U of S celebrates expansion of undergraduate M.D. program at Regina hospital

It’s welcome news for students from southern Saskatchewan who are looking to become doctors.

On Tuesday, the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan held a ceremony at Regina’s General Hospital to celebrate the recent expansion of its undergraduate medical doctor program.

The expansion of the facility at the hospital includes a new classroom, study space and an anatomy lab that’s equipped with various types of hands-on equipment and training tools.

Because of the expansion, students can now complete all four years of the program in Regina. In years past, they’d have to complete their first year in Saskatoon before 40 of the 100 students would move to Regina to finish their degree.

Preston Smith, the dean for the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, said the move will help create a more skilled group of students who are looking to get into the workforce after graduation.

Preston Smith, the dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. (Shane Clausing/980 CJME)

“The evidence is that regional campus graduates do as well or better on national licensing exams, (and) they have generally better clinical skills as opposed to book knowledge,” he said. “We talk in medicine a lot about clinical skills, and people in community-based campuses generally have better clinical skills.”

Smith added those who practise in what could be their future workplace setting are also more likely to keep working there once they graduate.

“It is a high-quality educational experience and it is good for the community because they’re more likely to stay,” Smith said.

Health Minister Paul Merriman said the change aligns with what the province is trying to do to keep future doctors working in the province.

“For them to be able to do their schooling closer to home, especially in a hospital setting, that’s an amazing advancement to be able (to do) right in the setting you could be working in potentially,” Merriman explained.

“That’s what we’re trying to do: Connect the student to the hospital settings within Saskatchewan because it’s a better opportunity for them to be retained in this province if they’re working side by side with somebody.”

Meriman also suggested that by allowing students to get more experience in Regina, they’ll be presented with more opportunities in health care going forward.

“We want to provide more options. We want to be as flexible as possible,” he added. “The Minister of Advanced Education and I have been hearing it that there isn’t the same opportunities in Regina that there is in Saskatoon for starting your medical career, so we wanted to be able to provide that.”

The goal of the program’s expansion, according to the U of S, is also to avoid any issues when it comes to transitioning between campuses. The school hopes it can attract more southern Saskatchewan applicants.