The Desired Rwandan Health Care Provider: Development and Delivery of Undergraduate Social and Community Medicine Training

Abstract

What works well in primary care education in your locality, region or country? • The new undergraduate social and community medicine training (iSOCO) in Rwanda focuses on crosscutting skills, knowledge and attitudes in primary health care delivery. What challenges have you faced? • Challenges faced include programme sustainability (PHC), large student group teaching, limited resources and students being unfamiliar with the new online teaching platform with unstable internet accessibility. How have you addressed them? • The iSOCO development and teaching team was motivated to work with the limited resources available and to develop an innovative training with available resources. Strong focus of the Ministry of Health on PHC, the need of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences to become more socially accountable and long-term commitment of external partners increased the programme sustainability. What is the generalisable learning? • When students are exposed to the principles of PHC and social and community medicine early in the medical education, it is more likely they will become patient-centred and community-oriented health care providers who are good communicators, collaborators, managers, scholars, health advocates and professionals, as described in the ‘desired Rwandan health care. provider