WINDSOR – There were definitely quite a few ‘doctors in the house’ Saturday afternoon at the University of Windsor’s Ambassador Room. But the spotlight was shining the brightest on 24 of the newest members to Canada’s family of physicians.
In the works for a decade, and seeing its first group of soon-to-be doctors take their first classes in 2008, the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (Windsor Program) has officially graduated its inaugural class, leading to plenty of excitement throughout the Windsor community, as well as the program itself.
The Windsor students will take part in a convocation ceremony with fellow Schulich graduates from Western on May 18 at Alumni Hall.
Londoner Caitlin Thompson, who’ll be returning to London to begin her two-year residency as a family physician, said Saturday’s celebration was the fourth since the class officially became doctors.
“It does add a bit extra excitement to graduating, and it’s special since we’re the first class from the Windsor program,” she said, noting the level of support from the Windsor community. “I don’t think it carries too much added pressure, but more so reflects on the importance of having the campus here in Windsor.”
The 26-year-old Thompson said, as with any schooling, there were challenges, but the great support from Windsor’s staff and faculty made a huge difference.
“When we moved into hospitals, the support continued there, so it made for a great experience,” she said. “I’m nervous and anxious with heading out into the real world, but I feel so prepared based on the training I received here. The excitement is winning out over the nerves. Everyone in our class has the skills and I know they’ll all do great.”
Fellow classmate – and now fellow doctor – Ranko Bulatovic said while a tremendous amount of attention is showered on him and other first-ever graduates, he feels the courtesy should be returned.
“The city and the people involved in building this school deserve the attention more than we do,” said Bulatovic, who’ll be heading to his hometown of Toronto to begin his family medicine residency. “What did we really do? We came to class and did what was expected of us. Everybody else were the ones who went above and beyond. Their support was unbelievable.”
Bulatovic added the education in Windsor was equal to what he would have gotten in London. And with local doctors jumping at the idea of working with the students, this additional exposure and hands-on approach gave the students the best possible outcome for being part of this medical school, Bulatovic said.
“I think most of us are taking this one day at a time,” he said of what’s ahead as a full-time physician, adding to his excitement for the future of the Windsor program. “We feel so well prepared for residency. If it was this good now, it can only get bigger and better from here.”
That’s the kind of news you like to hear from your students, said Margaret Steele, vice-dean, hospital & interfaculty relations at Schulich. While it takes a village to raise a child, it takes that, and more, to train a medical doctor, she said.
From the community members who lobbied hard for government approval of the program, to the staff and faculty at Western and in Windsor, there are so many who had a hand in the success of the seeing the inaugural class become a reality.
But Steele said most of the credit goes to these 24 young men and women who rose to the challenge of becoming doctors.
“In 2008, you must have wondered what you were getting yourselves into,” Steele joked. “But you made the best of it and set the bar high for the classes that follow. You made it a priority to integrate with the larger London class, while reaping the benefits of being a small, tightknit group. You’ve given back to the community through various outreach programs. And you’ve excelled, and that has helped validate the success of this program.”
Gerry Cooper, Windsor program associate dean, said he’s proud of the 24 graduates who, when they started four years ago, took a huge leap of faith.
“The building that eventually would house them was not yet complete and the staff was still being assembled,” said Cooper, noting the program is now up to 130 students in years one-to-four of undergraduate medical training. “But the Class of 2012 will always be recognized as the first to attend all four years of their medical education in Windsor. And we couldn’t have asked for a better group of students to blaze the trail.”
The accomplishments of the first graduates from the Windsor program was recognized by Windsor-Tecumseh Liberal MPP and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, who took the opportunity not only to congratulate the country’s newest doctors but also to announce the possibility of building a new mega-hospital in Windsor to replace the city’s two aging hospitals.
Duncan said the province expects to spend $1.8 billion on new capital projects over time to keep the two existing hospitals operating. He said while a new hospital could cost up to $1.2 billion, it might be worth it. A committee has been formed to investigate the possibility of building a new hospital.