Third-year student Laura MacKinnon developed a good grasp of First Nations health growing up in the Northwest Territories. As part of her studies with the SMP, she saw a chance to create a partnership with a local First Nations organization and raise awareness amongst her fellow classmates.

Partnering with representatives from the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society and Interior Health Authority (IHA), MacKinnon initiated a self-directed learning project as part of the MD Undergraduate Program’s Doctor, Patient, and Society (DPAS) course, which exposes medical students to critical health care issues. MacKinnon developed and hosted a series of interactive workshops for first and second year students in collaboration with her project partners Dewayne Robinson, Addictions Counselor and Wayne Jack, Aboriginal Community Navigator from the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society and Jayne Taylor, IHA Aboriginal Patient Navigator.

The workshops focused on cultural sensitivity, traditional healing practices, and the spiritual beliefs surrounding death for First Nations people. “It was an opportunity to share some teaching and culture with the students,” says Jack. “Being able to help them understand what First Nations patients face in the hospitals and doctors’ offices is very helpful.”

“The students were very intuitive,” says Robinson. “It’s good to see the changes wanting to be made by the younger generations to address First Nations health.”

Feedback from both the students and partners was very positive. The model will be further evaluated for potential rollout to the other regional programs of UBC’s distributed MD Undergraduate Program.  “This project identified an earnest desire from current medical students to learn more about aboriginal health and traditional approaches to medicine,” says MacKinnon.  “I’m really excited about where this journey will go, and the future implication it may have on our aboriginal health education.”

SMP second-year students and staff joined the UBCO Partners for Life Team for the Canadian Blood Services’ 16th annual Interior Drive For Life: Kelowna vs. Prince George Challenge. The challenge runs from Sept 5 to Oct 31, 2013. The Kelowna Blood Donor Clinic is seeking out first-time donors and calling on area residents to make 1,856 blood donations to help it recapture the title from Prince George.

Almost half of the second-year class donated blood as part of the challenge with many donating for the first time. “So much of what we do in the first two years of medical school is classroom learning,” says Trish Caddy, Year 2 Class President. “When I approached my classmates with a chance to take part in the Interior Drive For Life, I think that many of them leapt at the chance to do something outside the lecture hall to raise awareness and actively contribute something to health in our community.”

Students and staff joined others from across UBC’s Okanagan campus for several group bookings held at the Kelowna clinic during the month of October. “It’s great to see so many new donors come out and support this worthy cause,” says Warren Brock, SMP Communications Coordinator and UBCO Partners for Life Champion. “Hopefully, Kelowna can win back the title and claim bragging rights for the next year.”

Update: Kelowna has captured the Interior Drive For Life title for 2013!

More than 700 physicians across the BC Interior are involved with teaching medical students and residents with the UBC Faculty of Medicine Southern Medical Program. To learn more about how to get involved, visit the Faculty Recruitment section.

Dr. Tara Gill, Emergency Physician – Trail

Dr. Gill is an emergency physician and rotation lead for the ICC program in Trail. Looking back at her own education and training, she recognizes the excellent training opportunity the ICC program provides for medical students to gain handson experience. “The emergency room provides good opportunities for a student to get their hands dirty,” says Dr. Gill. “We focus on the ABCs on how to deal with an unstable patient including resuscitations, airway and trauma management – the ER encompasses all aspects of medicine.”

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Dr. Stacey Butters, Family Physician – Vernon

Dr. Butters is a family physician in Vernon and preceptor for the SMP’s Family Practice Continuum course. Since the first wave of SMP students arrived in January of 2012, Dr. Butters has taught four first year students. She enjoys the role of preceptor and plans to continue opening her clinic’s doors for more students. “I work with each student to identify which areas they are most interested in and as much as possible tie together the learning material covered in their lectures,” says Dr. Butters. “The more complex cases are better for teaching.”

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Dr. Libby McCoid, Family Physician – Trail

Dr. McCoid is family physician and primary family practice preceptor for the ICC program in Trail. While there was an initial learning curve in understanding the process of teaching learners, Dr. McCoid has really enjoyed teaching and watching the progression of the students over the course of the year. “My patients have really taken to the students and have always been very accepting,” says Dr. McCoid. “Having the students has really added to my week and you are able to build new relationships with great people.”

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Dr. Ian Mitchell, Emergency Physician – Kamloops

Dr. Mitchell is an emergency physician and preceptor for the SMP’s clerkship program in Kamloops. He has taken an active role in teaching and scheduling medical students and residents over the course of his career. Dr. Mitchell sees having the students at RIH for the entire year as a big benefit for both the learners and the teachers. “It’s great having them here for the year, says Dr. Mitchell. “You recognize them and can call them over to see interesting cases.”

