UCalgary program inspires medical students to work in rural communities

As a kid growing up in Fort McMurray, Abhi Aggarwal and his family drove five hours from their home to see health-care specialists in Edmonton. It was not a trip he looked forward to.

Now a third-year medical student at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), Aggarwal sees himself and students like him as the future of rural health care in Alberta.

The O’Brien Institute for Public Health’s report Alberta 2023: Health System Challenges and Opportunities points out that more than 650,000 Albertans—or 22 per cent of the population—live in rural and remote communities. Yet only seven per cent of family doctors work in those communities. 

“People living in rural communities deserve the same level of health care as anyone else,” Aggarwal says. “I want to be part of the movement that makes that a reality.”

Rural physicians ready to handle anything

For his clinical experience during medical school, Aggarwal returned to Fort McMurray to work with a general surgeon.

Aggarwal was struck by the versatility of rural doctors. A general surgeon might be pulled into trauma cases, emergency cases or procedures that might be handled by sub specialists — a doctor who has completed training in a specific area within a broader medical specialty, and has further specialized in a particular aspect of that field — in a big city. 

“Rural medicine isn’t just about working with fewer resources,” he says. “It’s about becoming a highly adaptable physician who can handle anything.”

But what left the deepest impression was something less clinical: the deep, long-standing relationships between rural doctors and their patients.

“Doctors know their patients beyond their medical charts,” says Aggarwal. “They understand their social circumstances, their struggles, and the unique barriers to care.” That kind of continuity of care builds trust and impact in both directions.

Aggarwal points out that smaller communities such as Fort MacMurray are tight knit. A doctor is likely to have a connection to the patients they see; maybe they’re a former teacher, a classmate’s parent, a family friend.

Knowing your patients, says Aggarwal, “adds a layer of responsibility that you don’t always find in urban settings. It also makes the work deeply personal and meaningful.”

UCalgary’s essential role in rural medicine

“Students need to see that rural medicine offers unique learning experiences, greater autonomy, and the ability to build long-term relationships with patients,” says Aggarwal. The CSM has numerous programs aimed at doing just that. 

The CSM’s Distributed Learning and Rural Initiatives (DLRI) office connects medical education with real-world healthcare needs to improve access and quality in rural communities. 

DLRI offers programs for medical students to gain rural experience. The University of Calgary Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship (UCLIC) is one example. The program is a one-year clerkship at a family practice in a rural community to learn generalist specialties. 

With funding from the Government of Alberta, the CSM has also partnered with the University of Lethbridge to launch the Southern Alberta Medical Program (SAMP). SAMP will expand physician training in southern Alberta, enrolling medical students likely to practice in a rural environment. These students will be trained in both primary care and generalist specialities to meet the demand for health care in the region. 

Just as important as these programs, says Aggarwal is changing the narrative. 

“The more we highlight the impact, versatility, and fulfillment that come with practicing in rural communities,” he says, “the more students we will inspire to take that path.”