News and Updates

Find everything you need to know about the 31st Annual Rural and Remote Medicine Conference

April 18 - 20, 2024 - Edmonton, Alberta | Edmonton Convention Centre

Visit the rural and remote conference web site
 

ABOUT

Peer-to-peer Education on essential topics like emergency care, obstetrics, pediatrics, Indigenous health, palliative care and rural research.

Primary Focus: Rural Practice at the heart of this conference lies a dedicated focus on rural practice, where we explore solutions and strategies for a sustainable and thriving healthcare landscape in remote areas.

With Workshops and Speakers from Across Canada you’ll leave with increased confidence in various aspects of rural practice, from managing ADHD to mastering procedures like chest tube insertion, providing compassionate palliative care, and teaching medical students and residents.

 

REGISTRATION RATES

Early Rates – October 1st to November 30th, 2023
Regular Rates – December 1st 2023 to February 29th, 2024
Late Registration Rates – March 1st to April 20th, 2024

ACCOMMODATIONS - Hotel & Travel

The SRPC has arranged discounted room rates at three hotels. All three hotels offer a reserved room block, ensuring availability until March 15, 2024, or until the room block reaches full capacity. To ensure your stay, we recommend making your reservation without delay to avoid potential disappointment.

 

FAMILY

Non-Medical partners are welcome to attend our conference! Enabling them to participate in meals, plenaries, and general interest sessions. Childcare Services Free on-site during the conference hours!

EXHIBITORS

As an exhibitor or sponsor, you will be at the forefront of a vibrant community of rural healthcare professionals. You’ll have the chance to showcase your products and services, engage with dedicated doctors, and contribute to the advancement of rural medical practice.

ADD-ON COURSES

In collaboration with R&R, SRPC is excited to extend an invitation to additional add-on courses. These courses are scheduled either before or after the main conference, allowing you to make the most of your time with us. Each course provider oversees their own registration and cancellation policies. If you ever need to withdraw from a course, please reach out to the respective provider directly. We’re here to make your learning journey seamless and enjoyable.

Hey SRPC Students and Residents,

As many of you already know, we will be hosting the 31st Annual Rural and Remote Medicine Conference in Edmonton from April 18-20 2024. This conference allows rural physicians, rural residents, and medical students the opportunity to come together and learn about current trends in rural medicine, work opportunities in rural communities across Canada and develop professional networks!

Each year the R & R Medicine Conference hosts the Co-Presenter program. This program allows for medical students and residents to be matched with a presenter to help co-present on a specific topic. Possible roles may include introducing the topic, assisting with developing the presentation, presenting portions of the talk, and facilitating group discussions. Student/Resident co-presenters will receive their choice of either a $200 honorarium, 1 free day at the conference, or 1 night's stay at a hotel.

The deadline to apply is December 23rd, 2023.

Terms and conditions of the Co-Presenter Program

Co-Presenter Program Expression of Interest form

Funding / Registration Details for R&R 2024

2024 - Co-Presenter Team:

• Jessica Bennett*, R&R Student Committee Co-Chair, MS2, University of Alberta
• Taylor Hammond*, R&R Student Committee Co-Chair, MS4, NOSM
• Rachel Howlett, R&R Resident Committee Chair, R2, Memorial University of Newfoundland
• Jessica Kainth, R&R Co-Presenter Subcommittee, Xavier University School of Medicine
• Aria Rezapour, R&R Co-Presenter Subcommittee, MS3, University of British Columbia
• Faith Wierenga, R&R Co-Presenter Subcommittee, MS2, University of Alberta

SRPC'S Annual Rural Awards

The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada has created awards to recognize and celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of its dedicated and enthusiastic members. Every year, we honour individuals and organizations that have made remarkable contributions to support, maintain and advocate for rural healthcare in Canada. 

