The Southern Alberta Medical Program (SAMP), a partnership between the University of Lethbridge and the University of Calgary, commenced this fall with its inaugural cohort of 20 students, in hopes of bridging the gap between the number of available physicians in cities and rural communities in Alberta.
The program was made possible by funding from the Government of Alberta allocated in January 2023.
According to Associate Dean Dr. Rick Buck, by 2029, approximately 90 students are expected to be undergoing training.
He adds that SAMP is a three-year medical undergraduate program with the same length of training as the University of Calgary’s medical program. The difference is bringing it in a rural lens at Lethbridge.
“The curriculum from the Calgary campus is now being delivered at the Lethbridge campus,” said Dr. Buck in an interview with the Gauntlet. “It's the exact same timing of training. We just are delivering it locally. So that's with local preceptors and local resources as well too.”
Students are admitted through applications from the University of Calgary and offers in-person pre-clerkship during the first 18 months of training followed by clerkship at the University of Lethbridge to expose its students to the rural setting, where they hope the students will eventually practice.
SAMP prioritizes applicants with significant involvement with the rural communities. According to Dr. Buck, students are required to take extra steps to qualify for the program, which includes submitting a letter of intent and interest in rural and regional training, reference from a rural and regional referee and an additional interview before a panel of three, two of which are regional community members.
Applicants are then assessed through the SAMP Suitability Score (SSS) to gauge the most suitable candidates for the program.
In interviews with the Gauntlet, two of the 20 students in the inaugural cohort expressed their appreciation for the admission process.
“I thought that overall, the process really gave me a chance to talk about my own experiences and where I want to go, and why I would be a good fit for the program,” said Debasri Jena.
Andrea Monsalve, another student in the cohort, said the additional essay was particularly valuable.
“For me, I had a really great time writing that essay. It was probably the most enjoyable part of the application process,” said Monsalve.
Both students come from rural communities — Jena from Medicine Hat and Monsalve from Lethbridge — plan to continue their practice in rural communities where physicians are needed.
The program’s recruitment approach reflects evidence that training learners from rural areas in their home communities lead to more physicians practicing rurally. Dr. Buck said approximately 14 per cent of Canadians live in rural areas, while only seven per cent of physicians practise there.
“We kind of call it the rural pipeline,” said Dr. Buck. “So recruit someone from a rural regional area and then do their undergraduate, do their med school locally, and then offer them a residency position close to their home where the support is. And then that has been shown to improve it, recruit for retention. Never guarantees it. But it certainly improves it.”
For Monsalve, receiving her acceptance letter felt like a shared win that extended to her community.
“I know that I wasn’t only happy for myself when I received that letter, but I knew all the community members that were behind me, that helped me to get to where I was [...] and so, I felt also a lot of hope for the community,” said Monsalve.
Monsalve hopes to extend her practice to smaller communities to reduce the burden of travelling to regional centres for medical care.
“I would love to extend some of that practice into visiting the reserve, the Blood Reserve that’s right by us, or the smaller communities as well if needed to kind of help with that travel impact of patients,” explained Monsalve.
Jena said rural training can offer students more hands-on learning opportunities than larger urban settings, where multiple students may be observing the same physician.
“When you’re in a smaller community, which tends to have fewer resources, but still people who need help, it’s a lot more hands-on, and I think the best way to learn is by doing,” said Jena.
Dr. Buck described future plans for the program.
“There was an expansion into the residency program here in family practice a few years ago. So that came along with the expansion at the med school as well, too,” said Dr. Buck. “We know the other resident positions will hopefully be opening up in more rural and regional centres in the near future, but that’s just the next step.”
For more information on the program, visit the school’s website.
