Frank Takacs and Shaun Bos address volunteer patients at the recent appreciation event.

The Southern Medical Program (SMP) held a Volunteer Appreciation Tea for volunteer patients on October 27^th at the Kelowna Community Theatre. Frank Takacs, Standardized Patient & Volunteer Patient Recruiter and Trainer, Shaun Bos, Standardized Patient Trainer, and Dr. Matt Petrie, former Clinical Skills Co-Director were on-hand to thank those in attendance for contributing to the education of our students.

Clinical skills is a key building block course that allows students to sharpen their communication skills, hone their clinical competencies, and develop their professional identities. Without the support of volunteer patients, our program wouldn’t be able to provide the necessary training experiences that are so critical to their early learning and training. On behalf of the SMP faculty, staff, and students, thank you to all of our volunteer patients for their continued support.

The UBC Faculty of Medicine is implementing a province-wide Teaching Tracking and Payment System (TTPS) for clinical faculty. TTPS will document teaching activity and standardize the payment process across the distributed MD Undergraduate Program.

For Southern Medical Program (SMP) clinical faculty, we would like to highlight a few key considerations regarding the new TTPS:

• Most eligible payments related to the July to September 2016 fiscal period will be processed through the new TTPS.
• As we transition to the new TTP system, some payments may continue to be processed through the existing payment system. As such, you could potentially receive two separate payments and statements if both the TTPS and the existing system are used to process your payments.
• Your current method of receiving payment (e.g. direct deposit) will remain the same regardless of which payment system is used.

The key benefits of TTPS for clinical faculty members include:

• A “one-stop-shop” for clinical faculty teaching and payment information, which is stored in a secure, electronic repository. It will no longer be necessary to submit payment information multiple times across regions or departments.
• Teaching contributions in TTPS can be reviewed easily online to identify and report any discrepancies.
• Detailed TTPS statements are generated quarterly and can serve as official teaching records for reappointment, promotion and recognition purposes.

Accessing TTPS statements requires a Campus-Wide Login (CWL), a single log-in process that provides access to UBC’s online systems and library. To set-up your CWL account:

• Locate your UBC ID and PIN on your Clinical Faculty Appointment (CFA) welcome letter from your department head. Visit the CWL sign-up webpage (https://www.cwl.ubc.ca/SignUp) to set-up your account.
• If you have forgotten your CWL username and/or password, you can request the information at the CWL myAccount webpage (https://www.myaccount.ubc.ca/myAccount/).
• If you are unable to locate your UBC ID and PIN or CWL log-in information, please contact Donna Russo, Southern Medical Program, Faculty Coordinator at donna.russo@ubc.ca or 250-807-9189 for assistance.

For more information, see the TTPS Quick Guide for Clinical Faculty  http://med-fom-faculty.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2014/03/TTPS-Quick-Guide-for-Clinical-Faculty.pdf.

We would like to thank you for your patience as we make the transition to TTPS for all SMP teachers moving forward. We would also like to thank you for your time and commitment in supporting medical education opportunities for our students.

Karan D’Souza (left) and Michael Slater presenting at the Health Sciences Group annual meeting.

Southern Medical Program students Karan D’Souza and Michael Slater recently returned from presenting at the Universitas 21’s (U21) Health Sciences Group annual meeting in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Universitas 21 is a network of research-intensive universities from around the world who work together to foster global citizenship and innovation. The Health Sciences Group focuses on opportunities for collaborative research, exchanging information, and sharing resources amongst multiple universities and health professions.

D’Souza and Slater presented a one-hour, interactive workshop titled Social Media in Health Professional Education: Opportunities and Pitfalls designed for health profession students.

“Our aim is to help students explore the possibilities for personal and professional growth within social media, while being mindful of material that could be perceived as unprofessional by peers, faculty, or the public,” says D’Souza. “Our presentation included a discussion on institutional guidelines, examined opportunities for networking and sharing information, as well as personal reflection on social media attitudes and usage patterns.”

A one-hour group discussion was also held to gather feedback from the diverse group in attendance with the hope of sharing the workshop findings with U21 members to modify and adopt at their respective institutions.

The students acknowledged the meeting as a unique opportunity to hear perspectives from different countries and multiple disciplines of health education and research.

“We valued the informal conversations with both the professionals and the students as it allowed us to learn more about the structure and culture of health professions education around the world,” says Slater. “Delivering our workshop to such an accomplished and diverse group of people was a really positive experience and one that we will be able to draw upon in the future.”

Both D’Souza and Slater would like to acknowledge Dr. Kendall Ho, professor, UBC Department of Emergency Medicine and former director of eHealth Strategy Office for helping make this opportunity possible.

Dr. Allan Jones, Regional Associate Dean, Interior with SMP Kamloops students (L-R) Justin Lambert, Karan D’Souza, Sarah Miller, Rouzbeh Ghadiry-Tavi, and Colby Finney outside the new UBC education space at Royal Inland Hospital.

