifestyle opportunities it provides.

"More and more of my class are saying GP is the way to go," says Sarah.

Though she is considering general practice it is unlikely she will be moving back to Wairarapa anytime soon. She describes herself as a city girl and is quite comfortable with her life in Wellington right now.

Simon is one of Wairarapa's three remaining obstetric GPs, but with Dr Hillary Ryan and Dr Tim Bailey-Gibson soon giving up obstetrics, Dr Prior will soon be the only GP offering the service.