Where students learn
Learning environments
Where SAMP students learn
Students in the Southern Alberta Medical Program (SAMP) learn in a variety of environments across southern Alberta. These learning environments allow students to develop clinical skills while working alongside physicians and healthcare teams serving rural and regional communities.
Throughout the MD program, learning takes place in two main environments:
ULethbridge learning spaces
Pre-clerkship (first 18 months)
During the early phase of training, students complete much of their foundational medical education at the University of Lethbridge in dedicated learning spaces designed for medical education.
Communities across southern Alberta
Clerkship (remaining 18 months)
During clerkship, students complete immersive clinical training in hospitals, community clinics, and rural healthcare settings across the region.
ULethbridge learning spaces
The University of Lethbridge provides dedicated spaces designed to support medical education within SAMP.
Students complete portions of their training on campus in learning environments designed for collaborative and hands-on medical education.
Learning spaces include:
• small-group classrooms
• clinical skills teaching spaces
• anatomy learning environments
• student study areas
• student support spaces
These spaces support the early stages of medical training (pre-clerkship) while preparing students for clinical learning experiences (clerkship) in community settings.
Students also participate in Community Engaged Learning (CEL) experiences that connect classroom learning with organizations and communities across southern Alberta.
Learn more about community partnerships and engagement opportunities
Markin Hall, the current home of SAMP
Interdisciplinary teaching clinic
The University of Lethbridge is developing an interdisciplinary teaching clinic that will support both medical education and community healthcare.
This clinic will bring together medical students, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to provide team-based care to members of the community while supporting hands-on clinical learning.
More details to come.
Clinical training across southern Alberta
As part of the distributed SAMP model, students also gain experience in healthcare environments across southern Alberta.
Clinical learning opportunities may take place in:
• regional hospitals
• community clinics
• rural healthcare centres
Training experiences may occur in communities such as:
• Lethbridge
• Medicine Hat
• rural communities throughout southern Alberta
These environments allow students to gain experience caring for patients in diverse healthcare settings while learning directly from physicians who serve communities across the region.
