Stay connected with the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada's newsletter.

June 2020

SRPC Resource Page

A big shout out to the SRPC Student Committee for their hard work in developing the COVID-19 Resource Guide,the COVID-19 RuralMed List Serv Resource and the COVID-19 Patient Resource page, all of which are available on the SRPC website. 

Special mention to Mary Freymond, Dakoda Herman, Emma Barlow, Connor Lengkeek, Dr. Elaine Blau, Dr. Sarah Newbery, and Dr. Sean Moore.

Dr. Tromp Represents SRPC at Senate

SRPC President, Dr. Margaret Tromp represented the SRPC on May 20th at the Senate's Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology.  They were asking for input from medical organizations into their study of the governments response to COVID-19.

Dr. Tromp provided a brief opening statement which was followed by questions from committee members.

"I had the privilege of being a witness for rural medicine to the Senate subcommittee that was examining the federal government response to COVID 19.  After discussing with various colleagues, I decided to take a narrative approach and told the story of two Canadian rural communities in the hopes that these stories would bring out the rural issues.  I think the senators hoped that I would have more straight forward answers than I did.  I tired to emphasize that approaches have to be individualized for each community, but at the same time, there has to be consistency from community to community as to which resources they have access to."

Dr. Margaret Tromp

SRPC AGM - June 3rd

Please join us for the SRPC AGM June 3rd at 5pm EST.

Agenda and meeting materials are available online and the meeting will be hosted through Zoom.

SRPC Members Featured on CAEP Town Hall

Dr. Sean Moore and Dr. Ken Milne were featured on the May 6th edition of CAEP Town Hall.  COVID-19 Treatments - Be Skeptical.

In case you missed it, listen here.

Choosing Wisely - COVID-19 Recommendations

The COVID-19 pandemic presents an unprecedented challenge for the capacity of health care systems and providers around the world.  Now, more than ever, stewardship of limited resources is critical. 

In response, this list was developed to raise awareness about the need to use limited health care resources wisely.  (This list will be updated on a frequent and ongoing basis as evidence emerges.)


Navigating Medial Emergencies (NavME) is a bilingual, interactive guide to managing acutely ill patients. This free online resource has recently been updated to support physicians and frontline staff with critical information during the COVID-19 pandemic. Available on the Royal College website, NavME provides just-in-time preparation and up-to-date information.

SRPC Global Health Committee

The SRPC Global Health Committee has started a Slack group for networking. If you have an interest in Global Health please join! There are various channels that will allow you to subscribe to the topics you find interesting. We hope you find this useful and will join in our discussions.

Join SRPC Global Health on Slack

Pandemic Pay for Resident Doctors

The CMF issued a statement urging provincial and territorial governments and all Ministries of Health that are providing pandemic pay, to collectively acknowledge our most junior doctors who are working so hard in our hospitals, communities, and long term care institutions caring for patients.

Read the Full Statement Here

SRPC's Featured Member - Elliot Grady

As an incoming resident to McMaster’s Grimsby Family Medicine site, I find it difficult to fully capture in words how I am feeling about this early transition point in my career. The optimistic excitement has become muddled with growing apprehensions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. How will this new era of healthcare delivery impact my training and ultimately the care I provide to my future patients? Only time will tell. One certainty that does comfort me is that the skills developed by myself and my recently graduated colleagues will help us rise to this challenge and those which will surely come.

Regardless of what the near future will bring, I look forward to experiencing the breadth of challenges and rewards that come from a career in rural medicine. As my training progresses, I plan on becoming more involved with the SRPC with avid interests in medical education and community advocacy. Amongst all the uncertainty and anxiety facing our current healthcare system, it is reassuring to know that we do not need to look far to find support; my short career has already seen both personal and professional guidance from SRPC members.

My best wishes go out to all of you and your families. These are surely unprecedented times, but there is a new cohort of incoming residents who are ready to get to work!

Need a locum or looking to fill a position?  Let us help you!
Place an ad in the CJRM or on our Jobs & Ads
board today.

Follow the SRPC on Facebook and Twitter for information relevant to the rural physicians. 

We welcome your suggestions.  If you see something we should know about please email us. info@srpc.ca

The SRPC’s Mission - Championing rural generalist medical care through education, collaboration, advocacy and research.

The SRPC's Vision - Excellent health care close to home for all rural Canadians.

info@srpc.ca    877-276-1949   P.O. Box 893 - 383 Rte 148   Shawville QC  J0X 2Y0