Medical students participate in “Rural Week” within PMH

A full slate of first-year medical students from the University of Manitoba’s (U of M) Max Rady College of Medicine (Rady Faculty of Health Sciences) participated in ‘Rural Week’ within Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) region May 26 – May 31st.

Rural Week— coordinated annually by the Department of Family Medicine, Shared Health (Manitoba Healthcare Providers Network) and rural regional health authorities —provides medical students with an opportunity to gain first-hand experience of how rural and northern Manitoba medical practices function.  It also promotes the many benefits of working and living in a rural/northern Manitoba area.

This year, 38 medical students were assigned to 13 PMH communities, which included Brandon, Dauphin, Deloraine, Grandview, Hamiota, Neepawa, Roblin, Russell, Souris, Ste. Rose, Treherne, Virden and Winnipegosis.

Students participated in a variety of rural physician practices, and in most cases, tagged along with a ‘doc’ to see how their patient days unfolded. As part of their visits, students also received assignments that saw them explore communities on their own.

PMH Regional Lead of Medical Services, and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Adrian Fung added: “Rural week is an exciting time, as it allows us as a region to highlight our communities, staff, and facilities to the medical students, while also giving the students a chance to see how rewarding and fulfilling rural practice is!”

PMH sincerely appreciated the efforts of all of the physician preceptors, health-care professionals and community volunteers that helped to ensure Rural Week was once again a success.

Rural Week, as part of the U of M medical 1 curriculum, first started as an optional experience in 2003 and was approved as a mandatory component the following year.