UBC medical students and residents have an expansive new learning space in the Clinical Services Building (CSB) at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH). The new space was unveiled as part of the official opening of the CSB on Sept 16, 2016 by Health Minister Terry Lake, Dr. Allan Jones, Regional Associate Dean, Interior, Interior Health representatives, and members from the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc.

With approximately 5200 square feet, the new accommodations provide two clinical skills rooms, five videoconference/seminar rooms, five on-call rooms, washroom and shower facilities, a student/resident lounge, and administrative space. Right outside the doors, a new lecture theatre and simulation space to be shared with Interior Health and hospital administration.

Third-year Southern Medical Program (SMP) students will benefit immensely during their training at RIH as they complete clerkship rotations in surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, orthopedics, psychiatry, emergency medicine, internal medicine, dermatology, ophthalmology, and anesthesiology.

Residents from the Kamloops family practice residency site, which opened in the summer of 2014, and other visiting UBC residents will also be housed within the new facilities. It’s expected that students and residents will have more chances to collaborate and train with other health professional students at the hospital.

Lastly, the over 140 health professionals in Kamloops engaged with teaching will have dedicated teaching space and more professional development opportunities in-person and via videoconference with education sites across the province.

The development and operation of the new space exemplifies the ongoing partnership with Interior Health to effectively support the expansion of medical undergraduate and postgraduate education in the region.

Dr. Elizabeth McCoid

The Southern Medical Program (SMP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Elizabeth McCoid as Site Director, Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC), Trail effective September 1, 2016.

Dr. McCoid is a family physician and clinical instructor with the UBC Department of Family Medicine. Over the past five years, Dr. McCoid has effectively supported the expansion of medical education opportunities across the Kootenay Boundary region. Beginning with the launch of the Trail ICC Program in 2011, Dr. McCoid has served as a primary family practice preceptor and developed a true passion for the ICC model of medical education. Additionally, she has supported the development and launch of the Kootenay Boundary Family Medicine residency site as both preceptor and faculty development site lead. Dr. McCoid is recognized as an excellent educator and a 2014 graduate of the SMP Master Teacher Certificate Program.

At this time, we would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Cheryl Hume for her tremendous years of service for both the SMP and UBC Department of Family Practice. Dr. Hume was the driving force behind the development and implementation of the Trail ICC Program and the Kootenay Boundary Family Medicine residency site. She has been a tremendous advocate for medical education expansion in the Kootenay Boundary region and her efforts will ultimately support the long-term recruitment and retention of health care professionals for the region. We would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Hume for her esteemed years of service.

The Southern Medical Program (SMP) is pleased to welcome Dr. Brandy Bursey and Dr. Kaylee Milne as the new clinical skills co-directors for SMP.

Dr. Bursey is an emergency medicine physician and hospitalist at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) and clinical instructor with the UBC Department of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Milne is a gastroenterologist and former Chief Resident with the University of Calgary who recently relocated to the Okanagan. Drs. Bursey and Milne have amassed considerable medical education experience as both lecturers and preceptors for medical students and residents. Based at the Clinical Academic Campus at KGH, they will be jointly responsible for the continued development and delivery of the Clinical Skills courses for first and second year SMP students.

At this time, we would also like to recognize Dr. Matt Petrie and Dr. Josh Williams for their extraordinary contributions to the SMP and the Faculty of Medicine. Drs. Petrie and Williams were the SMP’s first clinical skills co-directors joining the program in 2011. They were integral in the development of the Clinical Skills course for SMP students and have contributed greatly to our program’s early development and continued success. We would like to personally thank them for their years of service and look forward to their continued work as part of our esteemed clinical faculty.

Alexander Rudecki
SMP Class of 2020
Hometown: Prince George

What attracted you to your field of study or research?
Perhaps all the time spent in the ER from my plethora of childhood injuries attracted me to pursue medicine. Or perhaps it was my love for sciences in high school (which led me to a BCMB degree), or my interest in sports and physiology. I guess I will never know for sure.

What excites you about the upcoming year?
I’m excited about all the new people I’m going to meet, and to extend my knowledge of the human body.

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
People might be surprised to know that I once modeled clothing for a TV commercial.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I hope in 5 years I will be doing a residency in internal medicine, anesthesiology, surgery, or family medicine (I’m still largely undecided).

Best piece of advice
“insert cliche quote here”… Everyone has their own way of doing things. Don’t forget to include your ‘spin’ on things.

Last vacation destination
Eurotrip (Belgium, Amsterdam, Greece and London)

Clara Hong
SMP Class of 2018
Hometown: Maple Ridge

What attracted you to your field of study or research?
Everything- from learning about the pathophysiology of diseases, investigations and treatment plans, to ultimately applying this knowledge in the context of the patient as a whole. Also the resilience some people possess in the face of the most debilitating diseases.

What excites you about the upcoming year?
As a third year clerk I am in an exciting time in medical school. Transitioning from the classroom to the hospital has been absolutely amazing, but definitely not without its challenges. I am excited to continue through my rotations and learn as much as I can in every one of them.

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
Last year I went paragliding and “survived” a four-day trek in Nepal (If you know me, this is surprising!).