Our objectives are to: 

• Acknowledge our members for their rural community projects 
• Provide opportunities to pay tribute to those members who serve rural communities 
• Showcase the significance of rural healthcare in Canada 
• Offer a platform to demonstrate the impact of members’ work in rural communities

We strongly encourage you to submit nominations for outstanding colleagues, mentors, and peers. Our esteemed awards committee will meticulously review each nomination to select the most deserving winners. We value your input and eagerly await your nominations.


Our prestigious rural awards are given to SRPC Members, with a few exceptions: The Keith Award, The Rural Education Award, and The Rural Health Champion Award, which may be presented to Non-Members. 


To verify your membership status or the membership status of your nominee, and for any questions or eligibility reviews, please contact Jenna Keindel at jennak@srpc.ca

Deadlines for nominations

January 31st each year for:

• Medical Student / Medical Resident Leadership Award, Rural Leadership Award, Rural Specialist Merit Award, Rural Heart Award, Rural Mentorship Award, Rural Health Champion Award, and Rural Community Impact Award

NOMINATE A MEMBER HERE

Nominate Your Rural Peers Today!

Nominate a Member Here

SRPC's Rural Service Awards 

The Fellowship of Rural Remote Medicine of the SRPC (FRRMS), Lifetime Member Award, Rural Long Service Award (RLSA), and Rural Service Award (RSA) are all earned awards. Your eligibility is based on SRPC membership, years of service, and whether you have registered for the upcoming R&R conference.

The Nominations and Awards Committee looks at who is registered for Rural & Remote by February 29th and takes their data from the SRPC Membership Profile to determine who meets the criteria for each of these awards.

Be sure the ‘Please Review - To Qualify for SRPC Awards at R&R’ section of your profile is up to date.

You must be registered for Rural & Remote by February 29, 2024.

Click on the button below to log in and be sure your SRPC Profile is up to date.

EDIT YOUR PROFILE

Questions About Awards?
Contact Jenna Keindel
Administrative Officer
jennak@srpc.ca

Are you a dedicated physician ready to impact Canadian rural healthcare? SRPC seeks individuals to join our Council, helping enhance rural community healthcare. Your expertise and commitment will drive real change!

Standing Committee Chairpersons Needed:

1. Indigenous Health: Advocate for the health and well-being of Indigenous communities in rural areas. (This role is reserved for an Indigenous physician)
   
2. Nominations and Awards: Recognize outstanding contributions within our community.
3. Rural Surgery: Promote advancements in rural surgical care.
4. First 5 Years in Practice: Support early-career physicians in rural practice.
5. Research: Drive innovative research initiatives to enhance rural healthcare.

Provincial and Territorial Representatives Needed:

• Nova Scotia
• Quebec
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• Ontario

Role as a Representative: Act as a vital link between SRPC members and the SRPC Council. You will be the primary contact for discussing current issues and ensuring the voice of your province or committee is heard.

Term Details: Representatives serve a 3-year term, renewable once. Executive positions have a 2-year term, renewable once.

Volunteer Time Commitment: Approximately 16 hours/year—1 full-day Spring Council, 4-hour Fall Council, and 2-4 1-hour Zoom committee meetings.

How to Apply:

Important Dates: All nominations and EOIs must be received by Friday, December 15th, 2023.

The Nominations & Awards Committee will carefully review all submissions and select the most suitable candidates.

Apply today or contact Jenna Keindel for more information: jennak@srpc.ca

The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) wishes to comment on the successful passing of the four member‐proposed motions at the College of Family Physicians of Canada's (CFPC) Annual Meeting of Members (AMM) on November 1st, regarding transparency, governance, and a pause in plans to transition to a third year of family medicine residency training.

It is clear by the number of online participants at the AMM, as well as the number of proxy votes, that there is significant and genuine concern regarding the impacts and unintended consequences of a shift to a third year of residency training that is shared by many family physicians. The same concern has been expressed by medical students, residents, and other organizations over the past few months.

