Four medical students from the University of Manitoba recently spent a week in Carberry as part of their Rural Week program, gaining valuable insight into rural healthcare and community life.
Rural Week is a one-week learning experience for all first-year medical students enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Manitoba. It provides an opportunity to get first-hand experience and exposure to not just rural and northern medicine but also rural and northern life.
Kale Ballam, a first-year medical student from Winnipeg, says the experience has been both eye-opening and rewarding.
“It was really fun to get to go out see how real medicine works and spend some time with the doctors there in both the clinic and the ER and get to see the community and know the community a little bit better,” he notes.
The students were matched with Carberry through a survey process that pairs them with rural hospitals offering accommodations for clinical placements.
Ballam continues, “They were very like welcoming. They really made it like a very fun and enjoyable process."
Learning about rural medicine
During their stay, the group experienced a variety of community activities and medical settings.
Ballam remarks, “We got to do the fire hall… they let us suit up in the stuff and use some of the equipment, which was really fun. That was a really unforgettable experience.”
They also visited local schools to talk with students interested in medical careers and learned about the agricultural industry, noting how impressive the local potato farms are.
Considering the future
When asked about his future plans, Ballam says, “I think I’ll stay in Manitoba to practice for sure.” However, he adds, “I’m not entirely too sure what I’m going to end up doing as I move forward,” explaining that specialty choices usually come later in medical training.
Ballam shares his motivation for entering medicine: “My aunt is actually a doctor. She works in Ontario. When I was growing up, I always kind of looked up to her and thought what she did was very cool. I thought that the career of medicine would probably be a very good choice.”
A warm welcome in Carberry
The community of Carberry greeted the students with open arms. Ballam mentions, “They seemed to be very happy for us to be there and they were extremely welcoming. We had people talk to us or come up to us on the street thanking us for being there.”
He adds, “Most of the people that we’ve spoken to were all extremely nice. The patients were very grateful for us being there. It was really nice to hear that from all of the people in the town.”
Ballam finishes by expressing gratitude: “We had a really good time in Carberry and we thank all the people who did everything they could to make it our best experience. The hospital staff, the doctors, and the town of Carberry for being very open and welcoming and making our stay very memorable.”
The Rural Week program continues to offer valuable hands-on experiences that prepare future physicians for practice in smaller communities, ensuring better healthcare across Manitoba.
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