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In the middle of residency in….?

Best piece of advice
Don’t let others tell you what you can or cannot do. Don’t let anyone else define your future but yourself!

Last vacation destination
Thailand!

Vincent Fung
SMP Class of 2018
Hometown: Vancouver

What attracted you to your field of study or research?
Both of my parents had cancer when I was growing up so I spent much of my childhood in and out of hospitals (and clinics) with them. The health care teams that took care of my parents had a huge impact on the direction of my life, and I’ve always dreamed of ‘paying it forward’ somehow – this led me to pursue a career in health care.

What excites you about the upcoming year?
Being able to finally see patients, getting to know people, and exploring all the weird and wonderful things in medicine that only a privileged few get the chance to ever experience.

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
I love watching cartoons.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Working in an inner city environment with marginalized populations. Planning a trip to do humanitarian aid somewhere in the world. Hopefully finding some time to sit on a couch and watch cartoons with little people that kind of look like me.

Best piece of advice
Do not let med school take over your life! Although there will be tough moments in school, keep in mind that 99% of all accepted applicants WILL finish with an MD in 4 years. Go travel, don’t do research unless you love it, get to know (and love) yourself!

Last vacation destination
London England… unfortunately before the Brexit currency crash.

Olivia Guerra
SMP Class of 2017
Hometown: North Saanich

What attracted you to your field of study or research?
I have always wanted a career where I could work closely with people and really feel that I am impacting their lives on a daily basis. I feel that there really is no better field than health care for me to do that as it combines my desire to help people with my interest in human biology, passion for team work and knack for problem solving.

What excites you about the upcoming year?
I am excited to further explore my areas of interest now that I have a better understanding of what each field of medicine is like to work in and where my strengths and weaknesses lie. I also relish the chance to continue touring BC and Canada as we move from elective to elective and apply for residencies!

What’s one thing we might be surprised to learn about you?
That I am slowly turning myself into a jack-of-all-trades. I love to cook, craft, paint, build decks, fix cars, refurbish furniture… basically get my hands dirty and learn new skills.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years I will be finishing up my residency program and I am hoping to be making my way home to Vancouver Island. I would love to buy a little chunk of land and slowly work on building my own home (with help of course!). I am also hoping that by then I will have myself a dog to keep me company while I’m out hiking and exploring.

Best piece of advice
Clerkship was a very difficult year for many reasons, but I think the most trying part of it was the constant feeling of insecurity as I started each rotation and once again felt unsure of my skills, knowledge, role on the team, preceptor’s expectations, culture of the specialty, etc. One thing my mother always tells me when I’m feeling overwhelmed is to remember that, “this too shall pass”, just hold onto the belief that you will feel better again soon. And I always did. By the end of each 2 to 6 week rotation I would feel happy, well adjusted and be enjoying my work and what I was learning.

Last vacation destination
Outside of Canada, my last vacation was to Panama. We explored both coasts from Panama City, up to Bocas del Toro on the Carribean side and across to David-Chiriqui on the Pacific. I was impressed by Panama’s beautifully diverse landscape, friendly, helfpul people and three-shower-a-day humidity!

UBC Okanagan is recruiting local seniors for a second intake of the Walk, Talk, ‘n’ Listen randomized control trial research study.

If you have a hearing problem, are 65 years or older and in reasonably good health, we invite you to learn about an exciting research study aimed at helping older adults with hearing loss.

Led by Associate Professor Dr. Charlotte Jones, Walk Talk ‘n’ Listen is being held in partnership with the YMCA of Okanagan.

Round 2 of Walk, Talk, ‘n’ Listen begins in September. Participants will meet at the Rutland YMCA once or twice a week in the mornings. UBC Okanagan is looking for reasonably healthy residents, 65-years or older, who are not walker or wheelchair dependent to participate in the 12-week study.

Join others in a hearing – loss friendly environment, have fun & become more physically active, learn about health and wellness, and benefit from group auditory rehabilitation sessions, aimed at introducing skills in how to better cope with hearing loss and how to become more comfortable socializing.

To find out more, people are encouraged to contact Carolyn Roque at 250-807-9827 or carolyn.roque@ubc.ca.

The UBC Okanagan Library is excited to be launching a new workshop focused on Systematic Review Basics for the health sciences, which is ideal for faculty, graduate students, and research assistants. This three-hour, hands-on workshop will help guide you through the start-up process, provide an introduction to locating relevant studies and recording the methodology. Topics include: stages of the systematic review process; framing the search question with tools like PICO; searching Medline, other databases and grey literature sources; and tips for using citation management software for systematic reviews.

This session will be co-presented by Erin Menzies, Southern Medical Program Librarian, and Robert Janke, Associate Chief Librarian and liaison librarian for the School of Nursing. There is no cost to attend the workshop.

Our first workshop will be taking place on Friday, August 26 from 10:00 am- 1:00 pm in LIB111.  Please note space is limited.  To register, please contact Robert Janke at Robert.Janke@ubc.ca prior to August 22^nd, 2016.