Licensing, permits, credentials, memberships, contracts, and student loans are only a few of the details that medical school graduates have to think about as they transition into full-time practice. That and, of course, caring for the health and well-being of their future patients.
While this transition can be daunting, Alberta’s future doctors do have help. Last week in Lethbridge, the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) teamed up with the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA) to outline some of these supports and answer resident physician questions about what they need to do in the upcoming weeks and months.
“We want to really make sure that residents understand the kind of supports that are available to them in rural practice,” said Rebekah Seidel, RhPAP’s Rural Community Development and Engagement Coordinator.
Local physicians Dr. Kailey Buller (Taber), Dr. Cole Leavitt (Cardston), and Dr. Justin Steed (Coaldale), were also in attendance to offer their first-hand experiences and anecdotes about starting their practices in rural Alberta.
Time was provided for participants to network with exhibitors and recruiters, giving resident physicians an opportunity to learn more about Alberta communities where they may be looking to practice.
For more information about the Transition to Practice program, please visit https://para-ab.ca/transitioning-to-practice/