Saskatchewan medical students are taking advantage of opportunities to learn more about practising in rural Saskatchewan.
A total of 40 University of Saskatchewan medical students participated in saskdocs' Rural Externship Program (PREP) to experience medicine in rural and remote communities this past summer. This is the highest participation rate for the program since saskdocs was established in 2011.
The students are all now beginning their third year of study. They shadowed practising physicians in 24 communities to gain valuable experience that will help them make future decisions about where to work and what type of medicine to practice. Evidence shows that the earlier a medical student is exposed to a community, the more likely it is that individual will return to practise in the same location after graduation, according to a saskdocs press release.
"Our government is fully committed to keeping Saskatchewan-trained medical students here in the province to practise after they graduate," Minister Responsible for Rural and Remote Health Tim McMillan said. "We want these bright young minds to stay, contribute to our growing province and help us build an exceptional, patient-first health care system."
PREP is a program jointly delivered by saskdocs, the Saskatchewan Medical Association and the U of S College of Medicine. Physicians, Saskatchewan's health regions and numerous other partners are all involved in the program.
"Recruiting and retaining our U of S medical graduates is our number one priority," said saskdocs' I/CEO Erin Brady. "PREP is designed specifically for U of S medical students to gain exposure to rural and remote communities and practise in the province. An informal survey conducted by saskdocs of past PREP participants indicated that close to 90 per cent of them would consider practising in the communities in which they were placed."
"The SMA is pleased to support and participate in PREP and build on the work of the SMA's Roadmap Program for students and residents," said Dr. Dalibor Slavik, president of the SMA. "We know that early and continued exposure to rural practice will lead to more graduates establishing themselves in a rural community. The Roadmap Program and PREP will lay the foundation for better care for rural patients in the years to come."
PREP is funded by the Ministry of Health through the Saskatchewan Medical Association's Committee on Rural and Regional Practice.
A total of 114 U of S medical students have participated in PREP since 2011.
