News and Updates

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

The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) Resident Committee is comprised of resident doctors from across Canada collectively committed to supporting residents interested in rural and remote medicine. We would be delighted to have you as part of our team! Description of the different positions are on the form below. Learn more about our committee here: https://www.srpc.ca/resident Deadline: September 18, 2023 by 11:59 pm (EST) All members of the SRPC Resident Committee must also be members of the SRPC (https://srpc.ca/join-srpc) - membership is only $20 for the year! If you have any questions, please feel free to email the Co-Chairs at srpcresidents@gmail.com!

Recruitment Form

*********************

Le comité des résident(e)s de la Société de la médecine rurale du Canada (SMRC) est composé de médecins résidents provenant de partout au Canada engagés collectivement à soutenir les résidents intéressés par la médecine rurale et éloignée. Nous serions ravis de vous compter parmi notre équipe! La description des différents postes se trouve plus bas sur ce formulaire. Apprenez-en davantage ici: https://www.srpc.ca/resident Date limite: Le 18eme septembre 2023 à 23 h 59 (EST) Tous les membres du comité des résidents doivent également être membres de la SMRC (https://srpc.ca/join-srpc) - l'adhésion coûte seulement 20 $ pour l'année! N'hésitez pas à nous envoyer un courriel à srpcresidents@gmail.com si vous avez des questions!

Formulaire de recrutement

In 2021, the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) Student Committee, Northern Ontario and Rural Medicine (NORM) Committee, and the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) came together to collaborate on a resource for medical students who are interested in rural medicine elective opportunities. Led by the SRPC Student Committee, it was decided that we would update the rural filter of the  CFMS Electives Database to accurately represent all university-affiliated rural elective opportunities. The SRPC Student Committee also decided to bring together all the resources that currently exist and create The National Rural Electives Handbook that can be your go-to resource for all things related to rural electives. The NORM Committee has played a significant role in helping compile data and support this project.

This handbook is a product of the hard work of numerous individuals over the years. It is a living document that will continue to be updated with new rural elective opportunities over time. It covers elective opportunities available to all specialties and houses links to many resources that you may find useful. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of this handbook, we cannot assure this with absolute certainty and information may change over time. However, we hope this handbook will help you decide on your future rural elective memories and the excellent rural  learning experiences yet to come!

Access Handbook Here

If you notice any errors in this handbook, please email us at chairstudents@srpc.ca to get it fixed.

Sincerely,

Anchaleena Mandal

Lead for the SRPC-NORM-CFMS Electives Collaboration

SRPC Student Committee  Co-Chair 2021-2023

The official journal of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada 

Volume 28, no. 3, summer 2023

In this Issue 

• Rural impact on vulvodynia diagnosis and management
• Barriers to physician recruitment in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Health of Alberta Hutterites: Sustainable Farm Families Alberta Program
• The Occasional: The importance of sims

Read it Now

As Chair of the SRPC ’s Education Reform Advisory Committee, I would like to provide an update regarding Education Reform.

In an attempt to understand our member ’s readiness for education reform, the SRPC surveyed members in March of 2023. The results of the survey can be found on our website.  EDUCATION REFORM SURVEY RESULTS

At Rural & Remote, we led a Family Medicine Education Reform Update session. This two-hour session reviewed the process and timeline of education reform for family medicine training in Canada and the presentation of data from our membership survey. Participants then broke out into small focus groups to discuss how education reform will impact rural or remote communities. We compiled a summary of the data collected during this focus group, highlighting key themes, opinions, and suggestions shared by participants. A summary of the data collected from the focus groups can be found on our website. FAMILY MEDICINE EDUCATION REFORM: A Discursive Analysis From Focus Groups at SRPC Rural and Remote Conference 2023 The SRPC and the Education Reform Advisory Committee will use the information gathered from the focus groups to advocate to the CFPC OTP Taskforce and Education Design teams from postgraduate programs across Canada for rural and remote education reform resources. 

