Considering future career options can be a daunting task for medical students, especially those who have yet to begin their clerkship training. There is also increased pressure to make career decisions early into their third-year clerkship to help best prepare for their future residency application.  This past month, the SMP Office of Student Affairs hosted an inaugural ‘Careers Night’ event to offer students an opportunity to learn more about the different careers in medicine.

The event featured eleven physicians representing family medicine and numerous specialties. First, a panel discussion allotted time for each physician to speak about their type of practice and lifestyle. Second, a career ‘speed dating’ activity allowed students to choose several potential career options and meet with physicians during small group discussions. The response from students was exceedingly positive and they recommended the event be hosted annually. A special thanks to Dr. Connie Hull, Carri Folk, Lisa Roe and SMP students Hannah Duyvewaardt, Olivia Guerra, and Aaron Sobkowicz in helping organize this year’s event.

Dr. Melanie Reed has been appointed the new Southern Medical Program (SMP) Assistant Dean, Student Affairs effective June 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018.

Dr. Reed is a Clinical Associate Professor with the Department of Surgery at UBC and a Radiation Oncologist at the Cancer Centre for the Southern Interior in Kelowna. She has a strong interest in undergraduate education and she has been a dedicated supporter of the SMP since it’s opening. She has been involved in many facets of the program including admissions, clinical skills teaching, mentorship and the third year surgical clerkship. She is also involved in resident teaching, is a member of the BCCA Radiation Oncology residency training committee, and a Royal College examiner. In her spare time, Dr. Reed enjoys spending time with her husband, two teenage daughters and three dogs on their hobby farm in Southeast Kelowna.

Dr. Reed will work alongside Dr. Connie Hull who will continue in her role until August 1, 2015. Dr. Hull has been the Assistant Dean, Student Affairs for the SMP since its inception and developed an exceptional and innovative Student Affairs Office for the SMP. Welcome to Dr. Reed and special thanks to Dr. Hull for her outstanding commitment to our students and our program.

Erin Menzies, Southern Medical Program Librarian was recently named the sole Canadian recipient of the 2015 EBSCO/MLA Annual Meeting Grant. As a result of this funding, Erin will be able to attend the Medical Library Association Annual Meeting being held in Austin, TX in May 2015, where she’ll present her original research exploring the topic of information services to distributed medical students.

For the past year, Erin has worked with the SMP teaching informatics skills to students, supporting program-wide research initiatives, and curriculum support and consultation. She relocated to Kelowna from Toronto, where she spent several years in academic medicine and clinical information services.

The second annual UBC Okanagan Interdisciplinary Student Health Conference was held at the Clinical Academic Campus on March 12, 2015. This year’s event featured presentations from students with the Southern Medical Program, Faculty of Health and Social Development, Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, and interns from the BC Cancer Agency.

Thanks to all faculty, staff, students, and adjudicators for making this year’s event another great success. Congratulations to this year’s winners and honourable mentions:

Research & Science Category:
Top Honours: Stephanie Schindler
Honourable Mention: Drew Phillips

Public Health Category:
Top Honours: Henry Gerelle, Aaron Sobkowicz, and Timothy Walters
Honourable Mention: Vivian Ma

(L-R) Vernon Integrated Community Clerkship Director Dr. Carmen Larsen, Vernon Family Physician Dr. George Borchert, MLA Eric Foster, and UBC medical students Julia Hassler and Erin Charman help official open new UBC space at Vernon Jubilee Hospital

Students in the University of British Columbia’s (UBC)Southern Medical Program officially have a new place to call home at Vernon Jubilee Hospital(VJH).

Vernon-Monashee MLA Eric Foster joined UBC’s Regional Associate Dean for the Interior Dr. Allan Jones and Vernon Jubilee Hospital physician Dr. George Borchert, along with medical school students, physicians and administrators from the Southern Medical Program and Interior Health to celebrate the opening of the recently renovated medical school space, located on the fifth floor of the Polson Tower.

“We’re very pleased to see this project complete and to have this space available to medical students and other health professionals in our community,” said Foster. “This space will provide an enhanced and more comfortable learning environment for our future care providers and is an investment that supports the community in which we hope they will stay and practice and one day call home.”

The new academic space features centralized education areas, a clinical skills room and two video conferencing rooms providing an enhanced learning and training environment. It also offers a great venue for specialists, family physicians and allied health professionals to participate in continuing professional development programs and events.

“The new facilities will better support our program’s ability to deliver medical education and training both at Vernon Jubilee Hospital and within the Vernon community,”said Dr. Jones. “We are most appreciative of our partnerships with government and Interior Health in developing these exceptional learning spaces for our students, faculty and staff.”

The space also has an on-call sleep area, lounge and lockers for medical students completing their clinical training at Vernon Jubilee Hospital,as well as those training in community clinics.

