Rural Medicine Interest Longitudinal Mentorship
To address the lack of rural-focused training within undergraduate medical programs, the Rural Medicine Interest Longitudinal Mentorship program informs medical students about the tremendous opportunities, diversity and joys of working in rural family practice and rural speciality practice.
Responded to COVID restrictions
Inspired numerous residents to practice in rural BC
Looking ahead
Like many other programs, the Rural Medicine Interest Longitudinal Mentorship program had to quickly adapt when COVID–19 hit the province. After a short pause, the program resurrected and, when permitted, ran mentorship presentations and discussions with participants in very small groups and on virtual platforms.
The program continued to collect data on participating mentees. In the past year, anecdotal evidence showed that the residency match, including specialty matches, for the program’s 2020 Northern Medical Program cohort was extremely rural. Many of the graduating students said they chose a rural-focused residency because of their connection with the Rural Medicine Interest Longitudinal Mentorship program. According to one participant:
“[This program] is useful because it exposes students to the breadth of experiences that rural practice has to offer, while simultaneously offering specific information about aspects of medicine that are often neglected elsewhere, like finances, family, and lifestyle.”
In the coming year, the program anticipates that additional supports, including administration, and a retained use of a hybrid virtual/in-person model, will enable it to expand the program to other sites, as well as the number of presenters
How have we shown or built resilience in BC during a challenging year?
The Rural Medicine Interest Longitudinal Mentorship is attracting residents to rural areas of BC, helping create stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities. As one participant told me:
“It was great to go over topics that you don’t learn about in medical school, like reimbursement models, how locuming works in BC, and additional training opportunities after residency. This is something our peers and us didn’t know much about—and it’s somewhat difficult to access this information when you’re at the level of medical student, when you don’t necessarily have close contacts with folks willing to share these types of details with you. We all really appreciated having a rural general practitioner approach us, willing to share this information, along with the other presenters that we had. We really valued having a first-hand, honest account of what rural practice is like. These sessions further strengthened my desire to practice rurally.”
We’re pleased to be building strong and trusted relationships with medical students, and introducing them to the joys of rural practice—and rural life.
Dr. James Card
Medical Lead, Rural Medicine Interest Longitudinal Mentorship, RCCbcTeam Members: Sharon Mah
Some Related Areas
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BC Rural Health Conference
Click to Read More
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Nanaimo and Northern Emergency Education Programs
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