Medical Student Gains Hometown Experience During Rural Week

The inaugural class at the Cape Breton Medical Campus (CBMC) rounded out their first-year studies with the annual Rural Week experience, where CBMC’s 30 students joined family doctors in rural hospitals, clinics and collaborative healthcare settings across the province. Rural Week marks the first opportunity for CBMC students to engage with actual patients, building on the extensive clinical skills training and simulated learning delivered during Med 1.

A Rural Week Homecoming

Jastina Mahendrarajah is part of the CBMC’s first student cohort. She spent Rural Week in Antigonish, completing her placement alongside family physician Dr. David Faour.

“I grew up in Guysborough, so I stayed at home with family during Rural Week, which was incredibly comforting,” says Jastina. “Antigonish was among my top choices for Rural Week because I wanted to experience what it feels like to give back to a community that is rooted in my most cherished memories.”

While Jastina believes every community across Nova Scotia carries its own quiet sense of comfort, Antigonish is where she went to high school, which offers her a sense of warmth and belonging. She adds that she welcomed the chance to connect with people of all ages during her time working at Dr. Faour’s family practice.

“During clinical skills training, we practiced our interviewing and examination techniques with volunteer patients, as well as simulated patients who are hired to act out certain medical conditions, most of them mature adults,” Jastina explains.

“Working in an actual family practice was quite different,” she says. “I learned the importance of building a trusting rapport with diverse patients, including children, university students and expectant mothers. This closely represented the experience of a family doctor, so it offered a realistic outlook for what the future holds for me.”

In addition to her studies, Jastina volunteers on committees that reflect her interests. She serves at the CBMC’s student lead for Dal Med’s OBGYN Interest group and is the Dalhousie Chapter junior representative for the Canadian Global Surgery Trainee Alliance, along with a Dalhousie Medicine Student Affairs and Wellness Liaison for the CBMC.

Exploring Holistic Healthcare

Jastina has always been a proponent of community-centered care. This passion evolved as she pursued a degree in pharmacy before entering medical school. Through her clinical experiences and volunteer work, Jastina found she was most fulfilled when building relationships, supporting people beyond a single concern or conversation.

“I realized that what mattered most to me was understanding people more fully and being an advocate for their wellbeing over the life course,” Jastina explains. “I wanted to support patients in a more holistic and ongoing way.”

This realization led her to apply to Dalhousie Medical School through the rural pathway offered at the CBMC. With her first year now complete, Jastina says the Rural Week experience provided new perspectives that she will carry into her second-year studies.

“Every hands-on experience, whether in a simulated learning environment or an actual clinic, broadens my understanding of what it means to provide compassionate, patient-centred care,” Jastina says.

Unique Facets of Rural Medicine

Jastina says growing up in a smaller community, she recognized doctors don’t just provide clinical expertise, but use interpersonal skills to create connections to the people and communities they serve. She says this is even more obvious since she began her medical studies.

“During my first year in medical school, I had a chance to do an observer ship for a weekend at Buchanan Memorial Hospital in Neil’s Harbour,” Jastina shares. “I saw firsthand the relationships that rural physicians have with their patients and their communities. It deepened my appreciation for the continuity, adaptability and relationship-building that rural medicine requires.”

Jastina says she wants to build partnerships to provide patients with the best care possible.

“I hope to continue learning how healthcare teams collaborate to support patients in communities where access to care can be challenging and how those experiences shape the way care is delivered,” Jastina says. “I can definitely see myself establishing a family practice close to home, so I’m happy that I had the opportunity to spend Rural Week in Antigonish and consider what that might be like. I’m so grateful to Dr. Faour supporting this stage of my education in this mentorship role.”

 CBMC students are studying at Dalhousie School of Medicine through a rural pathway, with a commitment to practice family medicine in a rural Nova Scotia community for five years upon completion of their studies. Rural Week gives CBMC’s first-year medical students an opportunity to experience healthcare in rural communities across the province.