BURIN, NL — First and second year residents within the discipline of Family Medicine with Memorial University’s Faculty of Medicine called Burin home as they took part in the EastFam Academic and Wellness Resident Workshop held May 11-13.
Memorial’s Faculty of Family Medicine is divided into streams based on regional health authorities in the province – eastern, central, western and northern — the Burin Peninsula falls into the eastern stream.
Jackie Fewer, academic program administrator/coordinator-eastern stream, Discipline of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine with Memorial University, called the weekend a great success.
The event was broken up into a number of sessions both academic and practical, featuring a meet and greet event on Friday, May 11. The event was attend by council representatives from communities on the peninsula, as well as many community organizations.
“We thought it would be nice for (people) to come out to the meet and greet from all the communities that are involved to meet with Dr. Katherine Stringer, Dr. Sonny Collis and all the residents that were involved,” Fewer said.
She noted the event gave the residents an opportunity to see what communities in the area have to offer, as they are deciding where they would like to practice.
“So, it’s part of recruitment as well,” she explained.
Fewer said the residents who took part in the workshop were impressed by what they saw on the Burin Peninsula, noting that she received an e-mail from a participant talking about how enjoyable the weekend was.
“Having all those residents here, it was fantastic,” said Fewer.
Residents were able to take part in a variety of workshops over the weekend ranging from advice on financial planning offered by Jamie Gear of Common Cents to topics related closely to their field.
“We had Dr. (Arjun) Rayapudi help out with (a workshop) on suturing,” she explained.
They also had the opportunity to take part in a session on special procedures offered by Dr. A. Shah. Residents also had the opportunity to unwind during a yoga session offered by Melanie Perry, as well as taking a hike to Cook’s Lookout. The Town of Burin sponsored a barbecue for the participants.
Dr. Katherine Stringer, chair of the Discipline of Family Medicine at Memorial University, felt it was a successful event.
“A couple of points that I think were particularly successful, one, it was wonderful to see such community engagement,” she said. “It’s really positive when I see a connection of the medical school, the local communities and the local RHA’s, and we had representatives from all of those at the retreat.”
Stringer added that going forward, it is a strong relationship between these parties that is the answer to strong health care services within the community.
She said the retreat was a very positive event that was enjoyed by the residents who attended.
“They really enjoyed (the) hospitality,” Stringer said. “They got to see the community, got to experience various venues — like for example where we had the retreat down at the Oldest Colony Trust building and they got to go on a hike, which was wonderful.”
She noted that the future health care providers also enjoyed having the opportunity to socialize with one another and locals.
Lasting impression
Paula Slaney, a second-year resident who also hails from the Burin Peninsula, felt that the resident workshop was very well received by those in attendance.
“The residents as well as visiting faculty very much enjoyed their time in Burin,” she stated in an e-mail to The Southern Gazette. “The Friday evening meet and greet was wonderful as it gave the residents an opportunity to meet members of town councils as well as other members of the community who made this weekend possible.”
She added that multiple times throughout the event it was said that there was a warm and supportive group of people on the Burin Peninsula that are very passionate about the area.
“I think our area left a good lasting impression on all those who attended the Academic and Wellness workshop,” she said.
