The value of being a teaching hospital

The following article was published in the issue of the Richmond Review.

As September approaches, thoughts of “back to school” are inevitable.

Teaching and learning are vital and when it comes to health care, absolutely essential to pass along the specialized clinical knowledge and skills to train the next generation of doctors. Many of you may not know that Richmond Hospital is one of just a few hospitals in the region designated as a “teaching hospital” for UBC Faculty of Medicine students. In 2004, the Faculty of Medicine more than doubled the number of spots for medical students in anticipation of the future need for doctors. Richmond Hospital was chosen as a hospital site where students or “trainees” could acquire necessary practical experience under the leadership of doctors.

Last year, Richmond Hospital saw a total of 339 “trainees” who gained experience in a wide range of areas including general surgery, psychiatry, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, pediatrics and emergency medicine.

I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Nancy Austin, who, in addition to her regular duties as one of the emergency physicians, is also the Faculty of Medicine Site Director for Richmond Hospital. Dr. Austin graduated from medical school from the University of Toronto in 1995 and has been at Richmond Hospital for nearly 15 years. She is a passionate and dynamic physician, leader and teacher:

“As the site director here in Richmond, I got involved because I wanted to ensure that our medical school students were engaged and connected. Teaching and learning are vital in a health care setting, and I wanted students and residents to have the very best experience possible.

“Being a teaching hospital offers many benefits for staff, students and patients. Teaching hospitals tend to attract doctors who are interested in academic medicine and advances in medical care. If you’re receiving care in a teaching hospital, oftentimes you’re receiving the most up to date medical care that there is, because the individuals who both teach and treat patients want to be as current as possible. Anybody who works with students will quickly realize they ask a lot of questions! It’s a real motivator to stay as informed as possible. It also keeps the working environment in the hospital young and energetic. That youthful enthusiasm is contagious in a very positive way.

“What makes this hospital attractive to students is the size and the feeling of community here. It’s less anonymous. Richmond Hospital is busy enough so that there are lots of cases to get involved in, but yet small enough so that students feel like they have enough time with their physician-teacher. At a really large teaching center, you might not have that same opportunity.

“Still, there may be some misunderstandings about a teaching hospital. Sometimes when patients are seen by a student or a resident, they may think that that care is at a lower level. What patients may not realize is that regardless of whether it’s a student or a resident dealing with the patient, they are always acting under the care of a highly experienced attending physician with whom they’ve discussed the patient’s case. You’re actually being cared for by the experienced physician on staff, in addition to the student.

“At a teaching hospital, sometimes the care can be even better because you’re cared for by a whole team of students and residents. When you have a staff physician looking after you on a ward, for example, you may only be seen once a day. Students are typically on the ward all day long, so if something changes in your situation, the person who will know about it first will be the medical school student or resident and they can take action.

“Being a teaching hospital also helps us attract and retain some incredibly talented physicians and surgeons. They get to know us when they do their training here, and we get to know them as well. Later on, when it comes time to recruit new doctors, there is already that familiarity on both sides and it makes for a good match.

Patients at Richmond Hospital benefit in so many ways. We are fortunate to play this role in medical education.”

Natalie D. Meixner is president and CEO of Richmond Hospital Foundation. See www.richmondhospitalfoundation.com for info.