Things are in full-swing at the University of Calgary as we welcomed the Class of 2008 to our medical school at the beginning of August. The Tuataras are a great bunch of enthusiastic students who have already been busy shadowing physicians in rural Alberta. Plans are in the works to send this first-year class to High River in the next couple of months for an RPAP Rural Skills Day. Watch for the Tuataras in a rural community near you! Already, rural shadowing is a hit with over 40 opportunities arranged and a waiting list of many more students.

Elections were held in late August for class positions and we would like to welcome Brienne McLane and Reuben Eng to the RPAP family as the first-year Rural Reps.

The second-year Meerkat class enjoyed a great summer of electives with several students experiencing their first medical elective in rural Alberta. Viesha Ciura and Carson Chrenek both spent this four-week elective in Grande Prairie as a part of the RPAP Summer Student Experience Program.

 New this year, second-year students have the option of working with Rural Preceptors to complete a clinical elective in rural medicine as part of the U of C Medicine 440 course. Students are required to spend 40 hours with a preceptor over the course of three months to work on specific skills and knowledge agreed upon between the student and preceptor as well as to complete assignments applying the principles of evidence-based medicine. Rural physicians who are interested in becoming involved as clinical preceptors are invited to contact Patricia Lishman, Office of Rural/Regional Affairs, at (403) 220-4257 or lishman@ucalgary.ca

Another new student interest group in Family Medicine has started at the University of Calgary this year. Rural physicians interested in being mentors for students or who want to share their positive experiences with students as family physicians are invited to contact the FMIG (FMIG@med.ucalgary.ca). Additionally, we are always looking for specialist rural physicians to come to the school to speak about their experiences and the benefits of working in a rural community.

 The students at the University of Calgary would like to thank RPAP and all of the rural preceptors for providing us with such amazing learning experiences. Your time, effort and dedication to rural medicine are inspiring. We'll see you soon!