Southern Alberta Medical Program launches at University of Lethbridge

The University of Lethbridge this week welcomed 20 students to their first day of classes at the new Southern Alberta Medical Program (SAMP). The new program is a partnership between the University of Lethbridge and the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary to equip doctors in training within southern rural and regional communities.

Students in SAMP will follow the University of Calgary’s three-year undergraduate medical education curriculum, and pre-clerkship learning for the first 18 months will all take place in Lethbridge.

The province is praising the new program, which they hope will mitigate the current physician shortage in the region.

The university expects to increase the current admitted student cohortnumber of 20 up to 30 on an annual basis.