Funding sources - Handy resource for the med student

Page 19

Aboriginal medical students now have a useful tool to help them find funding for their studies, thanks to publication of the Canadian Aboriginal Medical Student's Guide to Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries.

Dr. Gilles Pinette, a Metis doctor from Manitoba, edited the book. Dr. Pinette works at the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg, where to blends traditional teachings with Western medicine. In addition to his work at the centre, Dr. Pinette also writes a medical column for Windspeaker, as well as regular biweekly columns for a number of community newspapers in Western Canada. He is also host of The Medicine Chest on the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN).

"Over a million dollars are available to Inuit, Metis and First Nations medical students in Canada," the book jacket reads. "This book will help you find it."

The book lists scholarships, awards and bursaries available nationally, as well as breaking them down by province, listing funding available in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Atlantic provinces.

The first part of the book also offers advice and information on how to improve your chances of success when applying for funding, with tips on filling out applications, writing reference letters, and putting together a resume.

"I wrote the first section based on my own experience and my ability to attain many awards," said Pinette. "Through my university career I was able to get thousands of dollars in bursaries and scholarships and awards. And I think a lot of it had to do with persistence, and a lot of it was on the way that you write your award applications and things. So I tried to share some of that advice with people and hopefully they will find some gems in it.

"I always found in medical school, finding money sources is very difficult. And it almost becomes like a full-time job. And when you're in medical school, you're already doing probably 40 hours of studies, of just classes, plus another 30 to 40 hours of studying every week. There's just no extra time for that. So financial constraints and problems with finances become a very large stress in your life," Pinette explained.

"So I spent a lot of time gathering information and resources from across all of Canada, and I always thought that when I graduated, I would try and put all those resources together and make it easier for other people behind me. And so I did."

Response to the guide has been overwhelmingly positive, Pinette said, with favorable comments coming from Aboriginal medical students across the country, as well as from others who have reviewed the book.

"We have a lot of resource counsellors who have come back to us and said, 'You know what, we need this kind of stuff, and nothing like has ever existed, and now we have something to show people, even to stimulate them into going into medicine.' Like, 'Look at these awards that are possible there. You don't have to worry about the cost, you can probably find some awards somewhere.' So that's kind of rewarding to hear."

He said people have to persist, and not be afraid to apply for everything they see.

"Even though there's criteria, a lot of times people aren't applying for the awards, and they're not even given out. So you just have to apply for as many as you can."

Another piece of advice: treat applying for funding as a part time-job.

"It's like any job. If you spend five minutes on your job, it's not going to be very rewarding. You're not probably going to be known for doing a very good job. Now, if you spend some real time and effort into your part-time job, it'll be rewarding for you. And rewarding in this case will be money, and also you'll feel that you gave it a good effort."

While work on the guide for medical students is complete, plans are in the works for a series of guides for other Aboriginal students. Work has already begun on a guide to scholarships, bursaries and awards for pharmacy students, with imilar books for social work, dentistry and medical rehab students also planned. In the long term, Pinette also hopes to include the information from the books on a database, something that may happen with the next update of the medical students' guide in three years.

The Canadian Aboriginal Medical Student's Guide to Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries sells for $17.95, and is available from Makinak Publishing, by mail at P.O. Box 48101 RPO Lakewood, Winnipeg, MB R2J 4A3, or by phone at 204-791-6253.