June 14th – 16th, the CFPC hosted an Education Design Retreat in Mississauga, which Dr. Sarah Lespérance and I attended. Over 150 participants, comprised of educational design teams of Canada ’s 17 departments of family medicine, Education Reform Taskforce members, project staff and consultants, and colleagues from the Team Primary Care initiative, were invited to attend. The objective of the retreat was to start to look at what a renewed three-year curriculum will look like and how educational redesign and curricular change can nurture preparedness and comprehensiveness as the first two key curriculum renewal priorities. Enhanced skills program directors and delegates also met to discuss enhanced skills in education redesign.   Conversations are still in the early stages related to what will happen to Certificates of Added Competence (CAC) when family medicine curriculum changes. 

During this process, we have communicated with the Rural Program Directors and will continue to engage with them as educational recommendations are developed. Education reform will be different at each of the medical schools and I encourage you to connect with your local program to share your thoughts and concerns and ensure your voice is heard.

Working with the CFPC is a top priority to ensure the changes don ’t inadvertently negatively impact our rural colleagues, trainees, and especially communities. As an organization whose mandate is to champion rural generalist medical care, we plan to use our expertise to enhance rural medical education, developing more robust, resilient, and broadly-skilled teams of practice for our communities.

Over the summer, the SRPC Education Reform Advisory Committee will be recruiting for new medical students and residents to join the committee.   Learner feedback on education reform will continue to be explored. 

Thank you for your continued engagement and commitment.

Best regards,

Dr. Kristy Penner
Chair, SRPC ’s Education Reform Advisory Committee

 

SRPC Medical Student, Sean Bristowe hosted a zoom event on May 18th - Supporting Transgender Medical Trainees in a Rural Context.

If you missed it or wanted to listen again, here is the link. Supporting Transgender Medical Trainees in a Rural Context - Watch the Session Online Now

Sean has also provided this list of practical takeaways:

• If a trainee chooses to disclose to you about their gender identity and/or pronouns, ask them:
      - What would you like me to do if a patient or colleague or allied health care professional misgenders you?
      - Would you like me to brief staff at the hospital/clinic?
      - Do you need support accessing any facilities, for example like bathrooms and changerooms?
      - Is there anything that I can do to make you feel supported during your rotation/block/shift?
      - Do you have any safety concerns and if yes, how can I support you with these?
  
  
• If you hear from a trainee that they've had a challenging clinical interaction or professional interaction, consider asking them if they would like to debrief
  
  

• Offer compassion to trainees after challenging/transphobic interactions
  

  
  
• Survey your town/village/county for resources that you can pass on to trainees if they ask
       - trans-affirming spaces or pride events
       - mentors, community leaders, other professionals who identify as queer and/or trans
  
  
• DO NOT out a trans trainee or have side conversations about the trainee with other staff
  
  
• Consider accessing training/supports to improve your gender diversity expertise
  
  
• Normalize pronouns by introducing yourself with your pronouns and asking all students what pronouns they use
  
  
• Have signage around clinical spaces that indicates you are queer and/or trans supportive
       - e.g. transgender or pride flags, lanyards, pins, etc...
  
  
• Talk to your colleagues and staff about trans issues! Start the change in your communities

Join us in honoring #WorldFamilyDoctorDay by recognizing exceptional efforts of all of our rural and remote family doctors like SRPC Member Dr. Onuora Odoh of Houston, BC.

Dr. Odoh is well known for his community health advocacy efforts and is a columnist on health topics for the local newspaper, Houston Today. He anchored the establishment of Narcotics Anonymous in Houston, leading the community to fight against drug addiction and related deaths. He attended both Narcotics and Alcohol Anonymous to provide support to participants. In partnership with Metabolic Syndrome Canada, he led the development of the Houston CHANGE BC program, an excellent, innovative primary care lifestyle support program for metabolic syndrome patients. CHANGE BC program won several awards, including from the BC College of Physicians, the Rural Coordinating Committee of BC, and the Canadian College of Family Physicians.

