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Umeå University's proposed 'rural stream' - An effective alternative to the longitudinal integrated clerkship model for small rural communities?

journal contribution
posted on 2021-06-28, 05:12 authored by Dean Carson, Patrik Wennberg, Magnus Hultin, Jenny Andersson, Mante Hedman, Peter Berggren
Background: Umeå University Faculty of Medicine (UUFM), Sweden, has a regionalized medical program in which students spend the final 2½ years of their undergraduate degree in district hospitals. In late 2018, UUFM started a 'rural stream' pilot exposing students to smaller rural locations. Methods: The objectives are to deliver the benefits for medical education and rural workforce development that have been observed in longitudinal integrated clerkships (LICs) while maintaining consistency between learning experiences in the main campus, regional campuses, and rural locations. This article compares the UUFM rural stream with those typical of the LICs described in the medical education literature. Comparisons are made in terms of the four key criteria for LIC success, and additional characteristics including peer and interprofessional learning, ''continuity,' and curriculum development. Results: The rural stream has elements of length, immersion, position in the degree program, and community engagement that are both similar to, and different from, LICs. Key challenges are to ensure that participating students create close relationships with host medical facilities and communities. The rural stream also has some potential advantages, particularly in relation to team learning. Discussion: Alternatives to the LIC rural stream model as typically described in the literature may be required to allow for immersive medical education to occur in smaller rural communities and to be suitable for medical schools with more traditional approaches to education.

History

Volume

33

Issue

1

Start Page

3

End Page

7

Number of Pages

5

eISSN

1469-5804

ISSN

1357-6283

Location

India

Publisher

Wolters Kluwer

Additional Rights

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Language

eng

Peer Reviewed

  • Yes

Open Access

  • Yes

Acceptance Date

2020-06-29

External Author Affiliations

Västerbotten County Council, Umeå University, Sweden

Era Eligible

  • Yes

Medium

Print

Journal

Education for Health: Change in Learning and Practice