Home for the Summer Program underway in PMH

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Published on Thursday, July 12, 2018

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Fresh off a successful Rural Week initiative, Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) is now looking forward to another beneficial recruitment approach—the Home for the Summer Program.

Home for the Summer is a joint initiative with Manitoba regional health authorities (RHAs) and the formerly known Office of Rural and Northern Health (ORNH). ORNH, which is now a part of the Manitoba Health Care Providers Network, started the program as a pilot in 2006.

The program provides students with hands-on clinical or site experience overseen through job shadowing roles. It originally started with medical students, but now extends to nursing and allied health-care students (which include career areas like public/community health nursing, diagnostics and pharmacy).

Four medical students (three in Brandon, one in Dauphin) are participating in the program this year. The program commenced June 11 and spans a period of six to 10 weeks. This year, the nursing/allied health component features nine students within the health region in sites that include Brandon, Dauphin, Swan River and Virden. Students do not all start or finish all at the same time. The region works with them regarding availability and the number of weeks they wish to participate. The program requires a minimum six-week commitment.

PMH and the Network share in the funding support for student wages within the term positions. Students originate from the area and need to be enrolled in a health care training program that fits a future need for PMH.

“This is part of Manitoba’s long-term recruitment strategy that focuses resources on Manitoba trainees,” stated Wayne Heide, Network Project Coordinator. “It provides opportunities throughout the training cycle for learners to spend time in rural and northern practice sites for both educational rotations and summer positions and offers them first-hand experience within rural practices and settings. It also creates an excellent opportunity for RHAs to begin to recruit these future health-care professionals.”

The journey of Dr. Savanna McKay, who participated in Home for the Summer in 2013, is one example that illustrates how the initiative can come full circle. Upon graduating from medical school and completing her residency, Dr. McKay started her medical practice within the Swan Valley Primary Care Centre in the summer of 2017.

Besides valuable hands-on work experience, medical students are required to complete a project or case report—which are identified ahead of time with their preceptors/health region. The presentation of these projects occurs at a provincial round table session in the fall.

Last year, one of the projects involved research involving a mumps outbreak within Prairie Mountain Health. A complete background on the Home for the Summer Program can be seen online at www.ornh.mb.ca