Discovery Week

Discovery Week 25 Years

Discovery Week 2023 Dates

Week One: Tuesday, May 23- Friday, May 26, 2023
Week Two: Monday, May 29 – Thursday, June 1, 2023

Information Session - Rescheduled to March 2, 2023

Join us for an information session March 2, 2023
12:00pm - 1:00pm
London: MSB146
Windsor: MEC1115


Below, are the information slides used in the information session. 

Year 1 Presentation March 2 2023.pdf

Discovery Week Student Participation Form

The Discovery Week Student Particiaption form will open February 23, 2023 and will close March 17, 2023. Discovery Week is for first year medicine students.

The last day of class is scheduled for June 2, 2023 and students are expected to be available up until this date. If you have a specific date-related accommodation that is needed for Discovery Week due to health/compassionate or other reasons, please submit your request via the Schulich Hub for consideration. Please identify the week that you do not wish to be assigned and provide sufficient detail to allow a decision to be made. For all other accommodation requests that do not pertain to a specific week assignment but are related to health or compassional circumstance, please feel free to connect with the Learner Experience Office.

About Discovery Week

Discovery Week 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. Learners are placed in more than 60 rural and regional communities in Southwestern Ontario.

Students will have the opportunity to:

  • shadow physicians, healthcare professionals and learn what their typical workday encompasses
  • networking with the various health care teams
  • experience rural and regional living in communities throughout Southwestern Ontario

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 inpatient 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

Every placement is unique. These four areas of focus will vary depending upon the site. Students will have opportunities for these experiences through varying disciplines and with a variety of healthcare professionals.

  1. Orientation and Awareness: This will provide an opportunity for students to become familiar with the parameters, dynamics, and systems involved in rural/regional medical practice.
  2. Inter-Professional Education/ Inter-Professional Care (IPE/IPC): This experience is to provide exposure to teamwork 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.

Claiming a Travel Expense for Discovery Week - deadline is June 15

Complete the Travel Expense Form before the deadline. Questions? email distributed.education@schulich.uwo.ca

Discovery Week Videos

Ingersoll 2022

Grand Bend / Exeter 2022

Owen Sound 2022