Eighteen University of Calgary medical school students paid a visit to Sundre on Friday, touring the local hospital, clinic and even taking a trip out west – all to see first-hand what rural medicine is all about.
Students Lindsay Frunchak and Chris De Waal were two of the visiting students.
Originally from Vegreville, Frunchak said rural medicine has a lot to do with teamwork from all the health-care providers.
“I think access to resources and feeling comfortable in the hospital that you are in and if you have really good staff, then that can mean a lot,” said Frunchak. “If you know your nurses really well and there are good working relationships, then it's a good working environment for sure.
“Knowing who you can talk to and what is available at your centre and being confident with your medical skills, that's very important.”
Also from a small town, De Waal said he believes making sure there are good medical staffs and facilities in rural communities goes a long way towards supporting patients and their families.
“If you can provide care in a setting that's rural without compromising patient care, I think that's ideal because it can keep patients close to their families and close to their homes and places where they feel comfortable,” said De Waal. “If you can give that to people, and be a part of their community at the same time, that's ideal.”
Frunchak will be coming back to Sundre in the spring to participate in the nine-month Rural Clerkship Program. She says she plans to practise rural medicine when she graduates.
“I like the scope of the practice in rural medicine and I will definitely end up working rural, as a family doctor,” she said.
De Waal said he also plans to pursue a career in family medicine, “with a little bit of emergency tacked on”.
“I'm not in the clerkship program, but I grew up in small towns too, so I'm thinking of doing a rural residency somewhere in Alberta and then possibly working there as well,” he said.
Both De Waal and Frunchak said there is a mix of students who want to pursue rural medicine and those who want to work in bigger centres.
“My dad was a GP in small towns but we eventually ended up in bigger places,” said De Waal. “I think rural medicine is good for younger doctors. All the on-call can maybe get a little harder when you are older and when you have a family that you need to take care of.”
Sundre physician Dr. Hal Irvine says showing the students around Sundre gives them some idea of what rural medicine is all about.
