QUEEN’S MEDICAL STUDENTS TAKE A ROMP AROUND MUSKOKA IN LOCAL RECRUITMENT DRIVE
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
HUNTSVILLE — Joe Bellissimo “could talk medicine all day.”
Lucky for Muskoka the first-year medical student did that on a sort of summer vacation.
But over lunch Friday he admitted that — like his dad — he’s a huge Blue Jays fan and is “frustrated” with the Leafs.
He’s only 23 so he’ll have to get use to heartbreak. Maybe that’s why he’s interested in further cardiology studies in his third year.
In the meantime general practice, family medicine and specialist services were on offer in Muskoka and at its soon to be expanding two hospitals.
Bellissimo was one of six Queen’s University students toured around the district as part of the province’s Rural Ontario Medical Program.
They got a hands-on look at community practices to recruit desperately needed graduates locally.
Huntsville alone is offering incentives of $60,000 for taking over an existing family practice and up to $80,00 for those starting a new family practice in exchange for five years of service. In addition to the province’s NRRRI incentive of $107,166 for four years of service.
The town wants 10 new doctors. Other municipalities are in similar need.
The four young women and two men got a taste of health-care in various clinical settings including family health teams including the medical centre at the Beaver Creek prisons.
While clinical studies are part their curriculum, they got to sit down alone in exam rooms with permitting patients to make assessments and write up initial reports the students then consulted on with the attending physician.
The Town of Huntsville hosted the lunch experience and worked in collaboration with the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, BIA and Explore Huntsville.
Susan Keast, the Muskoka & Area Ontario Health Team health human resources recruiter, organized the entire ROMP experience for the week. M&AOHT is “expanding our exposure,” she said, by broadening their physicians’ search beyond NOSM (Northern Ontario School of Medicine), which has been its main source for drafting doctors in training to Muskoka.
M&AOHT navigator Catherine Hanson joined them to answer questions.
Bellissimo says Queen’s medical is “awesome” — like most such schools, he qualified.
It’s just that the Kingston course is “one of the best in Canada.”
High praise for a Torontonian with an engineering background and LMP (labratory, medicine and pathobiology) and economics undergrad degree in from UofT.
Jack Lott is a native of Kingston, so is a bit biased toward his hometown.
Rachel Wagner is from Pickering. Chen Chen, who was born in Shanghai, said she was always told by her family “you have to go to Muskoka.” Abby Morin is from the Ottawa are and Rahma Osman is also from Toronto.
The half dozen were just happy to be out of the city and experience a part of Ontario many barely knew of by more than reputation.
It was about “building a relationship,” said Huntsville economic development officer Lauren MacDermid.
Mayor Nancy Alcock, who was joined by councillor Bob Stone, talked about Huntsville’s “growing community with a 22,000 people plus a summer population of 6-7,000.”
Which is becoming more diverse and multi-cultural, she said noting last week’s opening of Govinda’s Restaurant and Krishna Cultural Centre temple in the former Capitol movie theatre on Main Street.
She also emphasized “work-life balance” in trying sell them on the merits of small town living.
“If you live here — you belong here,” Alcock assured.
That was welcome news to one student who during a round table Q&A asked about restaurants.
Others wanted to know more about the town, its lifestyle and natural offerings, which were enthusiastically elaborated on by Kelly Haywood executive director of Explore Huntsville; Haley Clover of the Huntsville Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce and Morgan Lonsdale of the HBIA.
Bellissimo asked about Muskoka’s demographics and the overall health of the population in the six towns and townships he visited referring to studies that show increased numbers of seniors with complex medical conditions rurally.
Others asked about remuneration — fees for services or as is mostly in Muskoka at the Algonquin and Cottage Country FHTs single payment per patient for keeping their overall health in good shape.
Bellissimo sees merit in spending more time with patients each visit.
“People really open up to you in the first 30 seconds if they are more familiar with you — doctor-patient trust.”
Especially so now with mental health a priority.
That trust built over time can save money and lead to better health outcome.
He also sees the benefits longer visits to ensure that the five basics of examination he’s been taught are adhered to each appointment: temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate (breathing) and oxygen saturation.
It’s all a matter of cost, though, he admits when asked about whether mandatory annual checkups could improve health care.
Overall the students were impressed by their sampling of Muskoka and what their work-life balance could look like after a few more years of schooling.
It was a working holiday that built a better relationship with rural medicine.
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