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Southwestern Ontario Medical Education Network (SWOMEN)

SCHULICH STUDENTS:  DISCOVERY WEEK (Year 1 )

2013 DATES:

  • Week 1: May 27 - 31, 2013
  • Week 2: June 3 - 7, 2013

Click here to see Highlights from Discovery Week 2011!

View Discovery Week photos on Flickr

About Discovery Week
Discovery Week Goals
Discovery Week Objectives
Contact Information
Discovery Week in the News

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.

Click here to view more details about SWOMEN programs & positionsDiscovery 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.

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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.

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DISCOVERY WEEK OBJECTIVES

  1. Orientation and Awareness: This will provide an opportunity for students to become familiar with the parameters, dynamics and systems involved within rural/regional medical practice.
  2. Inter-Professional Education/ Inter-Professional Care (IPE/IPC): This experience is to provide exposure to team work and collaboration undertaken within a rural/regional site.
  3. Medical Care in a Rural/Regional Site (with a focus on acute or chronic disease): This will allow an opportunity for students to develop an understanding of the challenges of delivering and receiving acute or chronic care within a rural/regional site.
  4. Working with Diverse Populations: This will provide an opportunity for students to develop an awareness of the challenge with chronic/acute disease management in diverse patient populations.

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DISCOVERY WEEK IN THE NEWS

Read about Discovery Week in our partner communities:

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Mary Peterson
Rural Regional Medicine Placement Coordinator
Southwestern Ontario Medical Education Network (SWOMEN)
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University
London, ON N6G 4X8
t. 519.858.5152 ext. 86225
f. 519.858.5131
e. mary.peterson@schulich.uwo.ca

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