September 19, 2005 Source: University of Western Ontario:
http://communications.uwo.ca/media_newsroom/story.html?listing_id=19809 $2-Million Donation Supports Medical Education London, ON - Talking with patients about their health, discussing sensitive subjects, and conducting physical exams are just some of the skills medical students will learn thanks to a $2-million donation to The University of Western Ontario's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry by alumnus and biotechnology leader Dr. Donald Rix. "I am a strong supporter of Western's medical program that trains students in both local and regional communities," says Dr. Rix. "I feel this new facility will help students become better doctors." The Dr. Don Rix Clinical Skills Learning Building is a new training facility that consists of 16 rooms designed to replicate the real-life exam rooms that doctors practice in. The rooms will allow medical students to develop their communication and physical examination skills by practicing on standardized patients (SPs). SPs are volunteers who have been trained to simulate an actual patient, acting out the roles of various medical conditions. The new building will also allow for the expansion of a volunteer patient program that will provide students with opportunities to interact with volunteer patients with real medical conditions, recruited through physicians' offices. In the past this program was offered in the hospital setting. "This new facility allows students to develop their communication and clinical skills by interacting with patients, often for the first time, in a safe and constructive environment," says Dr. Carol Herbert, Dean of Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. "It also allows us to advance and expand the program to ensure our students receive the very best education available. We are extremely grateful to Dr. Rix for his continued support to Western and his commitment to training tomorrow's leaders who will shape the future of health care." "We're all very excited for the opening of the Rix Clinical Skills Learning Building," says Paul Martin, second-year medical student and Student Hippocratic Council President. "There's no doubt that our clinical education will benefit from having access to this state-of-the-art facility." Several additional gifts were also received in support of this project. The new building also houses the Department of Family Medicine on the second floor, part of the family medicine expansion funding received from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. A third floor is currently under construction. Western's Medical Sciences Building complex is currently undergoing a $34-million renovation and expansion project. The facility will also be used for clinical academic examinations and training and testing by other campus, community and national organizations related to the field of health care. - 30 - For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact, Alison Liversage, Media Relations Officer, Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, at (519) 661-2111, ext. 81136. Media Newsroom is updated daily by the Media Relations staff at the Department of Communications and Public Affairs.
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