Don’t be shocked if a medical student attends your next appointment with your family physician to observe or assist with care. A crucial component of becoming a family doctor is gaining practical experience under the supervision of a knowledgeable mentor.
The new contracts that Nova Scotian doctors just ratified are intended to aid in this crucial task. Increased funding was included in the contracts for physician preceptors, who train, advise, and evaluate medical students, residents, and practice-ready assessment physicians in the province.
Many family doctors find it challenging to take time away from their hectic practices to work with medical students since they are overworked. More participants could be able to participate thanks to this new investment.
What’s the big deal? Supporting clinicians who teach medical students in Nova Scotia can assist increase physician retention and recruitment in our communities. It’s an opportunity to introduce prospective hires to the clinic, practice style, medical community, and—most importantly—the local patients.
Mentorship starts early
Dalhousie University’s first-year medical students participate in Rural Week in May. To experience what it’s like to live and work in a rural community, they disperse to learning sites across the Maritimes where they visit local doctors in their offices.
As they cycle through clerkships in various specialties at hospitals and clinics around the Maritimes, medical students gain more practical clinical experience in their third year of training. A small number of students have the option of participating in what is known as a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship, in which they spend the entire year working with a family physician in a single rural community. As part of their placement, they get knowledge from regional experts and other healthcare professionals in the area, which helps them develop their confidence in rural medicine.
Boosting rural recruitment
After finishing medical school, professionals who desire to practice family medicine may choose to complete their family medicine residency (often additional four years of study) in a rural area. In rural Nova Scotia, there are five family medicine residency training locations, and the nearby family doctors play a significant role in assisting the new doctors.
Dr. Abir Hussein, a family doctor in Yarmouth, is the postgraduate site director at Dalhousie Family Medicine’s Southwest Nova teaching site. She claims that the residency program is a benefit to the neighborhood. She also added that residents provide outstanding care and services while bringing fresh skills and expertise to our hospital. They integrate into our society, and some do remain.
Making connections
Dr. Michelle Dow, a family doctor in Clare, shares this excitement. She claims that throughout her career, bringing doctors to the area has been her biggest focus. As a first- and second-year medical student as well as throughout residency, Dr. Dow collaborates with a group of local doctors to entice students to return to the area for their practicums.
Enriching the profession
Mentorship frequently has advantages for both the mentor and the student. Dr. Kenny Yee, a family doctor in Barrington Passage, sees working with medical students as both a chance to educate the next generation of doctors and a tool to improve his own clinical work.
In the end, having more assistance available for Nova Scotian doctors to mentor and teach medical students now will help pave the road for nurturing and sustaining doctors in the future.
More to this at: https://www.yourdoctors.ca/blog/health-care/med-learners
Reference: https://www.yourdoctors.ca/
Image by DCStudio on Freepik