Recognizing the impact of poverty and the high burden of dental disease in rural children, Dr. Odoh developed a collaborative partnership with the UBC’s Faculty of Dentistry and Houston public elementary school to provide school-based oral health education to rural school children. Dr. Odoh led the Houston Walk and Group Exercise Program; and hosted Doctors of BC’s “Walk With Your Doc” program in Houston to encourage and promote physical activity. He regularly volunteers at the Houston Soup Kitchen, serving the most vulnerable individuals at risk of homelessness and food insecurity.

As part of his effort to improve rural health, he led the development of a rural pulmonary rehabilitation model to optimize the care of COPD patients in rural communities. At an international level, Dr. Odoh leads a UBC-affiliated global health project on malaria control program and a health charity Foundation that provides free and accessible rural primary health care services and school health programs in Africa. 

Dr. Odoh has won several awards for his outstanding innovative work in medical practice. He is an active and dedicated vice chair of the Pacific Northwest Division of Family Practice, a role he embraced as an opportunity to advocate for advancing primary care in British Columbia and beyond.

Dr. Odoh's efforts are emblematic of the exceptional work done by family rural physicians everywhere, and we congratulate them on their far-reaching impact and contributions to their communities.

Dr. Sarah Lespérance, Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia, Dr. Ruth Wilson and Dr. Trina Larsen Soles

On May 4, 2023, the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) hosted a National Summit on Equitable Access to Medical Transport in Rural Canada at the Wabano Center for Aboriginal Health in Ottawa, Ontario. It was an invitational meeting which gathered individuals from various jurisdictions involved in patient transfer, including those directly responsible for developing policy. Those in attendance included Indigenous organizations, rural patients with lived experience, transport providers, administrative and policy decision-makers, rural healthcare providers, and other key stakeholders.

In 2021 the SRPC, in collaboration with the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), released a Call-to-Action Statement on Rural Patient Transfers. Following the statement’s release, the SPRC’s goal has been to develop a strategic action plan with priority recommendations and concrete deliverables. This plan will help identify partners for action, confirm commitment for implementation, and identify roles for those directly involved in policy development and delivery of transport care.

The Summit gathered key partners to identify strategies for the delivery of rural transport care to ensure equitable access and high-quality healthcare for Canadians living in rural and remote areas. Participants shared innovative practices from across Canada and discussed specific action items that will further inform the SRPC’s work in developing a national patient transport action plan.

Common themes emerging at the Summit included the value of strategic partnerships and relationships to co-create solutions and the need to reduce or remove jurisdictional barriers.

“A national transport strategy and standards, when paired with national licensure, are essential to improve the quality of healthcare services and health equity for rural and Indigenous communities,” stated Dr. Sarah Lespérance, President of the SRPC. “From the energy, passion, humility and innovation shown by all our partners attending the summit, it is clear that the time is now to move forward with this important work.”

Developing strategies for more effective patient transfers requires cooperation and collaboration at a pan-Canadian level. The SRPC is committed to working with our partners to develop a clearly defined action plan that will support the implementation of the Call-to-Action Statement.

The SRPC would like to acknowledge and thank our partner organizations offering support for the Summit, including:  Rural Coordination Centre of BC, HealthCare Excellence Canada, Ornge, Health Standards Organization, and Canadian Institute for Health Information. The presence of patient partners to bring the voices of those with lived experiences with rural transport care was graciously facilitated by the Canadian Medical Association and HealthCare Excellence Canada.

About the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada

The Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC) is the national voice of Canadian rural physicians. Founded in 1992, the SRPC’s vision is excellent health care close to home for all rural Canadians with a mission of championing rural generalist medical care through education, collaboration, advocacy and research.

On behalf of its members and the Canadian public, SRPC performs a wide variety of functions, such as developing and advocating health delivery mechanisms, supporting rural doctors and communities, promoting and delivering continuing rural medical education, encouraging and facilitating research into rural health issues, and fostering communication among rural physicians and other groups with an interest in rural health care.

The SRPC is a voluntary professional organization with over 2500 members representing rural physicians spanning the country.

 

Contact

Society of Rural Physicians of Canada

info@srpc.ca

877-276-1949