Medical student Ben Hewins, right, speaks with Dr. Gordon Spencer in his office at his Glace Bay family medicine practice. Spencer said his patients were very receptive to have a medical student shadow him and supportive of it. NICOLE SULLIVAN / CAPE BRETON POST Nicole Sullivan / Cape Breton PoArticle contentBen Hewins thinks Cape Breton Medical Campus is the perfect place to get his medical degree.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentFrom Kentville, N.S., his father is a doctor and his mother a nurse, so the former Canada Summer Games mountain bike competitor always knew he wanted a career in medicine.Article contentArticle contentA career in rural medicine, to be exact, and Hewins believes the newly opened campus at Cape Breton University (CBU) is the perfect place to learn it.Article contentArticle content“When I heard about how Dal (Dalhousie Medical School) and CBU were coming together to open the campus in a rural setting, it was massive. They did a really amazing job,” said Hewins after his day of shadowing a doctor in his office in Glace Bay.Article content“For me, someone who grew up in a rural area, I would much rather practise and study medicine in this setting. Compared to the city, I think it’s perfect for anyone who grew up in a rural area to train here and then eventually come back and work here.”Article content Ben Hewins of Kentville stands in the Glace Bay office of family physician Dr. Gordon Spence after shadowing him for the day as part of the Cape Breton Medical School training. Hewins said he learned a lot from Spencer through the day. NICOLE SULLIVAN / CAPE BRETON POST Nicole Sullivan / Cape Breton PoArticle contentShadow a doctorArticle contentAs has been reported in the Cape Breton Post, Cape Breton Medical Campus is a partnership between CBU and Dalhousie Medical School, which operates in Halifax and has a satellite campus in St. John, N.B.Article contentAt the start of the school year, medical students participate in shadow a doctor day following physicians in office, hospital or other clinical settings.Article contentArticle contentFor Dr. Gordon Spencer, whom Hewins shadowed in his family medicine practice on Tuesday, the experience was positive.Article contentArticle content“Seeing his enthusiasm and interest and stuff like that was very positive. And the patients were open to having the individual shadow me and they were very positive seeing that somebody young was getting involved in this kind of field,” said Spencer, who will be doing some instructing at the CBU medical campus.Article content“It was just a very, very positive experience overall, I would say. The patients were all very happy to see him. It was the kind of thing where they were all like, ‘Well, there’s young people going into medicine and we need this.’”Article contentSpencer, who has been practicing medicine in Glace Bay – his hometown – for 32 years, said the shadow a doctor day was also a chance to mentor a young doctor like he was mentored.Article content“Anything that I can do to help in that way, I said, ‘I will find the time because we’re all very busy. ‘As you know, there’s a shortage of us and we’re very busy but to have young people be interested in (rural medicine), if there’s any way we can help them, we should because we have to look at the future,” said Spencer.
Cape Breton Medical Campus students shadow a doctor for a day
