Education

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Held at seven sites, Walkerton, Seaforth, Sarnia, Chatham, Leamington, Ingersol/Tillsonburg and Deleware First Nations, Medquest gives Grade 10 & 11 students the chance to participate in medical related camps, dedicated to those students wishing to follow a medical related career path with tons of fun to go with it.

Myrna Inglis

"The goal is that they (the participants) get some of their education (in the medical field) and come back to practice," said Myrna Inglis, Chair of Walkerton Medquest Committee. With nearly 20 students participating, plus three medical student councilors from the University of Western Ontario's [London]  Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, this program prepares students for plenty of medical experience.

Included in the students'  'real life'  medical situations are taking blood pressure and heart rate, practicing giving needles to bananas and oranges, suturing chicken thighs, a mock disaster and assisting an electronic ‘mom’ in labor and delivery.

The medical students are 1st and 2nd year students from the University and will be overseen this year by Dr Jacqui Wong, a doctor from the Chesley Medical Clinic in Chesley, Ontario. Presentations are also given on practicing medicine in a rural community and topics such as diabetes and assessing mock patients according to their symptoms. The students also ‘shadow’ real life doctors in areas such as nursing, physiotherapy, dentistry and other areas of practice.

The local cost to run the program is approximately $6,000 and sponsored by the municipalities, such as Brocton and South Bruce from this area for Walkerton, and the other Medquest sites. The organizing committee of eight, including Inglis, Christine Brandt, Cheryl Hopkins, Dr Kevin Kieffer, Dennis Ruetz, Mary Tally, Amanda Maxwell and Dr Jacqui Wong.

The medical coucillors participate as part of their co-op from June 13th – July 24th, 2011, with the camp for the students held from July 11th – July 15th at WDSS.Applications are accepted from Feb. 1st – Mar. 15th online and submitted to the University on a first come, first-serve basis. All applicants must have their two-tier TB test and tetanus up to date, as well as a parental application.

For information on Medquest, contact Myrna Inglis at (519)881-0586 or www.schulich.uwo.ca/swomen/medquest

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Tuesday, May 24, 2011