Recognizing these votes are non‐binding, the SRPC expresses its hope that the CFPC Board will carefully reflect upon the outcomes of the AMM and consider actions that provide a path forward to address the issues raised, including the need for an additional year of training as the best solution to enhance the number of physicians practicing comprehensive family medicine across this country.

The SRPC remains unwavering in our commitment to advocating for high‐quality rural medical education, and our members include rural teachers and leaders, who are experts in comprehensive, generalist education. While we continue our efforts to ensure that the concerns of rural physicians and communities are heard, we also confirm our commitment to work with the CFPC on this issue. If we can truly collaborate with the CFPC and other stakeholders, we can plan and design a curriculum that improves the health of all Canadians.

For media inquiries, please contact:

info@srpc.ca

877‐276‐1949

The official journal of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada 

Volume 28, no. 4, Fall 2023

In this Issue 

• Clinical courage of COVID-19
• Use and barriers of PoCUS
• Reduced length of stay after colorectal surgery
• The Occasional intravenous lipid emulsion therapy
  
  

Read it Now

Dear Medical Students and Residents,

We are excited to invite you to participate in the 31st Annual Rural and Remote Medicine Conference, which will take place in Edmonton, Alberta. April 18th to 20th, 2024. As we prepare to open registration, we wanted to share a fantastic funding opportunity for Canadian medical students and residents.

What's New?

• A guaranteed $20,000 in funding is now available exclusively for medical students and residents, to significantly reduce registration fees.
• 25 medical students and 25 residents will each receive $400 in funding.
  
  

Who is Eligible?

To qualify for this exciting opportunity, you must meet the following criteria:

• You must be a SRPC Member
• You must attend all 3 days of the conference
• You must be attending/attended a Canadian medical school.
• You must not be receiving funds(*) from another source to attend.
  
  *Note: The ~$1000 conference funds most residents in Canada receive each year is not considered "funded" and you still qualify.
  *You are still eligible if you are participating in the co-presenter program.

How to Apply?

• Register for the Rural and Remote Medicine Conference by January 20, 2024.
  
• Select "INVOICE ME" and submit. (Don't Pay)
  

How will I know if I was selected?

• End of January, you will receive an email from the SRPC indicating if you were randomly selected to receive funding.
• All learners must pay their conference fee by March 1st 2024. If a learner was randomly chosen to receive funding but has not paid their registration fee by this date, the funding will be given to another learner.

For any inquiries about the process or application, please reach out to Jenna at jennak@srpc.ca. We extend our heartfelt thanks to our generous sponsors for making this initiative possible, further enhancing access to rural medicine education in Canada.

A special thank you to the SRPC students and residents who contributed to shaping the R&R Funding program for Rural Learners:

• Jessica Bennett
• Taylor Hammond
• Alaa Baiou
• Victoria Landry
• Sonja Poole
• Alexis Sharp

We look forward to your participation and the continued growth of our vibrant rural medical community and hope to see you in April.

 

In recent weeks, there has been a surge in media coverage concerning the extended length of family medicine residency training. The SRPC’s position is that any extension of residency training should be approached only after thorough consideration of risks, and with robust evidence of a potential to benefit rural medical education, physicians and communities.

Our primary objective is to advocate for the well‐being of rural communities and the healthcare providers who serve them, and many of our members are actively involved in teaching future generations of rural physicians. While the College of Family Physicians of Canada’s (CFPC) decision to pursue this change may be well‐intended, we believe that it presents several significant challenges that warrant caution.

Potential Exacerbation of Work Shortages in Rural Areas

Rural communities in Canada are already struggling with a shortage of healthcare providers. The decision to extend the duration of residency training may further exacerbate this issue by delaying the entry of family physicians into rural practice. This delay could have adverse consequences for patients in underserved areas who urgently require access to primary care.

Rural Residents Feel Prepared

The majority of family medicine residents who go through a rural training program feel well-prepared to handle the unique complexities of rural healthcare. Their training equips them with the generalist skillset necessary to address a broad range of medical issues in resource‐limited settings.