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Dr. Nicholas Half, Gynecologist – Vernon

Dr. Half is a gynecologist and the obstetrics/gynecology rotation leader for the ICC program in Vernon. Being involved with teaching medical students throughout his residency, he didn’t skip a beat when he arrived at Vernon Jubilee Hospital to set up his practice. “The students are excited about learning and I don’t want them to be nervous about women’s health,” says Dr. Half. “It’s fun to see them learn and we want to give them a good experience.”

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Dr. Dick Lewis, Dermatologist – Kamloops

Dr. Lewis is a dermatologist and rotation leader for the SMP’s clerkship program in Kamloops. He provides focused dermatology sessions for the students both at the hospital and in his office. Utilizing a mix of clinical patients and previous cases, he has really enjoyed being involved with teaching. “The students come up with most interesting questions and it makes you learn new stuff about old things,” says Dr. Lewis. “I love the experience and watching their enthusiasm.”

Students attend a surgical orientation at Kelowna General Hospital this past June.

Students from the Southern Medical Program’s (SMP) inaugural class begin the clinical phase of their medical education this September. The first 32 medical undergraduates – who entered the program in September 2011 – will spend the next year learning alongside physicians and other health professionals in BC Interior hospitals.

The majority of SMP students will train at either Kelowna General Hospital or Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. Each student rotates through ten different specialties including medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry, emergency medicine, orthopedics, anesthesiology, dermatology, and ophthalmology. A portion of SMP students will participate in UBC’s integrated community clerkship program spending the next year training in smaller, community-based programs in Vernon, Chilliwack, Terrace, and Fort St. John.

“It’s an exciting time for both our program and our students,” says Dr. Allan Jones, Regional Associate Dean, Interior. “The students are eager to gain hands-on clinical experience and start working more in-depth with patients. Our faculty and staff are enthusiastic to assist with their learning and help them discover their future career paths.”

With the recent addition of the SMP’s third cohort, 96 new medical undergraduates will complete the bulk of their medical education and clinical training in Interior BC communities. More than 700 physicians across the region are now involved in teaching with the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Trail ICC students Katie Eddy and Alexander Ednie.

When plans were announced in 2011 to create an integrated community clerkship program in Trail, the idea was embraced by both the medical community and the public. As with most rural BC communities, physician recruitment and retention remains an ongoing challenge, but one which the program was designed to help address.

The Trail ICC program admits two third year students annually for a full year of in-depth clinical training.  Each student is matched with two primary family practice preceptors working collectively to care for patients in the clinics and in addition to training alongside specialists at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital.

“The creation of this program is a remarkable acknowledgement that education can be delivered as well and as effectively in a small, rural community as in a larger urban centre.” says Dr. Cheryl Hume, family physician and ICC site director. “It validates the skill set of those working here, creates a greater culture of medical education, and ultimately improves quality of care for patients.” Dr. Hume also attributes the effective partnership with the Interior Health Authority for supporting the program’s success.

Patient continuity is a key strength of the ICC program as students are involved from the initial visit at the family practice clinic, through their treatments with specialists, and right back to follow-up. “You are able to make a lot of connections based on family history and get a real breadth of procedures,” says Dr. Libby McCoid, family physician. “We are showing the students the different relationships patients have with their family doctor versus specialists.”

Third year medical students Alexander Ednie and Katie Eddy, who entered medical school as a couple, have spent the past ten months as the only two learners in the community and the hospital. “As you get to know more family practice patients, it’s nice because you know their history and what treatments they have been going through,” says Ednie. “You also get a ridiculous amount of hands-on experience and exposure to your fields of interest because the physicians know you and what you are capable of,” says Eddy.

The integrated model rotates the students through eight different clinical specialties ranging from emergency medicine to surgery to psychiatry divided over the course of the year.  “You really get to see the evolvement of the students rather than just seeing them for a couple of weeks,” says Dr. Tara Gill, emergency physician. “You get to see where they are at in the beginning, be involved with the teaching, and move on with them throughout the year.”

An impressive team of 60 physicians are involved with teaching in the program. Some are relatively new to clinical teaching, whereas others like Dr. Ron Cameron are provided with a renewed link to medical education. “Getting involved with teaching at a smaller site has provided a balance again of being connected to the academic,” says Dr. Cameron, general surgeon. “Teaching really forces you to focus on your own practice and have a critical look at why you are doing things when having to justify it to the students.”

For Ednie and Eddy, their collective experience has been one they will never forget and has only fueled their passion to practice rural medicine in the future. “If we were to graduate from our program and an opportunity came up in Trail, we would come back in a heart beat,” adds Ednie.  “The staff, physicians, everybody – it’s such a cohesive environment.”

The Trail ICC program will welcome two new students this September. Based on the program’s success, potential expansion in the number of students is being reviewed for the following academic year.

Third year student Kristy Cho.

Last fall, four UBC medical students began a full year of clinical training at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) for their third year clerkship rotation. This was the first time medical students would spend an entire year training at the hospital and in the community. Eleven months in, the pilot has received excellent feedback from both students and physicians and accolades for the hard work invested by program staff and hospital administration.

