The classes will begin for 20 students of the island attending the new School of Medicine of Prince Eduardo Island, which serves as a regional home for the Doctor of Medicine program of the Memorial University.
Despite the fact that the construction of the building at the northern end of the UPEI campus is not completed, Dr. Peter Macpherson said things have been sailing without problems to date.
“Until now it is going very well,” said Queen Elizabeth hospital pediatrician who also works as a associate dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Memorial University University. “Last week we had guidance, so the students obtained a lot of introductory information about the program and gathered themselves as a group, as well as their colleagues in Terranova.”
Macpherson said the guidance plans had to change due to Air Canada’s work strike. The original plan was to fly to St. John’s for their orientation on the Memorial Campus, then fly them back to Charlottetown to finish it. Everything was practically in its place.
“This is a great moment, first for our 20 students, but it is also a great moment for institutions and the province,” Macpherson said.
“Now we are going to have people training to do their entire MD here in Pei, as well as train more doctors as a province.”
A student who takes this program would be completely trained to become a doctor in six years: four working on the medical title and two more years in a medical residence program.
“Then, if someone graduated from our class as a family doctor, that will be in six years,” Macpherson said.
Staff at number 130 to 150
Finally, there are plans for the UPEI School of Medicine and the Faculty of Commemorative Medicine to work together to create a joint medical degree.
Paul Young, operations director of the UPEI organization, said that many dozen people will work in this new school.
“Among all different users, you can see at any point from 130 to 150 in terms of personnel.”
Young is anxious for early April, when the use of the building will reach a peak.
“Hope would be [that] For April 1, 2026, we would have the building simply … bustling full, “he said.” Full of personnel, everything is connected, students, interested parties and partners who would access the spaces. “
The cost of this building has been divided between some parts, with a total cost of $ 103 million.
“We had an investment of $ 19.5 million from the federal government, UPEI had committed $ 10 million for capital investment, and the province paid the difference,” said Young.
Putting his head in a virtual heart
That type of money allows advanced technology.
For example, the classrooms in PEI will be connected with conferences that take place in St. John’s, and the students of the National League will be able to listen to conferences in Charlottetown.
That is quite standard for long distance technology these days, but then there is the mixed reality technology of the faculty.
“It’s really fascinating,” said Young. “To simplify it, it looks like a virtual reality headset, but you can really see your environment.
“Anatomical structures will be projected. Therefore, a group of students or students, from four to five, could have these headphones to project a heart, for example. They could put their heads and look around; they could expand it.”
Young said that these tools are intended to be used in smaller groups, compared to larger classes in other universities, and will definitely complement the learning experience.
Medical home to accept up to 10,000 patients
A medical home to treat real patients will open as part of this, which will be administered by Health Pei from “mid or end of October,” said Young.
“At that time, if the health PEI chooses to move, we can overcome that plan,” he said. “If they needed a little later, it really is for their reach. At that time I would be available for them to move.”
Gord McNeilly, the Liberal MLA of Charlottetown-West Royalty, said he has concerns about when a patient clinic managed by Health Pei will begin operating to relieve part of the pressure on other medical care providers.
At this time, more than 35,000 people are waiting for a family doctor or a practicing nurse, according to the PEI patient record.
“It’s a great medical home,” McNeilly said. “At first it was going to be a medical house of 10,000 people. Now it is [only] Up to 10,000 people, and that will be many people leaving the record. “
He said that the CEO of Health Pei, Melanie Fraser, has spoken in permanent committees about opening in October.
“That is the timeline that I am holding it because that will affect many people, hopefully in my community, to get them out of that list.”
Little more than two months after his work, the CEO of Health Pei, Melanie Fraser, answered Mlas’s questions about the new UPEI Medicine School for the first time during a permanent legislative committee. Here, she answers a question by Karla Bernard of the Green Party about how the new faculty will improve medical care in the province, both in the short and long term.
McNeilly said the progressive conservative government had not maintained promises beyond medical care, in particular a promise to open 30 medical homes at the end of 2024.
“They have not opened any since 2022,” he said. “Those are the promises that were made, and I will take responsibility for that.”
Another point of discussion for McNeilly is that the province does not require that those who graduate from the Island School of Medicine accept working in this province for at least a certain number of years, something called service return.
“It is terrible. It is one of the questions I have asked in the permanent committees: are we doing a return of service for residents here on Prince Eduardo Island? And that is crucial, and I will make them responsible for that.”
