4: Really Rural Revolution – The Future of Remote Learning and Surgical Care

Welcome to our fourth episode, featuring special guest Dr. Bret Batchelor. Dr. Batchelor is a renowned Family Practitioner and Chief of Surgery at Queen Victoria Hospital in Revelstoke, B.C. He completed his medical degree at the University of Calgary before undertaking Rural Family Medicine training at the University of British Columbia and an Enhanced Surgical Skills residency at the University of Saskatchewan. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Batchelor is the provincial lead for remote presence technology enhancements in BC’s Rural Surgical and Obstetrical Network Initiative. He is also a passionate advocate for the sustainability of rural surgical and obstetrical care across Canada. Check out Dr. Batchelor’s own medical podcast ‘Really Rural Surgery and Obstetrics’  for more. https://podcast.rccbc.ca. 

In this episode we sit down with a Canadian physician to discuss some of the implications of the advancement of surgical care in rural Canada and how this interconnects with global surgery affairs and advocacy in Sub Saharan Africa. Dr. Batchelor provides an insightful perspective on the core challenges of providing quality surgical care in hard-to-reach places. He reflects on his experiences in Africa, both learning new procedures and educating others. He speaks on the importance of sustainable capacity building in developing regions, and why it is crucial that these relationships are organic and orientated to both the current and future needs of the region. Dr. Batchelor sheds light on the logistics of ESS training for physicians, speaks about his podcast, and shares some extraordinary experiences with us. He anecdotally demonstrates the scalability of remote learning and how the new era of virtual education can solve a variety of global health and surgery obstacles. We are at the forefront of a constructive healthcare communications revolution, and Dr. Batchelor inspires hope that the future is bright. 

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