Ambulatory care teaching in internal medicine at the University of Manitoba

The Department of Medicine at the University of Manitoba is introducing teaching in the ambulatory care setting as traditional inpatient wards become less suited for undergraduate learning. This is not an easy process. Few of the faculty who have been asked to have a student in their clinic are willing; faculty are more dependent on fees earned in their clinic and perceive teaching students as a handicap. Nonetheless, one clerk is provided with a general ambulatory care experience of 5 weeks, and the other clerks attend some outpatient clinics in subspecialty rotations. Remaining problems are identified.