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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-09-04, Page 18Wednesday, September 4, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance 17 Western medical students Iearn 'You know you're a rural doctor when...' during presentatlon at Seaforth's'Gateway Susan Hundertmark SMI Agency "My name is Ken and 1 am a rural doctor." Speaking to 48 Western University medical students during their first week of med school, Dr. Ken Milne para- phrased the "1 am Canadian" rant to "bust myths" and encourage future physicians to consider rural medicine airin their training at a day -long sem- at Seaforth's Gateway Rural Health Research hlstitute last Thursday. "Most medical students are not from rural areas and they aren't thinking rural medicine when they enter medi- cal school. But we're here to introduce them to all their options on the first day during the first week," said Milne of the new initiative by Western university that was offered in Seaforth, Aylmer, Woodstock and West Lorne. "I'm busting the myth that intelli- gence is inversely related to the dis- tance you are from the city;" he said, 'Ile Gateway chair of rural medicine, Milne told the students that with 10,000 hospital visits a year at South 1turon t lospital in Exeter where he is chief of staff, there is no x-ray or lab after 7 p.m. and the only CI' scanner in town is a cat with four legs. "We are the because there are no specialists here, just us," he said. Quoting comedian Jeff Foxworthy, Milne told the students, "You might be a rural doctor when...a patient drops off a urine stipple at your house, you're known as the tractor trauma centre of excellence or someone in a grocery store drops their pants to show you their rash." "It's happened," he laughed. But, he added that 0 Gateway part- nership with Western through SWOMEN (Southwestern Ontario Med- ical Education Network) allows them to publish a dozen medical research papers a year. 4 /-Ie walked the students through three New to (:rand Bend and arca? Had a New Baby? Getting Married? Hirst Time Grandparents? Starting a Business? Be sure to call... y:LCOME* AJAGON ave. 19,0 Faye Van Oss 519-238-8048 1.866-873.9941 Welcome Wagon has free gifts and information on behalf of Grand Bend & arra businesses. www.wcicomcwagon.ca research projects he completed on pain control, child tratnna and heart attacks, all three of which had results that showed rural hospitals can be centres of excellence. As well, he said an ongoing research project 011 medical literacy comparing rural and urban patients and their abil- ity to read seven medical terms deter- mines their likelihood of getting sick. After assessing 1,200 patients, the results were presented at medical con- ferences in Vancouver and Victoria this year. Ile said there are still a number of research projects in the works locally. "1t is possible to practise rural medi- cine 011(1 create a rural centre of excel- lence," he said, praising Gateway for creating the infrastructure that allows rural doctors to do research. Milne said rural medical research began in Southwestern Ontario with Western's SWOMEN office and Goderich's 1)r. nim Rourke in the 1990s but added that Gateway has taken it to the next level. "'the barriers doctors used to have to moving to rural area were education and the ability to pursue and contribute to medical literature. Doctors going to 0 rural area thought that would end and they would stagnate. But, rural tineas ('a11 be academic centres. It doesn't matter where you're practising any- more - you can come here and thrive academically, enjoy working here and continue to contribute," he said. Gateway president Gwen Devereaux said she was thrilled Gateway was asked to participate in the event to promote rural medicine to medical students. "It all goes with our Memorandum of Understanding with Western and we hope to see 0 lot of these students -r4J LIoN dir BRANCH 498, GRAND BEND BINGO Tuesday - 7pm (Age of Majority Only) MEAT DRAWS Friday - 5pm-7pm FREE WI - Fl TO ALL PATRONS ENTERTAINMENT Saturday, Sept. 7th 3-6pm "MIKE FAGAN & MICHELLE" "You're only a stranger here once." EVERYONE WELCOME Hall Rentals call the Legion at 519-238-2120 working with Gateway 00 placements," she said. I )evereaux said°Milne was the perfect doctor to slake the presentation. "If he doesn't turn them on to rural medicine, 1 don't know who will," she said. As a physician recruiter in the region, Devereaux said recruiting family doc- tors has always been a struggle because only 12 per cent of sled school grads usually consider jobs in rural areas. Susan Nundsttmartt OMI Agency Dr. Ken Milne, Gateway Rural Health Research Institute's chair of rural medicine, encourages Western medical students to continue to be skeptical and critical during a presentation about evidence -based medicine and research and the opportunities In rural medicine. "With Western really promoting rural medicine, we're starting to recognize the benefits. Our family health teams are starting to fill up," she said. First year medical student 'Travis Barron, of Torbay, New- foundland, told the group that the experience in Seaforth helped 111111 "feel awakened to rural medicine." "It's the whole research element - I Was not aware it Was so active before today," he Said, adding that he's excited to know that his plan to work in rural medicine can include medical research. Happy 30th Anniversary September 3, 2013 Neektel Pe& etivtedter ATTENTION ADVERTISERS! 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