Potential Career Deterrence, Including Those with Advanced Skills Training

Prolonging family medicine residency training may discourage graduates from pursuing family medicine as a career. The additional year of training could make other specialties more appealing and diminish the already small pool of family physicians available to serve rural communities, particularly those with enhanced skills such as anesthesia, obstetrics, and surgical services. In an SRPC survey of learners performed this year, 44% did not feel the new curriculum would make them more likely to practice comprehensive family practice at the end of their residency, 63 % felt that extension of residency would affect their choice in a family medicine residency program, and 68 % felt that extension of training would change their choice of an enhanced skills program.

Lack of Evidence‐Based Decision‐Making

The SRPC is concerned about the lack of comprehensive evidence that led to the decision to alter the training duration. A decision of this magnitude should be grounded in robust research and data analysis, considering the potential health human resource and financial implications for both urban and rural healthcare settings.

There is a crisis in primary care, and it is strongly felt in rural communities. The SRPC firmly believes that the issues, and solutions to this crisis, extend well beyond a lack of confidence by family medicine residents. In fact, the broader challenges lie in the urgent need to reform and modernize primary care practices, including shifting to team‐based care, reducing administrative burdens, and developing support networks for those in practice. Addressing these issues will enhance the quality of care delivered by family physicians and reduce burnout.

While not consulted as an organization prior to decisions being made, as this issue evolves, the SRPC continues to actively engage with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) in efforts to ensure that the rural perspective is heard. We are a member of the CFPC’s Education Reform Taskforce, and are committed to working collaboratively to minimize unintended consequences for rural physicians and their communities.

The healthcare landscape is ever‐changing, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that these changes are made with the utmost consideration for patients and healthcare providers alike.

For media inquiries, please contact:

info@srpc.ca

877‐276‐1949

Rural Outreach & Mentorship Initiative (ROMI)

The Rural Outreach & Mentorship Initiative (ROMI) is now recruiting mentees and mentors for the 2023-2024 school year! ROMI offers free one-on-one mentorship for high school students from rural communities interested in exploring a career in medicine.

We match grade 11-12 students from rural or remote areas with current medical students who are passionate about supporting rural youth. We also offer monthly virtual presentations and panel discussions on various topics related to careers in medicine and healthcare.

Interested? Sign-up by October 31, 2023 using the links below or email us at romi.mentorship@gmail.com for more information!

High-school students: [sign up here]

Medical students: [sign up here]

Are you a medical student passionate about RURAL MEDICINE? If so, the SRPC Student Committee wants you! As a subset of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, we are a committee of medical students from across Canada who are collectively committed to supporting student interest in rural and remote medicine. We are happy to announce that our applications are now open for a variety of positions on our committee! There are so many ways to get involved! To apply please fill out the appropriate Google form: School Liaisons: https://forms.gle/tLvyLJ69xtQN4ehT9 General Committee: https://forms.gle/oeEAjVgQp9mfLMcp7 Learn more about our committee and our terms of reference.   Applications close Friday, September 29th, 2023 at 11:59 PM EDT *********************

Vous êtes étudiant(e) en médecine passionné(e) par la MÉDECINE RURALE? Si oui, nous vous voulons sur notre équipe! Nous sommes un subdivision d’étudiants du Société de la médecine rurale du Canada (SRMC), qui œuvre à encourager et faire grandir l’intérêt des étudiants envers la médecine rurale et éloignée. Nous sommes heureux d’annoncer que notre période de postulation est maintenant ouverte, avec plusieurs postes disponibles! Il y a une multitude d’options pour vous impliquer au sein de notre équipe! Pour postuler, veuillez remplir le formulaire approprié:  Relais scolaire: https://forms.gle/tLvyLJ69xtQN4ehT9 Comité général: https://forms.gle/oeEAjVgQp9mfLMcp7 Découvrez plus sure notre comité étudiant et lire nos termes de référence. Les candidatures ferment vendredi le 29 septembre 2023 à 23:59 HAE