Regina’s College of Medicine campus to grow

Regina’s College of Medicine campus to grow

The Regina Qu’Appelle Regional Health Authority (RQRHA) and the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Medicine have committed to a formal 10-year agreement to work together to further develop the University’s College of Medicine Regina campus to support access and quality of care in the southern region of the province.

“Our Regina campus is a significant and successful part of our college,” said Dr. Preston Smith, dean of medicine. “Today, we are agreeing to guiding principles and shared expectations so that, together, we can better support and further enhance our Regina campus.”

Already, about 40 per cent of all second, third and fourth-year undergraduate medical students take their training in Regina. All first-year medical students currently study in Saskatoon. Post-graduate residency positions offered in Regina include Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, General Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology and Psychiatry.

The overarching agreement between the university and the RQRHA that established the Regina campus ensured clinical access for health science students. A subsidiary agreement between the College of Medicine and the RQRHA, signed in January 2017, further developed the partnership supporting the training of MD students and residents.

With this formal agreement, the College of Medicine and RQRHA are deepening their partnership to support the Regina campus of the College of Medicine.  This will also support work to align the College of Medicine with the new Provincial Health Authority.

“The Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region values the opportunity to be a host campus to medical students in both their undergraduate and postgraduate training as indicated by our investments to support learning with library, research and simulation supports, to name just a few,” said RQHR President and CEO Keith Dewar. “We believe the learners bring an element of inquiry to patient care that challenges us to do our best for our patients. RQHR is proud of the work done by physicians and staff in Regina and southern Saskatchewan to contribute to this teaching.”

Patients are expected to benefit from improved recruitment and retention of University of Saskatchewan medicine graduates in southern Saskatchewan as the medical learners’ experiences in Regina will help the physicians to understand the range of practice opportunities available to them once they complete their studies.

The College of Medicine includes among its priorities fostering a province-wide college to ensure student success, improve health care throughout Saskatchewan and achieve better graduate retention in Saskatchewan communities.

In addition to the College of Medicine campuses in Saskatoon and Regina, the college and associated regional health authorities also support an instructional site in Prince Albert and distributed sites in La Ronge, North Battleford, Swift Current and Moose Jaw (with fixed undergraduate student and resident clinical rotations.) In total, there are more than 40 rotating sites in the province where learners receive training.

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For more information, contact:

Kate Blau, Communications Specialist
College of Medicine
University of Saskatchewan
306-370-2383 | kate.blau@usask.ca