The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance now has a dedicated teaching space as part of major renovations at the Stratford site.
The new internal medicine space includes three exam rooms with computer workstations for learners to see patients, do research, and work with patient notes.
The Western University Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry contributed $3,300 to the project to help fund the trainee workstations.
Last year, the HPHA had a total of 85 learners on their four sites.
"As we've increased the number of learners at our site, there is an increased need for capacity," says Dr. Shanil Narayan, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry's regional academic director for Huron-Perth. "I think it's important for the learners here to see in a tangible way that they are part of the hospital and part of the culture here."
Currently there are four internal medicine residents at Stratford using the new space.
The 8,000 sq ft West Building opened in April.
"We don't think of it in terms of community hospital versus academic hospital; we think of ourselves as an extension of an academic centre, that happens to practise in a smaller setting," says Dr. Tom Haffner, head of Internal Medicine at HPHA and a Schulich Medicine and Dentistry faculty member. "Having this dedicated space helps to show learners that just because you are in a smaller community, doesn't mean you can't be academically invested and involved in the University."
Dr. Chevy Priyadamkol, a first year family medicine resident says his experience in Stratford has been extremely valuable to his training.
"In Stratford, the learning opportunities have been plentiful and the experiences have been very diverse," he says. "Having a dedicated resident space is very important, especially in a community hospital, since many of us come from out of town. It can be very helpful to have an area where we can work and continue to learn."
Dr. George Kim, assistant dean, Rural, Regional & Community Engagement at Schulich Medicine and Dentistry, says this new space will enhance the experience for both faculty and learners in Stratford.
"It was important to us to support this project financially because we want our learners to continue to build on the great experiences they are having in our distributed sites," he says. "We also want our faculty to know they are fully supported in the fantastic work they do mentoring and teaching here."