SCHULICH STUDENTS: DISCOVERY WEEK (Year 1 )
2012 DATES:
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Click here to see Highlights from Discovery Week 2011!
About Discovery Week
Discovery Week Goals
Discovery Week Objectives
Contact Information
ABOUT DISCOVERY WEEK
In 1997 the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario introduced a new curriculum to provide exposure for all undergraduate medical students to rural regional medicine. To achieve this goal, the curriculum included rural-oriented medical education with both compulsory and elective components.
Discovery Week, one of the compulsory components, is a mandatory one-week placement at the end of the first year for all undergraduate medical students at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. These placements are in more than 30 participating rural and regional communities in Southwestern Ontario.
Students have the opportunity to shadow family physicians and learn what their typical workday encompasses. In addition, they also experience a wide variety of medical specialties and practices. Numerous physicians and other health care staff and administrative personnel are involved each year to provide this opportunity for students. As there are many communities and they vary greatly in size and available health care services, the experiences of the students vary; for instance students often shadow in the ER, OR, clinics, etc. The week also involves socializing with the physicians and gaining a sense of the community. At the end of the week, students meet with the Assistant Dean Rural Regional for a wrap-up discussion of their experiences, and they share the highlights of their week.
DISCOVERY WEEK GOALS
Introduce all undergraduate medical students at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry to the opportunities and challenges of living and working in a rural or regional community. Involve students first-hand in patient care in rural regional settings while developing an understanding and appreciation for rural regional medicine and health care providers. The long-term goal is to inspire students to practice in small and mid-sized communities in Southwestern Ontario upon completion of their medical training.
DISCOVERY WEEK OBJECTIVES
- Develop medical student knowledge and interest in rural and regional medicine through observerships with family physicians and general specialists
- Expose students to medicine and experiences in community living outside of a tertiary centre, providing a worthwhile, rewarding and unique learning experience
- Experience inter-professional, team-based health care in a community setting
- Provide students with an opportunity to become more knowledgeable about future educational placements, including clerkship and residency, in Southwestern Ontario
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Provide opportunities for students to advocate on behalf of the medical profession
CONTACT INFORMATION
Mary Peterson
Rural Regional Medicine Placement Coordinator
Southwestern Ontario Medical Education Network
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
The University of Western Ontario
London, ON N6G 4X8
Tel (519) 661-2111 ext 86225
Fax (519) 661-4043
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