Guest blog by Dr. Kent Stobart, vice-dean, Education

A lot has happened in recent years in medical education in our province. Saskatchewan is more present on the Canadian medical education scene than ever. We’ve grown and achieved so much here, and have built an excellent team and executive that have provided exceptional leadership for our CoM medical education programs. We are making important contributions—often leading them—to improvements that have national and international reach.

In short, we are seeing in so many ways and so often that we can and do have success at the highest level right here in Saskatchewan.

Some examples of what I mean: our dean is on the national education committee for the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), and I am a member of the AFMC’s senior education deans group. At those tables—and others—we bring ideas and solutions generated and tested at our own medical school and here in our own province.

We are also involved nationally with the work of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, providing input and learning about what others are doing and dealing with across the nation in these specialty areas. Our enhanced skills programs in surgery and anesthesiology support family medicine practitioners and improve care and services in rural areas; they are among few across the country and are nation leading.

So many medical education leaders in our province, with their teams, are doing cutting edge work, across areas that include program expansions in Regina and southeast Saskatchewan, curriculum and admissions reform, Indigenous health, postgrad accreditation, rural medicine and rural training programs, continuing medical education, enhanced ties with our provincial medical partner organizations, leadership education, medical scholarship, student affairs and wellness. In so many ways we are making a difference for Saskatchewan and its people, and serving as a model of excellence well beyond our provincial borders.

With all of the above in mind, this blog marks the first in a series of guest blogs from members of the medical education leadership team that will appear on Preston’s Page over the coming weeks and months. Each blog will delve into more detail in focused areas of work—most mentioned above—as a means of showcasing to you the excellent work, achievements and plans of medical education arising from within our very own CoM.

Stay tuned!