Written By Olena Riznyk
STRATHROY – For a group of first-year medical students visiting Strathroy last week, an evening with alpacas may not have looked much like medical training.
But that was exactly the idea behind Discovery Week–giving future doctors a chance to experience not only rural healthcare, but also the community life that surrounds it.
Eight students from Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry spent the week in Strathroy as part of the annual program, which introduces medical students to rural and regional communities across Southwestern Ontario.
This was the third year Middlesex Hospital Alliance hosted Discovery Week students in Strathroy. “Many of them have never been out of the big cities,” said Dr. Elisheva Chernick, Chief of Staff at Middlesex Hospital Alliance. “If you never see it, you never think about it.”
Throughout the week, students shadowed physicians, observed patient care and explored different areas of the hospital. For many, it was one of their earliest opportunities to experience healthcare outside the classroom.
But the program extended far beyond the hospital walls. Local businesses, municipal leaders, healthcare staff and community members helped welcome the students. Businesses contributed to welcome baskets, sponsored meals and hosted activities designed to introduce students to the area.
“We have a lot of local sponsors,” Chernick said. “Local businesses are really excited to get involved.”
That community support was on display during a visit to Sammy’s Alpaca Farm, where students spent an evening meeting local residents, learning more about rural life and experiencing a side of Southwestern Ontario that was new to many of them.
For Hassan, a first-year medical student, the experience left a strong impression. “It’s given me an opportunity to see a community that I otherwise would not have seen,” he said.
He said it was inspiring to see how much local physicians and other healthcare professionals invest in the people they serve.
Chernick said those early impressions matter. Research shows doctors are more likely to practise in communities where they train, making programs like Discovery Week an important long-term investment for rural healthcare. Some former Discovery Week participants have since returned to work within Middlesex Hospital Alliance. “One of the biggest things they say year after year is that the hospital feels like a big family,” Chernick said. “It’s something you don’t experience in big massive hospitals.”
It is too early to know whether any of this year’s students will one day return to practise in Strathroy. But the community certainly gave them plenty of reasons to remember it.
