Section 1: Undergraduate Medical Education Program

• The Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library
• Graduate Studies
• Department of Medical Education
• Continuing Medical Education

Medical education in Manitoba is designed to provide students with the knowledge and experience they need to practise medicine in a profession where new developments in science and the public health policy create an ever-changing environment. In the first two years of the program the subject matter is divided into blocks which cover core concepts in health and medicine, human development and body systems. Clinical Skills, Problem Solving, Medical Humanities, Laboratory and Investigative Medicine, Health Equity, and Survival Tactics are integrated into the six blocks. The final two years, called the “clerkship” are spent in direct contact with patients and doctors in a clinical setting in which students gain experience with increasing responsibility for patient care and management.

History of the Faculty
Medical education had its beginnings in 1883 when 13 physicians applied to the local legislature for a charter to form the Manitoba Medical College. The college was chartered as an affiliate of the University of Manitoba. The number of students registered for the first session was 15, and the number in attendance at each session from that date to the present has ranged from 15 to 400. The university came to the aid of the Medical School from time to time by furnishing full-time professors in chemistry, physiology, pathology, bacteriology, and zoology. With the session of 1918-1919 the Manitoba Medical College ceased to exist as a separate institution. It made a gift of all its property and equipment to the University of Manitoba “on condition that the university establish a Faculty of Medicine, and carry on the work of medical education in an efficient manner.”

In 1921, a building for the accommodation of the departments of Physiology, Biochemistry, and Bacteriology was erected on the old Medical School property, and a further unit, now occupied by Pathology, was completed in February, 1922. In January, 1956, the new wing of the medical building was officially opened, which included new quarters for the Medical Library. In February, 1965, the Chown Building was opened providing five-stories of administration offices and space for Pharmacology and Therapeutics and the Computer Department for Health Sciences. The Basic Medical Sciences Building, containing undergraduate teaching facilities, opened in 1973. It provides accommodation for anatomy, biochemistry, physiology, medical microbiology and immunology. The Brodie Centre officially opened in the spring of 1996; it provides a library, research and recreational facilities. In 2004, the Office of the Dean and the Education Offices relocated to new administrative facilities in the Brodie Centre. General teaching facilities are located in the medical buildings, and facilities for clinical instruction are provided in the teaching hospitals affiliated with the University of Manitoba and in related institutions. The varied settings in which medicine is practised in Winnipeg and in rural and northern Manitoba also provide students with the opportunity to study community medicine outside the major teaching institutions.

The Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library
The Neil John Maclean Health Sciences Library provides access to a wide range of evidence-based medicine resources in print and electronic format. Online resources include core medical textbooks such as Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, online drug resources such as Lexi-Comp, and clinical resources such as UptoDate, First Search, and MD-Consult. The Library also provides online access to over 4,500 health sciences journals which can be linked to from important medical databases such as PubMed.

Students can access nearly all of the online resources from on-campus and from home by using their student ID number and password. The Library’s wireless network permits students to access online resources with a laptop. Computers for student use are also available in the Library.

The online resources are supplemented by a full range of print resources which include variety of textbooks, handbooks, and dictionaries. Back issues of many of the key medical journals are available. Special collections in the library include the Aboriginal Health Collection, History of Medicine Collection, and the Ross Mitchell Rare Book Room.

To facilitate student access and use of evidence-based resources, librarians offer training as part of the Faculty of Medicine curriculum. Each semester librarians offer a variety of training sessions open to all students on key medical resources such as PubMed. Librarians are available at the Information Desk in the Library or by appointment to answer any questions or provide individualized training.

The Assistant Dean (Graduate Studies and Research)
Faculty of Medicine
University of Manitoba
A108 Chown Building
753 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, MB, R3E OW3

More than 300 graduate students are doing research and pursuing Masters and Doctoral degree programs in the Faculty of Medicine. Their research training programs offer opportunities to conduct research at a number of sites including Bannatyne Campus, the National Virology Lab, St. Boniface Research Centre, and the Institute for Bio-Diagnostics. Graduate programs are available in the Departments of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, Community Health Sciences, Immunology, Medical Microbiology, Pathology, and Physiology.

Physician Assistant Education Program
The Physician Assistant Education Program is the first graduate-level program for Physician’s Assistant education in Canada. Upon completion of the comprehensive two year program, graduates receive a Master of Physician Assistant Studies degree. The program aims to educate outstanding Physician Assistant clinicians, to advance the academic field of the profession, and to foster leaders who will serve their communities and advance the physician assistant profession in Manitoba and Canada

Department of Medical Education
The mandate of the department of Medical Education is to work in a collaborative manner across all programs and schools within the Faculty of Medicine to provide expertise and services related to medical education issues including: curriculum development, faculty development, design of evaluation tools and assessment strategies and the provision of standardized patients. These services are provided by the department through the Office of Educational Development. The second purpose of the department of Medical Education is to engage in research and scholarly activity related to medical education issues and serve as an academic home for faculty with primary appointments within medical education.

Continuing Medical Education
This office is responsible for the Continuing Medical Education programs of the faculty, which are conducted in the Medical School, teaching hospitals, and in urban and rural medical centres. Information regarding programs may be obtained from:

The Office of Continuing Medical Education
Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba
S203-753 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, MB, R3E OW3