About Eastern Regional Medical Education Program (ERMEP)

Mission

Eastern Regional Medical Education Program (ERMEP) promotes and develops Distributed Medical Education (DME) in Eastern Ontario by facilitating the placement of medical learners from any Ontario School at appropriate teaching sites.

Vision

ERMEP believes the time the medical learner spends in rural and regional practice will be the highlight of their medical training. It will be an intense, exhilarating and demanding period of rapid professional and personal growth which should appeal to each and every learner.

We believe that education in rural and regional areas is also integral to rural recruitment. Training in these communities allows learners to make an informed decision about opportunities beyond the academic centres.

History

ERMEP was established in 2002 in cooperation with Queens University School of Medicine and the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine to facilitate the rural and regional placement of medical learners in Eastern Ontario. The program is supported financially by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. Our office is located in the town of Perth which is located in Lanark County.

ERMEP’s initiatives are based on the belief that introducing medical learners to rural and regional healthcare in the first years of training enhances their education. This allows learners to make an informed decision on career options including which discipline of medicine they will pursue and the community in which they choose to locate their practice.

Rural medicine allows learners to maximize their learning experience by providing direct involvement with patients in a structured environment with a one on one preceptor-ship model. In this setting many of the medical disciplines are represented including Family Practice, Emergency Medicine, Obstetrics, General Surgery, Anesthesia, Internal Medicine, and more.

It is recognized that training with other healthcare professionals enhances this experience. ERMEP is working to involve other healthcare professionals in an integrated “Distributed Medical Education” (DME) model.

Growth and Development

Since its creation in 2002, ERMEP has been growing exponentially. The growth in the number of learner placements indicates the universities commitment to optimizing healthcare in rural and regional areas in Eastern Ontario. Queens University and the University of Ottawa have collaborated with ERMEP to extend its services to all learners in healthcare throughout their schooling in first, third and fourth year placements. Although Queens University and the University of Ottawa are ERMEP’s academic affiliations, all six medical schools in Ontario have equal access to ERMEP.

Getting Involved

ERMEP warmly welcomes new communities who support the placement of medical learners in their community.

ERMEP’s objectives for the community

  • To assist communities in their efforts to attract and retain healthcare professionals.
  • To create a culture of healthcare teaching and learning that serves to stimulate excellence in healthcare.

If you are a community who is in need of doctors and can support medical learners please feel free to email ERMEP. If you are already a host community but are interested in how you can help the learners please also email ERMEP.