An Elective In The North

As rural physicians and founding members of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada we know that providing a truly rural elective will make students and residents aware of the rewards of being a rural physician in Canada. It will also make you aware of the great need for rural physicians. We have been rural preceptors for the last twenty years and have been officially affiliated with McGill University, the University of Alberta and the University of British Columbia. Students and residents come from Canadian medical schools, as well as from medical schools in Europe, Argentina and New Zealand. Approximately 120 residents and more than 70 students rotated through our program over the last 20 years. Many of our students and residents return as locums or full-time physicians to Inuvik, many others go on to work in other rural areas in Canada and the world.

This elective can be arranged by contacting the Medical Director's office.
Telephone: (867) 777 8108.
E-mail address:Inuvik_doctors@gov.nt.ca

Frequently Asked Questions

How many in-patient beds are there and how many patients do you follow in an average week?

There are 14 inpatient beds, 2 labour and delivery beds, 3 special care beds and 4 day surgery beds. We have about 10 to 15 patients in at any time. Usually the residents and students follow the patients and the regular docs follow along with them . The residents and students review the cases when we have Monday and Thursday morning rounds to go over all the cases in hospital as well as the medevacs.

Will we be managing cases in the ER on our own in the daytime? At night?

How many deliveries will we be involved in during a 16 week rotation?

40 to 50 deliveries, probably 8 to 10 C-sections.  Resident involvement in C-sections depends entirely on interest and technical ability of the resident.  Involvement would range from second assist to first assist and perhaps closure.

How many patients will we see in the office in one day?

This is a hospital rotation so days are broken up into segments. You will rarely do 8 hour clinic shifts.  Mornings are usually spent on inpatients or in the OR with clinics starting at 10:00 at the earliest. We have asked the clinic nurses to make sure that the resident's and student's schedule is filled first so that they see an adequate number of patients to learn from and practice their skills. Initially you will work with a physician but after a few weeks, you will book your own clinics and consult with the physician(s) working with you in clinic.

What academic activities are available at your site?

• We have multi-disciplinary rounds twice per week (on all hospitalized patients and medevacs) with a presentation by physicians/residents/students on Mondays. The residents and students are expected to present a case at Rounds on a topic of their choice, preferably something that applies to medicine here.

• We sometimes have an obstetrician or surgeon or anesthetist on staff and they will teach when working with you.

• Every weekday afternoon there is a teaching session from 4 to 5 PM on practical rural/remote topics. These are mandatory.

• There is also Televised Rounds with Calgary every Tuesday morning from 0800 to 0900 hours.
  

I am considering a third year in GP Surgery - what sort of involvement in OR Cases can I expect?  What sorts of General Surgery Cases occur there?

It again depends on interest and ability.  The longer you stay and the better we know you, the more you get to do.

We do C-sections, tubal ligations, hysterectomies, ectopic pregnancies, hernias, tonsillectomies, gall bladders, reductions, lumps and bumps, abscesses, vasectomies, circumcisions, and whatever else the surgeon, gynaecologist or gp surgeon needs to do.

Does your hospital have electronic medical records?

We have an Electronic Health Records for the NWT which contains dictated patient histories, discharge summaries , labs and diagnostic imaging. We are working on getting the Electronic Medical Record. Yellowknife and Hay River have the Wolfe EMR and it is our hope that we will soon begin that too.

Is there adequate room for us in your offices/do we have our own examining room and/or office space?

We have four examining rooms. We usually have the students and residents see the patients on their own. We see the patients with the students after their assessment and review the findings. The residents are more independent. We have a shared office space with 2 computers adjoining the physician lounge where there is another computer, telephones and work space.

Is there a portable U/S in emergency that we can use?  Do you have access to CT scans?

No, there isn’t a portable U/S in emergency, but we have excellent ultrasound service. The technician who does US is excellent and will come in anytime. A CT scan is available in Yellowknife (about three hours flight away). We now have a PACS system that allows us to review the xrays and ultrasounds with a radiologist on call at anytime. This is very helpful in the early morning when one worries about c-spine injuries.

What type of gym facilities are available?  Is there an indoor pool?

The Inuvik Family Centre is equipped with three swimming pools, a gym, fitness room and squash courts, curling and skating, and rock climbing wall.  Memberships are currently $5/day, $20/week, $40/month, $100/ 3 months or $350/year, flex memberships are also available.

What sort of recreation opportunities will we have and what sort of equipment should we bring?

The cross country skiing is great in the winter and with the lighted trail one can go even when the sun is down from the beginning of November until mid January.

Dog sledding is available at a cost.

In summer there is bike riding, fishing , berry picking , running , boating and camping, as well as organized activities.

Every July Inuvik hosts the Great Northern Arts Festival. Artists come from all over the north to display their work.

In early April the community gathers for Muskrat Jamboree, a spring festival with skidoo races etc.

Please describe the available accommodation options and their cost.

Residents can rent in the hospital residence (just across the parking lot from the hospital) in hotel-style rooms and will be provided with a meal card for the duration of their elective. Students will also receive a meal card, but are responsible for their own accommodation. The elective coordinator will be able to help with finding a room. (The residence is unfortunately not big enough and is always full.) The residence also has a common room with a kitchen that you could use to cook meals.

What are some of the best things about your Rural Practice site?

Most remote and Northern hospital in all of Canada

Interesting Medicine

What are some of the challenges in your community?

THE WEATHER!!
long dark winters,
only a few short months of summer, with nearly continuous sunlight.
(We sometimes get stuck with sick patients longer than we would like to due to weather and distance constraints and that can be quite taxing.)

Who do I contact regarding an elective?

Leanne Goose is the Elective Coordinator and Physician Recruiter. email: inuvik_doctors@gov.nt.ca

Your preceptor will be either Dr. Braam de Klerk

or Dr. Peter Boronowski 

or Dr. Leah Seaman 

but other staff physicians will take part in your training as well.

For more information about of the hospital, follow this link