Frequently Asked Questions

SAMP will welcome its inaugural, first-year cohort of medical students in July 2026.

At full capacity, up to 30 medical students will be admitted each year to undertake their three-year University of Calgary medical education at the SAMP campus at the University of Lethbridge or in Medicine Hat and other communities across southern Alberta.

Yes, residency training spots will increase from 23 spots to 36 spots over the next several years. 

We expect the residency spots will provide opportunities for SAMP medical students to complete their entire training in southern Alberta.
 

SAMP relies on an engaged and supported preceptor team to train Alberta's next generation of rural physicians.

We are focused on sustaining and growing the rural preceptor team through engagement and dialogue to see what support preceptors need, including things like strengthening teaching and assessment skills, program support, compensation and recognition.

We acknowledge that rural physicians must balance teaching with their busy practices and we want to find ways to positively support them in this important work.
 

Yes, we’re confident there will be enough training clinics across southern Alberta to provide excellent clinical experiences for the SAMP medical students. 

We have ongoing conversations with rural preceptors across southern Alberta to maximize clinical teaching opportunities. 

Because enrolment is being phased in over three years, the bulk of clinical placements will occur in 2027 and 2028 which should provide ample time to secure any additional teaching spaces.
 

SAMP is not a new medical school but instead a distributed medical education site of the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary in collaboration and partnership with its delivery partner, the University of Lethbridge.

Medical students at SAMP will learn UCalgary’s three-year undergraduate medical education curriculum and will earn a University of Calgary medical degree.

The affiliation agreement between the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge will support SAMP medical learners. Learners will be able to take advantage of student services, the library, research opportunities and other benefits (e.g., campus recreation) offered at the University of Lethbridge’s accessible campus in West Lethbridge.

We’ve looked across Canada — and the world —to learn about and apply the best practices of distributed medical education to SAMP.
 

Family Medicine and specialist physicians are integral to the success of SAMP and its mandate to train the next generation of rural physicians in southern Alberta.

Rural and regional physicians can get involved in the design, implementation and ongoing work at SAMP including serving on planning committees, seeking leadership roles, helping with admissions, and program evaluation.

SAMP is also looking for physicians who are interested in becoming teachers at the main campus in Lethbridge, in their community or hospital. 
 

SAMP is an important step toward solving the current physician workforce crisis in rural Alberta.

SAMP is part of a larger strategy to address challenges with recruiting and, more importantly, retaining physicians in rural communities and regional centres such as Lethbridge and Medicine Hat.

We look to partners such as the Government of Alberta, Alberta Health Services, Alberta Medical Association and organizations like the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) to be part of the solution.