It’s known as Discovery Week at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital.
For the past 25 years, first-year medical students have participated in a one-week placement in a healthcare setting like the city’s hospital.
This year, 14 students from Schulich Medicine at Western University spent last week at the hospital as an introduction to regional healthcare.
One of those students is Brandon Brower of Aylmer, who is leaning toward family medicine at this time.
Brower admits he also finds the prospect of surgery appealing.
As a student at East Elgin Secondary School in Aylmer, Brower focused his attention on a career that would involve problem solving and was science based.
This past week, the Aylmer resident returned to his high school as a first-year medical student participating in Discovery Week.
He recalls the influence of his science teachers.
The week-long placement at STEGH exposed the students to teamwork and collaboration within a regional healthcare setting.
Brower had the opportunity to meet patients, experience the healthcare system and interact with colleagues.
He told myFM what he particularly enjoyed about his experience at STEGH.
By immersing these student in a healthcare setting like STEGH, the hope is these future physicians will live and work in this area.
Brower tells myFM how he felt returning to his Aylmer high school.
He talks about the value of the experience gained through Discovery Week.
Dr. George Kim, Assistant Dean of Distributed Education at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry noted, “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.”
Written by Ian McCallum
