COMMUNIQUé - College of Medicine - University of Saskatchewan

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Creating a provincial campus Distributed Medical Education moves forward With the recent $2 million in funding provided by the Ministry of Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration and the Ministry of Health, the College of Medicine is developing a plan to expand distributed medical education throughout the province. Distributed medical education (DME) is an approach that has medical students study and train in a variety of different environments, such as smaller rural facilities, as opposed to studying only at the large tertiary institutions. Dr. Tom Smith-Windsor, Associate Dean of Rural Programs, thinks the development will allow medical students to gain a wider range of experience of medicine as a whole: “Right now we’re teaching on a somewhat narrow perspective for the disease process, and not at the beginning or the end of that process where most physicians work. DME will allow students more contact with patients throughout the disease, as well as outside the hospital setting. They’ll also learn about solving medical issues within the patient’s social and economic environment.” Other medical programs in Canada are already reaping the benefits of distributed medical programs, and DME could help solve some of Saskatchewan’s specific challenges, such as a lack of family physicians, especially in rural areas. Dr. Smith- Windsor points out that “the literature on distributed medical education overwhelmingly shows that where students get the majority of their clinical experience is where they will establish practice.” Dr. Anurag Saxena, Assistant Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education at the U of S, agrees, stating that DME “has huge potential for Saskatchewan as far as recruiting and retaining general practitioners.” As with any program development, there are implementation challenges. “The training received at these distributed sites s Keewatin Yatthé Prairie North Heartland Cypress On July 7th, 2010, U of S President MacKinnon and Dean Albritton, together with Premier Brad Wall and Minister of Health Don McMorris, welcomed four new family medicine residents Athabasca Prince Albert Parkland Saskatoon Marnawetan Churchill River Kelsey Trail Regina Qu’appelle Five Hills Sunrise Sun Country to Swift Current. Over the next two years, these postgraduate medical education students will be the first to receive their training outside of Saskatoon, Regina or Prince Albert. Establishing the training site in Swift Current is a significant step for the College of Medicine as we continue with the expansion of our distributed medical education model. For the College of Medicine, developing a distributed model of education is essential to meeting our social accountability mandate and addressing the reforms in medical education suggested by the recently released Future of Medical Education in Canada project developed through the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. Specifically, enhancing our distributed education model will enable us to concentrate on three of the ten recommendations outlined in the FMEC report: 1. ADDRESS INDIVIDUAl AND COMMUNIty NEEDS: The College of Medicine is mandated to serve the people of Saskatchewan. For us to achieve this mandate, we must first reach the people of Saskatchewan. A distributed education model is the vehicle by which we will achieve greater connectedness to the communities we seek to serve. This includes both rural and urban populations and also encompasses meaningful engagement with underserved communities. 2. Diversify lEARNING CONtexts: This is at the heart of a distributed model. Students must be exposed to a wide range of learning contexts in order to become well-rounded physicians. While training in large, tertiary care facilities is an important aspect of medical school, it cannot be the only environment students are exposed to. 3. ValUE GENERAlISM: Recognizing that generalism is foundational for all physicians, MD education must focus on broadly generalist content, including comprehensive family medicine. Moreover, family physicians and other generalists must be integral participants in all stages of MD education. The expansion of our rural family medicine residency program to Swift Current is a positive step towards further developing our distributed medical education model and it demonstrates our commitment to serving the people of Saskatchewan. 12 C O M M U N I Q U É College of Medicine • University of Saskatchewan
must be at the same rigorous, high level as the training received on campus,” says Dr. Saxena, which accordingly requires a great deal of administrative, faculty, and IT support. Dr. Gary Linassi, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Medical Education, agrees, and describes the ideal DME program as one in which, “the satellite centres participate in a very robust way in the delivery of medical education,” adding that he would like to see “students on the U of S campus being taught by instructors on other campuses, so that the flow of information goes both ways.” If successful, he believes the U of S “will have a truly provincial campus in delivering the undergraduate mission.” Distributed medical education will also help fulfill the College of Medicine’s social accountability mandate. Dr. Saxena states, “social needs should be the key driver in what we do in medicine and what we do in medical education. Since many of the needs of the Saskatchewan people are not being met by the old system, new ways of filling those needs are required, and it is of crucial importance that we pursue this with great enthusiasm.” The College of Medicine presently has undergraduate learners based in Saskatoon and Regina. Phase D undergrads, or JURSI’s (Junior Undergraduate Rotating Student Interns) have the option to select training rotations at a number of additional sites. The postgraduate training programs are based in Saskatoon with some programs offering an option of completing the entire residency in Regina, Prince Albert and Swift Current. All programs offer community learning experiences in different rural and urban settings. The opportunities for training in areas of community needs such as Family Practice Anesthesia and Enhanced Surgical Skills are being developed to include Prince Albert, Meadow Lake and Melfort, among others. n Third Year MEDICAl StUDENts now able to tRAIN in REGINA… August 2010 marked a new beginning for twelve Phase C (or third-year) students as they continued their medical training from the College’s newest distributed education site – the renovated auditorium in the Regina General Hospital. In the past, these students would have been based in Saskatoon. The twelve third-year students joined an existing cohort of fourth-year medical students in Regina. During an event held simultaneously in the Regina and Saskatoon classrooms, Dr. Albritton said “the College of Medicine is a provincial resource mandated to serve the people of Saskatchewan, so it is important for us to have a well-established presence throughout the province.” “The RQHR is excited to be involved in this expanded partnership with the College of Medicine,” Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region CEO Dwight Nelson said. “We appreciate that our regional and medical colleagues have set aside additional time for teaching and we hope that our efforts will encourage more Saskatchewan medical graduates to make their home and build their practices in southern Saskatchewan.” FAMIly MEDICINE RURAl RotatION OptIONS Athabasca Battleford Estevan Eston Fort Qu’Appelle Gravelbourg Humboldt Ile-à-la-Crosse Kindersley La Ronge Lloydminster Meadow Lake Melfort North Battleford Radville Rosetown Rosthern Swift Current Weyburn Prince Albert (starting January 2011) University of Saskatchewan • College of Medicine C O M M U N I Q U É 13
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COMMUNIQUé - College of Medicine - University of Saskatchewan

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