When Memorial University of Newfoundland's regional campus welcomed its inaugural medical class to UPEI last fall, it created new opportunities for Island physicians to teach in classrooms, clinical skills sessions, and community practices. Physicians who took part say the experience proved rewarding in ways they hadn't expected.
Dr. Joey Landine, a family physician at South Shore Medical Centre in Crapaud, welcomed about a dozen students into his clinic over the course of the year while building his own practice.
What surprised Dr. Landine most about adding teaching to his schedule was what the students gave back.
“It's honestly been a breath of fresh air,” he said. “They're very excited just to see the most routine, and what I would consider kind-of-mundane, visits. It's all exciting for them because for most of them it’s a new experience and their first real glimpse into what it’s like to work as a physician.”
The students’ enthusiasm, he said, served as a reminder of something that can be easy to lose sight of… “It continually reminded me what a privilege it is to do what I do,” he said.
Dr. Kirsti Ziola, an obstetrician-gynecologist and social accountability clinical lead with the regional campus, said working with the medical learners provides a renewed sense of purpose. During the program's first year, she taught in small-group sessions, clinical skills setting, and participated in student assessments.
While her teaching commitments were spread throughout the year in manageable blocks, the greatest reward wasn't found in the schedule.
“It’s great to be around students who are excited about getting to be doctors and learning about medicine,” she said. “They're all shiny and new and passionate. It's just wonderful to be around that kind of energy and be reminded of why we became doctors in the first place. Too often we get stuck behind a computer screen and doing paperwork, and we forget that feeling, that excitement.”
Dr. Kathleen Boswall found much the same. The family physician, who completed additional training in care of the elderly, was recently recognized by the inaugural class with a Clinical Skills Preceptor Award. For her, teaching offers an opportunity to give back to a profession built on mentorship.
“People took their time to teach us,” she said. “It's important to pay it forward and teach the next generation coming through.”
Preparing for clinical skills sessions refreshed her own knowledge and examination techniques while providing a welcome change from her day-to-day practice.
“It's a nice reminder of why we went into medicine," she said. "The energy is really contagious."
Those reflections were mirrored by the students themselves.
Hailey Brake, a member of the inaugural class who returned home to PEI after completing a master's degree in Scotland, said local physicians shaped much more than the curriculum.
“The people who have surrounded me in my first year have been so phenomenal,” she said. “From classmates to the staff and faculty to the physicians who have supported the program and contributed to our learning, it's just immeasurable, the impact they’ve all had on us already.”
Brake said physicians consistently made the students feel welcomed as future colleagues, whether in classrooms, clinical skills sessions, or community practices.
“It was surprising in the best way possible how it felt – for myself and my classmates – to be viewed as peers,” she said. “It created a safe learning environment and really promoted learning in the best way possible.”
She also recognized the commitment made by physicians who chose to teach while balancing their other work.
“There are no words to capture how invaluable physician contributions were to the first-year experience,” she said. “The fact that, on top of juggling a very busy practice and everything that comes with serving as a physician on PEI, they chose to persevere because they care so deeply about teaching is remarkable.”
Beyond lectures and clinical skills, Brake said physicians shared insights that couldn’t be found in textbooks.
“They shared what it means to be a physician on PEI,” she said. “That's the kind of information that isn't going to be delivered in a lecture, but it's the kind of information that's most valuable to shaping future practice.”
As the regional campus prepares to welcome its second class this fall, many physicians involved in the inaugural year say teaching offered not only an opportunity to support future colleagues, but also a chance to reconnect with the enthusiasm and purpose that drew them to medicine in the first place.
Physicians who wish to learn more about getting involved in the MUN Regional Campus at UPEI are encouraged to reach out to Dr. Peter MacPherson, Associate Dean, Faculty of Medicine.