STUDENTS GET A DOSE OF RURAL MEDICINE

Date: August 22, 2006
Posted At: The Medical Post
By: Kanwal Brar

Aspiring doctors create program to gain insight into rural practice

The Rural Manitoba Health Mentorship Program is a unique experience coupling prospective medical students with rural health-care professionals. In this first year of the program, nine Winnipeg students were selected to spend a full week job shadowing doctors and nurses at either Portage District General Hospital (PDGH) in Portage la Prairie or Boundary Trails Hospital in Winkler, Man.

What is even more amazing is that the program was created and co-ordinated by a group of aspiring medical students. Edward Tan, Sunny Singh and Gordon Li have all witnessed first-hand the challenges of rural health-care delivery within Manitoba. “We never really had any avenues to explore when we wanted to gain some rural medicine volunteer experience, so we decided to go our own route and create the Rural Manitoba Health Mentorship Program. We think it’s a great way for prospective medical students to gain some insight into the health-care field in rural Manitoba,” explained Singh.

“It is a ‘by students for students’ type of program,” said Tan. “In the early stages, it was challenging to get the hospitals on board, but with more and more rural communities losing doctors and nurses it is even more imperative to connect students to rural health opportunities in the early stages of their education.”

As a pre-medical student at the University of Winnipeg, I found many avenues to explore medicine in an urban environment. I worked at Four Rivers Medical Clinic in Winnipeg and had numerous volunteer experiences in local hospitals and senior homes, but had no opportunities to explore rural health care. With this program in place, I feel much more educated on health issues from a rural perspective. It’s scary to realize the shortage of staff these hospitals face only hours away from Winnipeg. The experience has definitely been an eye-opener.

During my week at PDGH, I was able to see surgeon Dr. Jim Ross and his ER colleagues, Dr. Jim Price and Dr. Ricardo Quesada, in action. Aside from my excitement observing everything from C-sections to laparoscopic cholecystectomies, I was most touched by the staff members’ commitment. Most of the doctors drive into Portage la Prairie every morning from Winnipeg and drive back out only when they can. It’s inspiring to see the connection they have made with this rural town and its people.

The co-ordinators feel the key is providing more opportunities for youth in science, not just medical students, in gaining a better understanding of their rural communities. “We hear about the challenges of rural health through the media, but you can never gain the actual perspective until you are there in the hospitals,” explained Li.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all the staff involved in making the program such a success.

Ultimately, it involves a two-way relationship. It’s our ambition to learn more about rural health, coupled with the hospital’s willingness to accommodate students for a week and share their expertise. The nurses and doctors at PDGH made my rural experience a fun and memorable one.

The program will continue with a new set of students next year. For more information on the program or how to apply visit www.healthmentormb.ca.

Kanwal Brar is now entering his first year of medical school at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.