Rural Learning Experiences

You will be assigned to an FM Continuity Preceptor who also supports you as your Competency Coach. During your first year, you will spend one full day a week in your Continuity Preceptor’s clinic while you are on your specialty rotations in your home base (Lethbridge or Medicine Hat).  You will not be expected to return to your Continuity Preceptor’s clinic when you are on an elective or during your two 2-month FM Rural Rotations. You and your Competency Coach will do a formal Progress Review every 4 months until you graduate. 

During your first year, you will have the opportunity to spend two 2-month rotations in two different rural communities.  By spending time in a variety of settings, you will continue to improve your family medicine skills and knowledge during these blocks. Your time will be divided between your preceptor’s clinic, the hospital, long-term care, and the emergency department. In each rural site, teaching is usually provided by one preceptor, or you may spend time with multiple preceptors (with one preceptor as the evaluator). This block includes call during evenings and weekends. Accommodation will be provided for you at each of your rural sites, and mileage is reimbursed.

In your home base hospital, you will admit patients with a variety of medical conditions through the emergency department and provide them with comprehensive care for the duration of their admission. This rotation includes call.

In the hospital setting you will work with a designated IM Preceptor as well as allied health staff, and other consulting physicians. You will often be the only learner working with your preceptor; however, you may have a clinical clerk or IM residents working with other IM Preceptors during your rotation. You and your preceptor will be providing comprehensive care to patients who you will admit from the Emergency Department. This rotation includes call. 

In your home base hospital, you will admit patients with a variety of orthopedic injuries through the emergency department and elective patients through the clinic. You will assist in the operating room treating fractures and joint replacements, and provide postoperative care after surgery. You will also spend time in the Cast Clinic to follow up with outpatients after their surgeries. This block includes call. Note: In Lethbridge, you will split your time between the hospital and the Sports Medicine Clinic.

In your home base hospital, you will admit patients with a variety of acute surgical conditions through the emergency department.  You will assist in the operating room, treating a wide variety of emergent and elective conditions, and provide postoperative care after surgery. This block includes call. Note: In Medicine Hat, you will spend two weeks on general surgery, one week in urology, and one week in plastics.

Elective blocks enable you to address your individual learning needs through clinical experiences. Electives are based on learning objectives defined by you where you will be supervised by a physician full time. Electives may require an after-hours commitment or call depending on the learning experience that is chosen. 

During your first year, you will have the opportunity to spend two 2-month rotations in two different rural communities.  By spending time in a variety of settings, you will continue to improve your family medicine skills and knowledge during these blocks. Your time will be divided between your preceptor’s clinic, the hospital, long-term care, and the emergency department. In each rural site, teaching is usually provided by one preceptor, or you may spend time with multiple preceptors (with one preceptor as the evaluator). This block includes call during evenings and weekends. Accommodation will be provided for you at each of your rural sites, and mileage is reimbursed. 

Elective blocks enable you to address your individual learning needs through clinical experiences. Electives are based on learning objectives defined by you where you will be supervised by a physician full time. Electives may require an after-hours commitment or call depending on the learning experience that is chosen. 

At your home base hospital, you will provide comprehensive care for pediatric patients with a variety of health concerns, who you will admit through the emergency department and will care for in the Pediatric Unit. The rotation includes exposure to community pediatrics and NICU. This block includes call.

During scheduled shifts at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, you will continue to develop skills and knowledge to manage pediatric patients with acute presentations of illness, injury, and trauma. This block includes a mix of day/evening/weekend/overnight shifts. Free accommodations will be provided for you in Calgary, and mileage is reimbursed. 

Working with one or more Psychiatrists as well as Allied Health Staff, you will gain experience assessing and managing acute mental health presentations. Responsibilities include consulting and admitting new psychiatric patients from the emergency department. Other responsibilities may include managing overnight issues as they arise for admitted inpatients and rounding on admitted inpatients. This block includes call.  

You will no longer attend the weekly continuity clinics during your second year; however, you will continue to meet with your Competency Coach every four months to complete your progress reviews. 

Elective blocks enable you to address your individual learning needs through clinical experiences. Electives are based on learning objectives defined by you where you will be supervised by a physician full time. Electives may require an after-hours commitment or call depending on the learning experience that is chosen.

In both the hospital and community setting, you will gain experience managing physical, psychological and social concerns of palliative care patients and their families within a multi-disciplinary team. This block includes call.  

In your home base hospital, you will spend your time in the operating room, performing IV starts, intubations, and administering anesthetics with your preceptor. The rotation includes exposure to obstetrical anesthesia, and may include exposure to chronic pain clinics (e.g. in Medicine Hat). 

During scheduled shifts in your home base emergency department, you will continue to develop skills and knowledge to manage patients with acute presentations of illness, injury, and trauma. You will enhance your procedural skills, including suturing, reducing fractures, casting, intubating, and running code blues. This block includes a mix of day/evening/weekend/overnight shifts.  

During scheduled shifts at the Lethbridge ICU, Medicine Hat ICU or one of the three ICUs in Calgary (Foothills, Rockyview, and Peter Lougheed), you will work within a team (including residents, fellows, allied health staff, and critical care physicians) to provide comprehensive care to patients admitted with complex acute medical conditions.

During your second year, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in one rural community for six months to continue to improve your family medicine skills and knowledge. Your time will be divided between your preceptor’s clinic, the hospital, long-term care, and the emergency department. You will often work with multiple preceptors. This block includes call during evenings and weekends.  Accommodation will be provided for you, and mileage is reimbursed.

In both the clinic and hospital setting, you will see patients at various stages of pregnancy including prenatal, labor, delivery, and postpartum, thus improving your ability to provide care during all phases of pregnancy. This block includes call.