ROMP 8th Annual Spring Workshop

Held for a second time at Blue Mountain, the 8th Annual ROMP Spring Workshop was a big success!  Each year the Rural Ontario Medical Program (ROMP) strives to organize a workshop that attendees will find both informative and enjoyable; this year was no exception.

Marking the 20th Anniversary of the Rural Ontario Medical Program, the 8th Annual Spring Workshop was a special way to celebrate.  During the Annual Awards Dinner, Michelle Hunter, Program Manager, recognized Dr. Wells' dedication to the program by presenting him with two gifts from herself and the staff: an electronic picture frame with several photos taken during the past twenty years, and a framed copy of an article from Collingwood's local magazine "On the Bay", in which Dr. Wells was featured.

Also honoured during the 8th Annual Awards Dinner were the following:  Family Medicine Preceptor of the Year awards went to Dr. Merilee Brown (Port Perry) for postgraduate rotations and to Dr. Peter Cole (Orangeville) for undergraduate rotations.  The Specialty Medicine Preceptor of the Year awards were given to Dr. David Pugh (Brantford) for postgraduate rotations and to Dr. Gillian Yeates (Collingwood) for undergraduate rotations.  The New Preceptor of the Year is awarded to one physician from both the undergraduate and postgraduate departments; this year's winner was Dr. Kirsten Mossman (Barrie).  The Education Coordinator of the Year is also awarded to one individual who not only helps ROMP with learner placements, but is also a champion within the community for welcoming learners;  Sue Peterson of Cambridge received this award.  This year marked the introduction of a new award, University Coordinator of the Year to honour someone at the university level who works frequently and well with the ROMP staff to organize rotations.  This award was presented to Maria Shibish of McMaster University.

Last year was the inaugural year of the Larkin Medical Education Award, which Mr. Larkin, a Collingwood man and ROMP supporter, created to recognize individuals who are dedicated to rural family medicine and continuing medical education.  We are pleased to announce Dr. Jonathan Kerr as this year's recipient.  Dr. Kerr received an honourarium to support his work in medical education.  Additionally, Mr. Larking and Dr. Wells presented last year's recipient Dr. James McGillvery with his award, a beautiful portrait of himself.

The three day workshop saw 169 attendees, with the largest attendance of 78 participants occurring on the third day.  This year's agenda also included relevant sessions for the physicians' spousal partners, which occurred on Wednesday in conjunction with the Faculty Development workshop.  Six spousal partners of ROMP preceptors attended a Financial and Estate Planning session, held by a local financial adviser.  This session was well received, with all the participants noting that they would be "interested in more frequent regional area events" on their evaluations.

Regular sessions of the 8th Annual Spring Workshop covered a vast range of topics from learner difficulties and effective preceptor tips to retention best practices and service updates from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.  The keynote speaker, Honourable Dr. Carol Bennett, received rave reviews for her dynamic presentation on the Grey Tsunami, which emphasized the difference between 'elder' and 'elderly'.  One attendee wrote: "Fascinating!  I think physicians would benefit greatly from this presentation.  This should be given to every Health Minister in Canada". 

Overall the workshop was a hit!  The weather co-operated beautifully, allowing for outdoor lunches and plenty of opportunity to explore the surroundings.