Published On: May 29, 2023
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) is thrilled to welcome Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry students to begin their learning and training with us during Discovery Week 2023, marking the 25th anniversary of this outstanding partnership.
The medical students’ placement stems from an ongoing partnership with Schulich Medicine, based at Western University in London, Ontario. For the past 25 years, as part of Discovery Week, all first-year medical students participate in immersive, one-week placements in health care settings across Southwestern Ontario.
During this week-long placement at STEGH, the medical students will be exposed to teamwork and collaboration undertaken within a rural/regional site and will have exciting opportunities to discover all our community has to offer. By immersing medical students in our health care settings and community in this way, we’re helping these future physicians envision themselves living here and caring for our residents down the line.
“After getting a taste of life and medicine in a rural or regional community through opportunities like Discovery Week, many Schulich medical students return to practise upon completion of their training”, said Dr. George Kim, Assistant Dean, Distributed Education, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.
“We’re so grateful to collaborate with partners like STEGH, who welcome our medical students and give them unparalleled first-hand training experiences in their communities,” said Kim. “Working together, we’re creating a cohort of physicians who are ready, willing and able to care for people across Ontario in a variety of settings.”
This week, 11 Schulich students, became temporary members of the St. Thomas community, giving them the opportunity to meet our patients, experience our unique health care systems and interact with colleagues –getting a fulsome experience of what a day in the life of a local health care provider would look like.
During Discovery Week 2023, more than 170 Schulich Medicine students will be placed in 29 participating communities, from Owen Sound to Windsor-Essex and Woodstock to Lake Huron.