South Shore doctors are lining up to prepare the next generation of physicians.

The South Shore Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship program recently launched in Liverpool, Bridgewater and Lunenburg will see third year medical students from Dalhousie University spend the year in those communities.

The aim of the clerkship is to entice future doctors to spend time in rural settings by offering them more hands-on experience than they are likely to get in urban centers where they have to compete for clinical time with fourth year med students and residents.

Site director Greg Thibodeau says the program wouldn’t have happened without local doctors stepping forward to teach.

“We started with maybe 25 interested physicians two years ago and we’re well over 55 now, and that’s across disciplines,” said Thibodeau. “Even since the program launched three weeks ago, there’s still physicians who’ve said, I’d like to teach now.”

Those physicians, practicing different specialties across the three hospitals in the South Shore, have each committed to provide a set number of hours every week to instructing the students.

Thibodeau says that broad range of training will be beneficial to the students no matter where they focus their practice in the future.

“Physicians that are in the rural setting have a tendency of being very adept, flexible, they do more with less, and they’re versatile because they’re able to expand their skill sets over multiple settings and in multiple situations,” said Thidodeau.

He says it’s not just students who benefit from this arrangement. By adding teaching to their responsibilities physician instructors benefit as well.

“It makes us more pensive and reflective and deliberate as we engage in our practice because we want to teach the best of the best approaches to those that come after us,” said Thibodeau.

A total of five students were selected for the clerkship. Two are based in Liverpool, two in Bridgewater and one in Lunenburg. One of the requirements of the program is for the students to live in the communities.

“Because if they’re taking call or if they’re delivering a baby or if they’re working a night shift we want them to be accessible in the community,” said Thibodeau. “Part of the program is that they are indoctrinated, or at least part of the communities on other levels.”

Thibodeau welcomes LIC students for orientation. Photo credit: NOW Lunenburg County

The Health Services Foundation of the South Shore, South Shore Regional Hospital Auxiliary and Queens General Hospital Foundation helped to make the program possible by contributing $890,000 to create duty rooms, lounges, and learning space at South Shore Regional and Queens General Hospitals. Those new spaces will also support doctor recruitment and retention.

The South Shore is the second location in the province to offer the clerkship after Cape Breton piloted the program last year.

Dalhousie University's goal is to have one third of its medical students take part in the clerkship program around the province over the next four years.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson