Rural Residency Program
About the Program
Hanover Medical Associates is a teaching practice. Together with Hanover & District Hospital, we serve as a rural training site for the family medicine residency program at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. Resident physicians live and train right here in Hanover, learning the full scope of rural medicine: clinic, emergency, hospital inpatient care, obstetrics, and long-term care.
What This Means for You
as a Patient
You may meet a resident physician during a visit to our clinic or at the hospital. Residents are licensed medical doctors completing two years of advanced training in family medicine under the supervision of our physicians.
Teaching is good for a practice. It keeps our physicians current, and it is one of the main ways rural communities like ours recruit the doctors of tomorrow. According to Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, about 80 per cent of the Hanover program's graduates go on to practise in rural Canada.
How the Program Works
The residency runs two years. The first year combines family medicine here in Hanover with rotations at nearby sites, and the second is spent mostly in town.
The program is led locally by Dr. Tim Heerema, Head of the Rural Residency Program. You can find him and the rest of our physicians on Our Team.
For Medical Students & Residents
Thinking about rural family medicine? These resources cover the Hanover site and curriculum in detail:
Frequently Asked Questions
Sometimes, for part or all of a visit. Residents always work under the supervision of our physicians.
A licensed medical doctor who has finished medical school and is completing two years of supervised specialty training in family medicine.