• Every year, Prince Albert hosts up to six 3rd year medical students who cycle through the seven core rotations – Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgery, Psychiatry, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Emergency.
• Because there is only 1 clerk/rotation, you and your fellow clerks choose what order you do your rotations in.
• Clerks do longitudinal emergency “call” which means we still do ER shifts when on peds, psych, internal & urban family med (generally 1 evening/weekend.

• The Victoria Hospital is our main training site and as the third-largest service district in Saskatchewan, the Vic sees a very diverse patient population.
• Students get firsthand exposure to trauma, Indigenous health, public health, addiction medicine and prison health.
• The Vic also has a range of specialty services such as ENT, Urology, orthopedics, ophthalmology, ICU, NICU and more.

• Why not! There are so many amazing reasons to want to study and learn in PA including the small program size and ample opportunity to practice your skills.
• Clerks in bigger centers can sometimes feel pushed to the back. Its a long line to the operating table when you are standing behind three residents, two 4th year students, five other 3rd years and all those pre-clerks shadowing.

The Prince Albert Clerkship program is separate from the SLIC programs. This means we follow a structured rotation and exam schedule, identical to Saskatoon and Regina! Clerks are responsible for finding their own accommodations but Nicole and Dr. Ramji will assist in any way they can.

How is clerkship in PA different from Saskatoon or Regina?

“Our rotation schedules can be quite flexible! The rotation coordinators are usually quite good at allowing you to get more exposure to the experiences you find valuable.”

 “I would say there is far more 1 on 1 learning. Whether that makes it easier to ask attendings questions or that you get far more opportunities to do procedures. On internal I had gotten the chance to do several paracentesis, thoracentesis, intubations and chest tube insertions. These are not experiences our classmates in Regina or Saskatoon are getting.”

How is the overall community of PA?

“PA gets a worse rep than it deserves (in my opinion). Every city has its challenges but PA’s just get talked about more! I have only had good experiences with hospital staff and patients, even in the ER. I find patients here are so thankful for the care they are receiving especially when they have to travel from up North!”

 “I would say there is less social opportunity in terms of events, but you are so close to Saskatoon that it’s never an issue. The best thing about PA is it is an hour drive to the beautiful lakes. The outdoor activities are endless from canoeing, camping, fishing, hiking, and cross-country skiing.”

Do you think a PA clerkship will have an influence in your CaRMS application?

“Absolutely. You get a lot of facetime with attendings throughout your rotations. which allows them to get to know you well and in turn write solid reference letters. On my second rotation I was told by more than one attending (without asking) that they would be willing to write letters for me come CaRMS.”

 “I think it will help when you do your elective rotations and you have that independence and initiative going, as well as more procedural skills under your tool belt.”

Do you still feel that a clerkship in PA has been the right decision for you?

“100%. I enjoy being hands on and being challenged to think and act like a physician. I started on surgery and was either 1st or 2nd assist on nearly every surgery I was a part of. I also really enjoyed home-call so I was able to sleep in my own bed every night for at least a couple hours while on 24hr call! PA is a nice balance between the formality of Regina/Saskatoon and the hands on of SLIC.”

Questions?

Please contact current 3rd year clerks Cassie Jones (cbj265@usask.ca) or Mack MacAuley (mjm341@usask.ca).

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