Find Your Mentor In Rural Healthcare

Learn what it takes to thrive as a health professional in rural Alberta so you can make an informed choice in your career.

Get a Rural Mentor
Two healthcare workers in a clinical setting, one wearing a face mask pointing at a monitor, the other with a stethoscope.
Two masked healthcare professionals, a man with a stethoscope and a woman in a black vest, walking in a hospital.

Experience the rewards of rural medical practice

Our Rural Mentorship program connects you with rural physicians across Alberta. Through one-on-one mentorship, you’ll gain meaningful exposure to rural medicine that can help you decide if rural healthcare is the best option for you.

About the Rural Mentorship program

The program is open to first- and second-year medical students who are enrolled at the University of Alberta or University of Calgary. 

If accepted, you’ll be paired with rural physician preceptors. You’ll observe clinical care, learn practical skills, and gain insight into rural practice environments. The program involves a six-hour shift, often in a rural emergency department.

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RHPAP will provide up to $150 toward travel expenses.

How the Rural Mentorship Program Works

  1. Register for the program as a first- or second-year medical student
  2. Receive monthly emails (September–May) listing available rural mentorship shifts
  3. Select preferred shifts on a first-come, first-served basis
  4. Receive confirmation with preceptor details and preparation instructions
  5. Attend your rural placement and gain hands-on learning experience
  6. Receive a reminder email with instructions for travel reimbursement

Hands-on participation is permitted only under the direct supervision of the preceptor. Students are encouraged to confirm specific learning parameters with their UGME office in advance.

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Two healthcare workers applying a bandage to a patient's arm in a clinical setting.

"I would definitely recommend it to any medical student in Alberta. Whether you're brand new, first-year, or just coming up to clerkship like me, I think it's one of the best clinical experiences you can get before clerkship. You get a lot of liberty to try new things and there's a lot of interesting stuff that walks through those (rural emergency) doors."

Juliette Eshleman, med student, U of C.
Two healthcare professionals performing an ultrasound on a patient's abdomen in a clinical setting.

RHPAP Support for Student-arranged Rural Mentorship Experiences

In addition, to the shifts that RHPAP facilitates, RHPAP will also support eligible rural mentorship experiences arranged by students. Support includes covering a portion of a student’s travel expenses (up to $150) and providing an honorarium for the preceptor.

To be considered for support, student-arranged rural mentorship experiences must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • The student is in their first or second year of medical school and is registered for the Rural Mentorship Program.
  • The student must submit their mentorship experience (date, location, preceptor, preceptor’s email, duration) to the program and have it approved in advance
  • The preceptor must be a family physician and the experience must meet the following criteria:
    • Take place in a community with fewer than 15,000 people outside the census metropolitan areas of Edmonton and/or Calgary
    • Be a minimum of six hours in duration
    • Not be part of any academic requirements or organized/ supported through another program
  • Students can only claim for one experience per month.
  • RHPAP must also have space in the budget to support these opportunities throughout the year, so depending on demand, support is not guaranteed.

To request Mentorship support for a student-arranged experience, please email mentorship@rhpap.ca with the following information:

  • date of the shift and start and end time
  • location
  • preceptor name and email

Interested in Becoming a Preceptor?

Rural physicians play a vital role in shaping the next generation of rural doctors. If you’re interested in becoming a preceptor, apply below.

Learn more about becoming a preceptor
Smiling male medical professional in surgical scrubs and whale-patterned cap in a hospital room.