The Peer and Student Support (PaSS) Group provides educational support and mentorship for students and preceptors in rural communities participating in the University of Alberta's Integrated Community Clerkship program. Data from student and preceptor surveys indicate that visits from PaSS members are seen as supportive and provide an opportunity for feedback, mentorship, and social support. While winter weather poses challenges, both students and preceptors value the role of the PaSS Group in facilitating learning and strengthening relationships between rural preceptors and the university.

1. Peer and Student Support (PaSS) Group: Supporting rural learners
and teachers
J Konkin, C Suddards, Division of Community Engagement
Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry

2. Faculty/Presenter Disclosure
Slide 1
• Faculty: Jill Konkin,
Carol Suddards
• Relationships with
commercial interests:
None

3. Disclosure of Commercial
Support
Slide 2
• This program has received financial
support from Health Workforce
Action Plan, Government of
Alberta in the form of Program
Grant including budget for
Program Evaluation
• There are no conflicts of interest

4. University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

5. • ICC
communities
(10) range in
size from 5000
to 13000
• Students
spend 42
weeks in their
communities
• Students meet
the same
objectives as
RBC students

6. Integrated Community Clerkship–University of Alberta
• 3rd year of a 4-year medical program
• Physician teachers primarily family
physicians, many with enhanced skills, i.e.
generalist environment
• 110 students (2007-2014):
• 49% male; 51% female
• On survey, 44% report rural background
• 22 students in 10 communities in 2014-15

7. Part of larger program of research
• Evaluating program outcomes -- standards-based
and responsive to interests of stakeholders &
research community (Stake, 2004)
• Exploring how students make sense of their lived
experience in the ICC
• Wanting to better understand what works (or does
not), why and for whom
Program of research

8. Program goals as they relate to the PaSS Group
To establish a patient-centred, community based,
pedagogically sound clerkship to be based in
selected rural and regional Alberta communities
- students feel supported in their learning
To strengthen and enhance the relationships
between rural communities and urban tertiary
teaching institutions
- Community physicians are supported in their role as site
administrators
- Contribute to community physician retention

9. Peer and Student Support (PaSS) Objectives
• Educational support and mentorship for
students and preceptors
• Direct observation of students and preceptors
with timely feedback
• Feedback to program coordinator from students
and community preceptors
• Involvement in other formal academic activities
of the ICC program including orientation

10. Multiple data sources:
• student reflective conversations at the end of
third year [2009 – 2011]
• student surveys at the end of the ICC year [2012
– 2014]
• preceptor/ site coordinator surveys [2009 –
2014]
Methodology

11. I think of the PaSS member as (check all that apply)
2013 2014
N % N %
Students
perceive the
primary role of
PaSS as
student support
and feedback
Students are
less aware of
what role PaSS
may have with
preceptors
What students say: Student Survey 2013-2014
Another person who can
give me feedback, in
addition to my preceptor(s)
7 87.5% 15 88.2%
A sounding board for my
questions and concerns
5 62.5% 13 76.5%
A support for me 6 75.0% 14 82.4%
A support for my
5 62.5% 8 47.1%
preceptor(s)
A representative of the
Faculty of Medicine and
Dentistry who ensures
standards are being met
4 50.0% 12 70.6%
Someone who helps me
connect to the Faculty of
Medicine and Dentistry
4 50.0% 7 41.2%
Total responses 8 17
PaSS members
are seen as
external to the
community
health care
team

12. PaSS members
provide both
academic and
social support to
Agree/Strongly Agree
86.49%
100.00%
78.13%
81.82%
students
What students say: Student Survey 2012 – 2014
Aggregate
Visits from a PaSS member provided an opportunity for me to
Ask questions about the program
Get direct feedback on my skills and knowledge
Ask how I am doing compared to urban
third year students
Discuss personal and social issues that were
on my mind
Relax and enjoy talking to someone about
my learning
Get away from the clinic or hospital and socialize
with someone not from my ICC community
83.78%
74.29%
PaSS
members are
another source
of feedback for
students

13. Observation and
feedback by
PaSS members
facilitates student
learning
Agree/Strongly Agree
100.00%
Corrective
feedback
facilitates
learning
88.89%
What students say: Student Survey 2012-2014
Aggregate
The following learning experiences with the PaSS member
facilitated my learning during the ICC
Observing me in the clinic or hospital
Providing feedback via a mini-CEX after observing
me in the clinic or hospital
Providing supportive comments about what
I am doing well
I received corrective feedback
41.67%
94.59%

14. What students say: reflective conversations
… my experience with our PaSS member was
great …s/he did the Mini-CEX well and s/he’d do
…several of them the day that he/she
came…she/he felt sort of more objective because
you know s/he was only, s/he was gone all the
time and then he/she would just come in for those
assessments … [it’s] like a link to the faculty….[I]t
felt good to, to just have that extra evaluation to
sort of know where we’re at.

15. What students say: Reflective conversations
Um and it was also just really enjoyable, like we’d
go out for lunch and um you know it was a time for
us to talk about our concerns face to face with
someone, which I think is different than you know
any other way of communication. And I just wanna
say that I really thought that that was … a strong
point of the program and if there’s ever a thought
of doing away with that, don’t.
[Yr 3 Student, Class of 2011]

16. What preceptors say: Site administrators’ reports
ICC Site Coordinators say that PaSS member
visits are:
Preceptors see
the visits as
• Enjoyable & useful.
• Supportive
• Organized and helpful. The support overall is
excellent.
• Great link for both students and perceptors
supportive

17. What preceptors say: Site administrators’ reports
Site Coordinators want:
You can’t get
enough of a good
• More feedback from visiting faculty, including
thing!
formal written feedback on their performance as
preceptor and site coordinator
• More visits from faculty to explain to all of us as a
group what the expectations are with regard to
teaching.

18. • Peer Observation of Peer Teaching Tool
(POPTT)
• Telemeetings every 6-8 weeks
• Site visit report form
• Inclusion at Orientation at the beginning of each
year’s ICC
What the program does to support PaSS

19. • PaSS group members enjoy their visits to rural
Alberta and become attached to their
communities
• Helpful in assisting students and community
preceptors in identifying issues that need to
come to the program coordinator
• Winter roads & weather can be a challenge
• Initial anxiety about peer observation of
teaching
Peer & Student Support Group

20. • The Peer & Student Support Group has been a
very successful addition to the ICC
• Students, Site Coordinators, Community
Preceptors and the ICC Coordinator find value
in the PaSS group
• PaSS group members find visits to the
communities rewarding
Conclusion

21. Thank you!
???Questions???
Jill Konkin, MD jill.konkin@ualberta.ca
Carol Suddards, PhD suddards@telus.net
Contact