The purpose of the Distributed Medical Education (DME) program is to expose residents and students to the practice of medicine and life outside of urban-based academic centers. This exposure聽consists of rotations done in rural and remote communities.
DME offers an enriching clinical experience carried out in an environment where access to sophisticated technological means and highly specialized resources are limited or non-existent. Thus, trainees are able to work in a more independent fashion and gain confidence by developing diagnostic and therapeutic skills.
The training's objective is also to encourage residents and clerks to consider practicing medicine in rural or remote聽areas in Quebec as well as to expose them to techniques and tools that the doctors in these areas have developed to manage ambiguity and uncertainty.