City of Kawartha Lakes approved as clerkship training site for U of T family medicine students

The City of Kawartha Lakes has been selected as a training site for the University of Toronto Family Medicine Clerkship.

The Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative (KLHCI) made the announcement Friday, stating the initiative is a partnership with the municipality, Ross Memorial Hospital, City of Kawartha Lakes family doctors and the Rural Ontario Medical Program (ROMP).

The third and fourth years of medical school are known as “clerkship” and five or six weeks of training during those years includes family medicine.

As a result of the new partnership, KLHCI in October will welcome the first two U of T medical students into the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Medicine Clerkship program.

“This initiative would not be possible without our local family physicians taking on the role of preceptors (trainers),” stated KLHCI president Barbara van der Veen.

“Their experience and enthusiasm to teach is integral to the clerks’ knowledge base, on which all further learning is founded. The continuing support from the City of Kawartha Lakes and Ross Memorial Hospital is also a shining example of our forward-thinking community as KLHCI continues its efforts to become a full-time family medicine residency training site.”

Dr. Bharat Chawla, RMH chief of medical staff, says the hospital is proud to support efforts to mentor students and showcase the community and hospital as “welcoming places to build a career and home.”

“The more opportunities we can provide medical students to experience life in the City of Kawartha Lakes, the more young doctors will be encouraged to practice here,” said Chawla.

Dr. Azadeh Moaveni, undergraduate program director at the UofT Family and Community Medicine, says they are pleased to include Kawartha Lakes as one of its clerkship locations.

“Our students will learn from the talented doctors and health professionals in Kawartha Lakes while gaining experience in practicing family medicine in a small community,” said Moaveni.

“Kawartha Lakes will benefit from gaining trainees who are eager to learn about their community and patients and who will hopefully consider coming back to practice there one day.”

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ROMP executive director Dr. Peter Wells says the organization is pleased to financially support site expansion into the City of Kawartha Lakes.

“The University of Toronto and ROMP have enabled a mandatory family medicine experience for medical students,” he said. “For many learners participating, this will be their first experience in a community with a family physician. As our program statistics show, rural medical education in a community is a key factor in choice for location to practice. We look forward to welcoming the students to Kawartha Lakes.”

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