“There really wasn’t a ‘typical’ day, which is what made things very interesting and enjoyable!” reflects Jayden, a third-year medical student about her month-long Rural Family Medicine rotation in Smithers, BC.

Clinic in the morning. Emergency room in the afternoon. Maternity ward at night. Thanks to donor support covering accommodations, medical students like Jayden can focus entirely on learning during rural placements—without financial stress.

What made this experience transformative wasn’t just the variety—it was also the relationships. “I saw one patient in three different settings while I was in Smithers,” Jayden explains. “We had built a solid foundation of trust, which made a hard conversation a little easier for both of us.”

Donor gifts remove barriers and ensure these critical connections can happen. By covering housing and living costs, donor support makes rural placements possible—no matter a student’s financial situation. “Thanks to donor support, my accommodations were fully funded for the month, which eased my stress significantly,” Jayden notes.

The timing of this experience proved perfect—it came at the beginning of Jayden’s clerkship year, building confidence and independence that carried through the rest of her medical training. The trust physicians and nurses placed in her boosted her ability to manage patients independently.

The impact of rural placements extends far beyond a single student’s experience. Data from UBC’s Faculty of Medicine shows that 25% of students who complete a rural placement go on to practice family medicine in a rural community. Even more striking, these students are 12% more likely to choose rural practice compared to their peers who never had the opportunity.

This is no accident. Rural training gives students firsthand experience providing care in communities that are often hours away from larger hospitals, where physicians must be adaptable, resourceful and deeply connected to their patients. It also builds cultural understanding, particularly in Indigenous and remote communities, where trust and relationships are essential to effective care. Through the Medicine Rural Placements Program, students gain not only advanced clinical skills but also an appreciation for the resilience, ingenuity, and collaborative spirit that define rural healthcare.

Across BC, rural communities are struggling with critical healthcare shortages. Training future physicians in these areas is one of the most effective ways to encourage them to return and practice there. By helping students afford rural placements, donors play a direct role in shaping the future of healthcare in these communities—something Jayden has seen firsthand.

“I want donors to know that they are helping students to have a better experience on their rural placements,” she says. “They also have a huge role in the success of rural placements and the possibility of students returning to practice in rural communities by reducing the barriers to pursuing rural educational opportunities.”