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'Keeping the Rural Doctor Informed'
Volume 5 Issue 7
 Next: Focus on Manitoba
March  14th, 2003
Neglected Federal Report Calls for Rural Health
OTTAWA - Criticized for its delay, Health Canada has released the Ministerial Advisory Council on Rural Health report.  The  November 2002 paper states that “strong federal leadership” is required “to ensure that rural health becomes a nationwide priority and that rural, remote, northern and Aboriginal communities have a healthy and sustainable future.”
  Amongst the 43 recommendations is one for a pan-Canadian health human resources strategy, which would include addressing  barriers for rural and Aboriginal health training in Canadian medical and nursing schools.  Other recommendations include rural health innovation centers similar to the Australian model, and integrating traditional medicine and healing practices into existing Aboriginal health services.
  The Romanow report tabled last November called for the creation of a $1.5 billion Rural and Remote Access Fund to address serious challenges in health care in rural and remote areas of Canada. This was the only one of five short term funds that did not make it into the February 2003 health accord.  This omission Mr. Romanow was critical of in a public lecture at the University of Regina.
  The current government did increase funding for health services in Northern Canada after territorial officials camped out in Ottawa for two weeks.
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Register for our 11th Rural and Remote Medicine Conference 
April 24-27th 2003 srpc.ca/RR2003

Jasper OB "Unsafe"

JASPER- Childbirth services have been discontinued in Jasper due to concerns over nursing experience and staffing levels.  While the hospital spent $100,000 over two years, sending 17 nurses to obstetric courses to refresh their skills and training, only three remain.  Joan Connors, area team leader at the hospital has been quoted as saying “The cost of living is too high and once they get the skiing out of their system, they leave.”
  At the moment women have no option but to travel to Hinton and to let Jasper join the list of "high outflow" communities.  Jasper used to do 25 deliveries a year.  The door has been left open by the regional health authority to reopen if conditions change, but no concrete plans are in place to change the conditions.
Satellite Phones For Travellers
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY – Later this month Newfoundland will start lending satellite phones to motorists travelling on the Trans-Labrador highway between Happy Valley-Goose Bay and western Labrador.  The gravel road has only one community, Churchill Falls, along the 525 kilometre route.  Motorists have been stranded for hours with temperatures as low as minus 40.
OZ Proceduralist Training
NEW SOUTH WALES The New South Wales minister of health, upon urging by the Rural Doctors Association, has set up a $3.5M AU program to train rural doctors specialized skills in areas such as surgery, obstetrics, anaesthetics and others.  The program was developed in response to the general shortage of rural doctors and to the pending retirement of many doctors with procedural skills. 
  Eligible doctors are GP residents; GPs already working in rural areas; urban doctors who are thinking about taking up rural practice; and permanent resident overseas trained doctors currently working in "Area of Need" positions in NSW.
  Training is done in regional centres with positions filled at Tamworth, Bathurst, Orange, Albury, Lismore and  Dubbo.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Northern Ontario Medical School Logo
Northern Ontario Medical School looses Deans 
SUDBURY- Dr. Tim Allen announced this Wednesday his intention not to continue on as the Northern Ontario Medical School (NOMS) East Campus Dean.
  “It is with great sadness that I make this announcement,” said Founding Dean Dr. Roger Strasser. “Tim was a great asset, aDr. Tim Allen great supporter and a great friend to NOMS. He will be missed.”
  In making the announcement both Drs. Allen and Strasser said this decision came down to a combination of differing expectations in a working environment necessary to build Canada’s first medical school in nearly 35 years.
  During the past three months, Dr. Allen made important contributions to the development of NOMS. His work with the Franco-Ontarian community and with Laurentian University will be pursued by his successor.
  Just a month earlier Dr. Louis Francescutti had resigned his position as NOMS-West Campus Dean for family reasons.
  Dr. Arnie Aberman was named Interim Campus Dean of NOMS-West, the Lakehead University site of the Northern Ontario Medical School. Dr. Aberman served with NOMS previously as the Consulting Dean from February to August 2002.
  An announcement regarding the appointment of a new NOMS-East Campus Dean will be announced at a later date.
  Work on the curriculum proceeds with a twenty person strong team.
Compared with urban residents, people living in rural communities have shorter life expectancies, higher death rates and higher infant mortality rates.
-Ministerial Advisory Council on Rural Health 2002
The 'Rural News' is copyright © 2003 Society of Rural Physicians of Canada
Articles published in the rural news are opinion of the author(s) unless specifically identified as SRPC policy

FSU - Rural Mission Medical School

Accreditation (by the LCME) is required in both the US and Canada to allow medical school graduates to write national licensing exams. Controversy erupted when the first new medical school in 20 years, Florida State University College of Medicine admitted an inaugural class of 30 students in 2001, and failed accreditation. Are other new rural mission schools such as NOMS and the NMP at risk? 
  The surveyors discounted part time faculty (criteria exact 1.5 click to see FSU medical education buildingfull time faculty per student), and had concerns over the quality of applicants. The school for its part has turned away hundreds of applicants, couldn't hire many more full time faculty until it was running the second year, and was admitting students under the existing first year feeder program that had been accredited earlier. After discussions and appeal, plus some planned full time faculty hires, FSU was granted  provisional accreditation in October 2002.
  The inaugural dean was reassigned at the eve of the school's application for accreditation of the third year. The new dean and the secretary of the LCME are sharing the podium discussing differences in values over accrediting "new model" schools at the AAMC meeting  this weekend.
   One value is Florida's direction to FSU to meet the needs of medically under served populations in rural and inner city areas. New Dean J. Ocie Harris says “[it is known that the] Traditional admission process would not be adequate to bring in to medical education or even other health professions, individuals that represent our target populations. In order to do that you have to reach back much further into the education process.” 
  FSUs 10 year old SSTRIDE program starts in specific medically under serviced middle and high schools where an in-school “elective” science course is offered with tutoring and mentoring support. The undergraduate component occurs in regional feeder colleges where interviewing workshops and MCAT preparation classes and scholarships are offered to prepare people for applying to medical school. 
  Admissions at FSU first establishes that the applicant has sufficient academics. Then the numbers get put aside and selection proceeds based on personal characteristics such as history of service and compatibility with the school's mission to be “responsive to community needs, especially through service to elder, rural, minority, and under served populations.”