More doctors to be trained in Sarnia-Lambton, thanks to new partnership
By Cynthia Fazio
More medical students will have the opportunity to complete strong and immersive training in Sarnia-Lambton thanks to a new partnership between Bluewater Health and Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry that aims to help address the region’s physician shortage.
Starting in fall 2025, eight third-year Schulich Medicine MD students will have the opportunity to complete their full clerkship training at Bluewater Health. Clerkship is an MD student’s first real foray into clinical training, and traditionally, students complete these two years of training by rotating through several different specialties and communities.
The new program, which builds on a long-standing partnership between Bluewater Health, Lambton County physicians and Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, will bring eight more MD students to complete most of their clerkship training in Sarnia and Petrolia each year.
“We know many medical graduates end up working where they train, because they become familiar with the local system, local health providers, and develop connections to the community,” said Dr. Michel Haddad, chief of staff at Bluewater Health. “By bringing MD students to Sarnia-Lambton for two full years of clinical training, we can show them not only what it looks like to work here, but also what life looks like in Sarnia and Lambton County. This is great news for our region.”
Already each year, dozens of medical students and residents from Schulich Medicine complete some aspect of their clinical training at Bluewater Health and in Lambton County. However, the new program is unique in that the same eight medical students will complete all – or almost all – of their required clerkship rotations in Sarnia-Lambton.
“We know many medical graduates end up working where they train, because they become familiar with the local system, local health providers, and develop connections to the community”
—Dr. Michel Haddad, chief of staff at Bluewater Health.
Over two years, students will gain in-depth experience at Bluewater Health and local Sarnia-Lambton physician offices, on rotations including Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Surgery, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology and more. This immersive training experience will enable them to build meaningful relationships with staff, health providers, and community resources, and develop a deep understanding of the region’s distinct health needs and challenges.
Third-year medical student Taylor McCann did her undergraduate clerkship in Bluewater Health’s Maternal Infant Child unit, where she was the only undergrad student working one-on-one with obstetricians at that time. During her six-week placement, she helped deliver 17 newborns — her knowledge and confidence growing a bit more after welcoming each infant into the world.
“It was amazing, all the doctors were supportive and really excited about giving me as much hands-on practice as possible,” said McCann. “Sarnia is an excellent place to get exposure and develop skills.”
Dr. Victor Ng, assistant dean of Distributed Education at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, said the program is one way the School is helping increase the number of doctors in regional communities.
“Working with our community health-care partners, we are finding new ways to address the health-care crisis that's happening, particularly in rural and regional areas,” said Ng. “Not only is it a wonderful, immersive training experience for the students – it will also ultimately help to build capacity in the region.”
Dr. Noranda Nyholt, who opened a family practice in Sarnia in 2016, said her clerkship rotations in Sarnia were instrumental in her eventual decision to practice in Sarnia. She believes exposing students to the community will “100 per cent” inspire them to stay.
“Smaller centres can be a hard sell for students who don’t know them, but there is so much opportunity here. The local hospital is vibrant, local patient care is great, and there are various local specialists who make me feel well supported,” she said. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t say, ‘Man, am I lucky.’”
“Not only is it a wonderful, immersive training experience for the students – it will also ultimately help to build capacity in the region.”
—Victor Ng, assistant dean of Distributed Education at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry
Each year, Schulich Medicine and its health-care partners across Ontario train approximately 1,000 students in clinical settings, Ng said. This includes opportunities like “Discovery Week” – a mandatory one-week training placement for first-year medical students in rural or regional communities – as well as clerkship rotations and residency training in hospitals and clinics.
At the heart of each of these clinical opportunities are strong relationships with regional and rural health-care providers, who devote significant time and resources training future physicians for practice, Ng said.
“These vast and varied training opportunities for our students are only possible because of the strong partnerships we have with our health-care partners, from Owen Sound to Windsor,” he said. “We are immensely grateful to be able to build on our existing relationship with Bluewater Health to provide this fantastic new clerkship opportunity.”
Recognizing the program’s transformative potential for regional health care, one member of the Schulich Medicine community has gifted more than $1 million to the School, with the majority providing critical support for the immersive Sarnia clerkship program.
Dr. Don Galbraith, an alum, former faculty member and expert in child and forensic psychiatry, said he’s experienced the gaps in care that come without having a family doctor – and hopes the program might inspire students to consider family medical practice in Sarnia.
“This program really clicked with me,” said Galbraith, who was inspired to go into medicine by his own family doctor. “I’m hoping that by doing their clerkship there, it will encourage students to stay in family practice. It’s a desperate need.”
Although the program doesn’t begin until 2025, Haddad noted excitement is already building on the ground. Bluewater Health staff are looking forward to the stronger connections they will be able to build with the next generation of doctors and both staff and students will benefit from the shared experiences, he said.
“We are excited to welcome Schulich clerkship medical students for this training opportunity in a world-class hospital, alongside talented and caring staff, in a wonderful community that hopefully more doctors will want to call home,” he said.
