A UNIQUE TEACHING EXPERIENCE: MEDICAL STUDENT CARE OF NORTHERN ISOLATED NATIVE COMMUNITIES.
To explore the benefits that students may derive from assuming responsibility for the medical care of people in isolated communities under a minimum of supervision, two volunteer third-year medical students spent the summer of 1964 caring for 1600 Indians and Metis at Wabasca, Alberta. They worked closely with the local public health nurse and a Catholic nursing sister who maintained a small hospital. Considerable experience was gained in preventive medicine and in the diagnosis and management of a wide variety of illnesses, using basic clinical skills and minimal laboratory facilities. The pressure of responsibility was particularly beneficial. It provided a potent impetus to learn and perfect skills in clinical medicine and basic therapeutics. Visits by an interested clinician every two to three weeks provided the optimum combination of responsibility and supervision. The existence of some local health organization was considered helpful.