An amazing RPAP School Outreach season delivered information about rural medicine as a career to more than one thousand rural Alberta students over the past six months. Based on extensive evidence indicating that one of the most cost effective ways to recruit and retain rural health workers is to recruit young people who have grown up in a rural area, the RPAP developed this school outreach program.

Most school outreach presentations took place from November 2004 through to April 2005, however a few more are planned over the summer.  Recruiting activities were generally of two types - Career Days and Lunch and Learns:  

• Career Days consist of a full or a half day of interaction with students and teachers. A tabletop display is provided along with handouts, giveaways and personal interaction with RPAP representatives.  Often a rural resident, medical student or community physician also attends.  RPAP generally participates with other schools and professions; and
• Lunch and Learns are held over the lunch period in school and involve a Power Point presentation with a question and answer session led by a rural resident or medical student. As well, the tabletop display and handouts are available.

In this first year, school outreach activities were largely concentrated in Southern Alberta but will be expanded to include Northern Alberta in the new school year.

Early on, RPAP learned the importance of having medical students or residents involved in delivering the program as they have an excellent connection to the younger students.  Our thanks to Jared Bly, Mark Prins, Ariane Fielding, Allison Salter, Serena Crum and Dr. Gavin Parker in this critical role with students.  The rural practising physician also plays an important role in providing shadowing experiences at a later date and our thanks are extended to the many physicians who have taken on this role.