Transforming rural health care in Newfoundland and Labrador by funding pharmacy student placements in under-resourced regions of the province.
That's what a three-year, $120,000 grant from the International Grenfell Association to Memorial University's School of Pharmacy is about to do.
"Adding the bursary component will definitely make rural work placements more enticing," said Erica Cadwell, a fifth-year pharmacy student, who is working with Lisa Little (B.Sc'95, B.Sc.(Pharmacy)'98), the School of Pharmacy's practice experience program co-ordinator, on the bursary's structure.
A NunatuKavut Inuk originally from the community of Charlottetown on the south coast of Labrador, Ms. Cadwell spent six weeks in Happy Valley-Goose Bay for a work placement in 2022.
She calls the experience "life-changing" and one that solidified her love for pharmacy.
She says it also gave her significant opportunities for clinical work and direct contact with patients.
"As students, we get to be an active participant in the patient's full circle of care." Erica Cadwell
However, Ms. Cadwell says she struggled to find a place to stay in Goose Bay until a family friend came through with temporary housing.
The financial bursaries provided through the grant are specifically designed to assist students like Ms. Cadwell with their living and relocation expenses.
The grant will support eight pharmacy students each year, spread across Labrador and the Great Northern Peninsula.
"The International Grenfell Association takes an active interest in health-related training programs and recruitment and retention efforts, primarily through our work with the Labrador-Grenfell zone of N.L. Health Services," said Cynthia Roney, board chair of the association. "This program is another avenue to help attract health professionals to northern Newfoundland and coastal Labrador. We wish it every success and look forward to learning about its outcomes."
In addition to hands-on pharmacy practice, students will also deliver community-based, health promotion initiatives, which include delivering vaccines and health-care education on chronic conditions.
In many remote communities, pharmacists may be the only easily accessible health-care providers.
As well, they are often the first point of contact and act as a bridge between physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and their patients.
"It's a very collaborative process and, as students, we get to be an active participant in the patient's full circle of care and play quite a big role," Ms. Cadwell said. "It's incredibly rewarding."
Between learning and practice
Memorial's School of Pharmacy is one of 10 pharmacy schools in Canada; it is No. 1 when it comes to the time devoted to work experience: 44 weeks in total, with credit hours attached.
Ms. Little says the experiential learning component of the degree serves as a bridge between academic learning and independent professional practice.
"Students are able to have that extra amount of time to build skills before they write exams and become licensed professionals" she said. "There's also a lot of mentoring that happens with pharmacist preceptors; by the time they get to their final year, the students essentially function as pharmacist extenders'."
Ms. Little further says that since pharmacists are in short supply across the country, especially in rural areas, students get a strong sense of their contribution to the health-care system.
"Our preceptors will often say they themselves are motivated by preceptors they've had in the past to contribute to student development. It's a true ecosystem," said Ms. Little.
Dr. Shawn Bugden, dean of the School of Pharmacy, says the International Grenfell Association's investment is a "game-changer."
He says it allows the school to address rural health-care shortages while preparing Memorial University students for the realities of practice in northern and remote communities.
"It also aligns closely with our School of Pharmacy's strategic goal to enhance experiential education and community engagement, particularly in underserved regions," he said. "We are deeply grateful to the International Grenfell Association for enabling this important initiative."
Memorial University donors play an important role in student success, and 100 per cent of every donation goes to a donor's chosen award or intended area of support.
For more information about giving to Memorial University or to donate in support of our students, please visit the Office of Development and Alumni Engagement.
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