About Distributed Medical Education (DME)
Distributed Medical Education refers to the offer of medical education outside the usual tertiary care setting. Educational sites may be in small or rural communities, while others may be in larger centres or small cities.
The mission statement of the Ottawa University Faculty of Medicine states specifically its support to the Northern and Eastern Ontario communities. Rural and small communities in these areas struggle to recruit physicians and maintain high quality health outcomes.
The DME Office helps in the Faculty’s mission by creating and supporting local medical education programs. It strives to understand the needs of the community medical preceptors and to support them through Continuing Medical Education and Faculty Development.
The DME program gives students the opportunity to understand and appreciate the needs and charms of rural communities and opens their minds to a future in small community and rural medicine.