Five medical trainees have started nearly two years of immersive clinical training at Bluewater Health.
Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry's Sarnia Clerkship Program was launched at the Norman Street site on Monday afternoon.
Bluewater Health Chief of Staff and Regional Academic Director for the Sarnia-Lambton Academy of Schulich Medicine and Dentistry, Dr. Mike Haddad, said the program is a collaborative effort to expand medical education and strengthen physician capacity in Sarnia-Lambton.
"Many of our physicians are keen to teach as well, and we believe that A) we would like to pass on our skills to the next generation, and B) we know that where people train, there's a higher chance of them staying in that same community," Haddad said. "So, in a way, it's a win-win. We're hoping to have people get exposed to our hospital and community in the hopes that they would stay here or come back in the future."
Dr. Haddad said they'll start the program slow and keep growing it.
"The university also had an increase in the number of medical student spots," said Haddad. "So London, initially, used to be the only place to train them for Western, then they added Windsor a few years ago, and we're hoping to be a third campus. We're starting with these students, [and] we have family medicine residents in Petrolia. We're hoping to have that here as well in a year from now."
Dr. Haddad said the students will do core rotations in all specialties.
"The core rotations in third year are very prescribed," he said. "They have to actually do all of them. So, they have to spend time in surgery, emergency, psychiatry, OBGYN... all of it. There's [approximately] eight rotations."
Third-year medical student Laura Matias is excited to be in the city.
"I'm actually from Sarnia originally. So, this is the community that raised me. I'm really excited to be back home. My husband just got hired here as a physician as well, so we're just excited to give back to our community and it's also a good opportunity to be near my family, as well as just learn from my own community," Matias said.
Her first rotation has been in internal medicine.
"I've been able to see patients. I've been guided by the physicians I'm with. I've been able to write notes and work on orders," Matias said. "So, it's been a really good experience. I've really been able to apply a lot of learning that I did in a classroom setting, but now... in reality."
Matias said she was a nurse in London before deciding to further her education.
"I think it was my time in London that really made me realize that I really missed a community setting," she said. "I think I'm really interested in family medicine, as well as emergency medicine. But, what I'm quickly learning is that with an open mind, I'm kind of interested in everything at this point and I think this is actually going to make my decision harder in the future. I'm just really excited about everything now."
The group was referred to as the "fab five" throughout Monday's news conference.
"I've been hearing it quite a bit and we're embracing it at this point," Matias laughed.
Dr. Don Galbraith, an alumnus, former faculty member and expert in child and forensic psychiatry, donated over $1 million to the school to help propel the program.
He said he has experienced the gaps in care that come without having a family doctor – and he hopes the program inspires students to consider family medical practice in Sarnia.
Plans for the program were first announced to the community last August.