“This new medical school space is another great example of the strong partnership that exists between the province, the Southern Medical Program and Interior Health,” said Interior Health Board Chair Erwin Malzer. “We’re proud to be a part of the program and we look forward to continuing our work to ensure the program continues to be successful.”

Students are expected to begin occupying the new space immediately with medical education programs ongoing. Construction and equipment for the UBC space on the fifth floor totaled approximately $983,000 and was funded by the Ministry of Health.

The third annual Southern Medical Program Welcome Reception was held at the historic Laurel Packinghouse in downtown Kelowna on the evening of January 30, 2015. The event serves as a formal welcome to the newest cohort of medical students to the SMP and the BC Interior medical community. It also provides a chance to acknowledge the hard work and contributions of the SMP’s faculty, staff, and program partners. Student emcees Olivia Guerra and Chris Stuart did a great job kicking off the event and provided some words of wisdom to the newest group of students.

Thanks to the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and special guests who were able to attend. A special thanks to event sponsors Scotiabank, Meyers Norris Penny, Doctors of BC, Canadian Medical Association, MD Management, Faculty of Medicine Alumni, and Drs. Allan and Charlotte Jones for supporting the event. The net proceeds from the reception will help create a new bursary award for the Class of SMP 2018.

Dr. Olusegun (Segun) Oyedele is the new Southern Medical Program (SMP) Course Director, Foundations of Medicine (FMED).  Dr. Oyedele serves as Anatomy Instructor for the SMP and is recognized as an exceptional educator for first and second year students in gross anatomy, histology, and neuroanatomy.  He holds numerous educational leadership positions, including Faculty Development Lead for new FMED Problem-Based Learning (PBL) tutors, member of the SMP Curriculum Transition Team, and member of the Faculty of Medicine Portfolio Development Working Group.

Prior to his work with the SMP, Dr. Oyedele was a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand’s Centre for Health Science Education in Johannesburg, South Africa.  For over 15 years, he taught basic and clinical human anatomy at the university level in South Africa and Nigeria garnering significant experience with course coordination, student evaluation, and faculty development programs.

Dr. Oyedele will transition into his new role, effective March 1, 2015. In addition to his instructional duties, he will be responsible for the planning and organization of the FMED course within the SMP in its current state and evolution as part of the curriculum renewal process.

Dr. Marjorie Docherty has joined the Southern Medical Program as the new Clerkship Site Leader, Rural Family Practice (RFP). Dr. Docherty is a family physician in Kelowna and Clinical Professor with the UBC Department of Family Practice. For the past 27 years, she has worked as a family physician at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) and has a full service family practice in the community.

Dr. Docherty is a member of the Executive of The College of Family Physicians, BC and has held numerous positions with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC including serving as President from 2011-2013. Over the past 20 years, she has held numerous educational leadership positions at KGH including Coordinator for UBC Family Practice Pediatrics/Obstetrics Program (1994-2005), Director of Family Practice Pediatric Residency Program (1994-1998), and Executive for the Department of Family Practice Division of Obstetrics (2000-2015). From 2004-2005, she was one of the lead faculty for the expansion of UBC’s Rural Family Practice Program to Kelowna. Dr. Docherty has received numerous awards for her work both as a physician and educator including the Rural Family Practice Teaching Award, Dr. Peter Grantham Award for Post Graduate Teaching Excellence, and the 2011 BC Family Physician of Year Award from the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

Dr. Docherty will be responsible for the ongoing development and implementation of Year 3 RFP rotations in the BC Interior. She will be focused on the recruitment and support of teachers and curriculum development across the region.

Dr. Mark Yudin (right) monitors students Nichole Gill and Matt Mittelstadt as they participate in an airway management exercise.

The fourth annual Southern Medical Program (SMP) Boot Camp and Student Connectivity Event was held at the Clinical Academic Campus on January 27, 2015. Third year students from Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon, and Trail immersed in a full day of clinical training and building connections with their classmates from across the SMP’s distributed sites.

Using a simulated learning environment, students gained hands-on experience with common ward emergencies, intubating patients, and utilizing handheld ultrasound in patient assessments. Teamwork and communication skills were key themes for the day’s activities as students worked alongside SMP clinical faculty and UBC Okanagan nursing students. SimMan 3G, the high fidelity patient simulator in the Pritchard Simulation Centre, was once again a highlight for the students practicing emergency code scenarios.

The event was led by the Years 3 & 4 Education Team and included clinical faculty in anesthesia, emergency medicine, critical care as well as critical care nurse educators, UBC Okanagan nursing faculty, and several volunteer patients.

Students excelled in a safe learning environment where they worked closely with their peers in an interdisciplinary team approach. As a result of the day, many of the students reported more confidence in participating in code or trauma team scenarios during their clinical training.