An anticipated four to eight students will complete the Kamloops rotation each year. Each student rotates through 10 different specialties ranging from emergency medicine to surgery to dermatology. “It is great having them here for the entire year,” says Dr. Ian Mitchell, emergency physician. “You recognize them and can call them over to see interesting cases.”

As a small group of learners, the students gain remarkable exposure to clinical experiences and one-on-one teaching from their preceptors.  “As the only learner in your specialty at any given point, you don’t have to sit on the sideline and watch,” says Kristy Cho, third year student. “You are given a lot of flexibility to pursue your own interests while getting a lot of hands-on experience.”

More than 100 physicians are actively involved with teaching in the program at RIH.  “We’ve had a great number of physicians step up to teach with the program and the feedback has been incredibly positive,” says Dr. Anise Barton, general surgeon and co-site education lead.

Third year student Kulveer Parhar

A core group of physician leaders help manage the daily flow of students and assist with program planning and exams for the students. “The ratio of leaders to the students allows us to know them very well and be intimately involved in their growth and development,” adds Dr. Gerhard Schumacher, family physician and co-site education lead.

“Kamloops is a big enough centre to see lots of different pathologies, get exposed to lots of specialists, and serves a fairly broad population base,” says Kulveer Parhar, third year student.  “The smaller number of learners is a definite strength as the physicians know your name and are excited to shed their knowledge on you.”

For the physicians involved with the program, clinical teaching is either a new or renewed experience but one which they enjoy. “The students come up with the most interesting questions and it makes you learn new stuff about old things,” says Dr. Dick Lewis, dermatologist.  “I love the experience and watching their enthusiasm.”

Students from the Southern Medical Program’s inaugural class will begin clinical training at RIH in early September 2013.

Dr. Glenn Benoit was recently granted the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics. The annual award honours outstanding women’s health educators from each of the association’s members including the UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Dr. Benoit is an obstetrician and gynecologist based in Kelowna and Clinical Assistant Professor with the UBC Faculty of Medicine. For the past five years, he has played an integral role in the development of the obstetric/gynecology rotation at Kelowna General Hospital for the Southern Medical Program. He is also actively involved with teaching first year family medicine residents.

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Dr. Benoit completed his medical degree at the University of Manitoba followed by a rotating internship in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He returned to the University of Manitoba for his residency and practiced in Winnipeg for six years before relocating to Kelowna in 1990.

“I am very committed to women’s health and feel it so important for the well-being of families,” says Dr. Benoit.  “I’m biased, but I believe that understanding women’s health issues is one of the most important components of a medical student’s education”.

Dr. Benoit’s passion for women’s health has taken him on humanitarian trips to third world countries. For past five years, Benoit and a team of physicians, nurses and support staff have travelled to Nicaragua as part of a surgical  mission. “Initially the project focused on performing surgery on needy populations without any teaching component. Recognizing the importance of sustainability, surgical education has now become our primary focus,” says Dr. Benoit.

With the Nicaragua project complete, the team now know as the Surgical Training Education Partnership (STEP) has just started a new project in Paraguay with their first mission to take place in September, 2013. To learn more about the team and their work, visit www.step-canada.com.

Radiology technician Ramona Getz adjusts the new mobile; digital x-ray machine in the new state-of-the-art trauma room at Kelowna General Hospital during a demonstration Thursday. The room was equipped thanks to a $1 million gift from the Charles E. Fipke Foundation. Photo courtesy of Kelowna Capital News.

Charles Fipke donation to Kelowna hospital gets trauma room operational

With a $1-million gift from the Charles E. Fipke Foundation, a new state-of-the-art trauma room is saving lives at Kelowna General Hospital.

Supporting excellence in patient care and medical education, the new advanced trauma room will benefit patients, staff at Kelowna General Hospital, and the UBC Faculty of Medicine Southern Medical Program.

The donation, made to UBC in partnership with the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation, allowed for the purchase of specialized airway ultrasound, and digital imaging equipment as well as equipment for a hyper/hypothermia system. The system has the ability to warm trauma and hypothermia patients at a controlled rate but can also provide cooling therapy for cardiac arrest patients with precise temperature control.

“I was inspired by the quality of doctors at Kelowna General Hospital and wanted to give the emergency department’s medical team the best trauma unit in Canada. And I want to encourage others to give also,” Fipke says.

Inside the new trauma room there is a digital radiology system—a portable, wireless, flat-panel system that provides great flexibility in capturing X-rays and delivering the images significantly faster than other systems.

“It gives me goose bumps to be able to provide care for patients with the capabilities of this new advanced trauma room,” says Dr. Paul Linden, Clinical Medical Director for Trauma Services. “Charles Fipke’s gift will save trauma patients’ lives and provide unprecedented education to the next generation of medical professionals.”

The trauma room is a learning ground for Southern Medical Program students at UBC’s Okanagan campus. Dr. Allan Jones, Regional Associate Dean, Interior says Fipke’s gift will not only help doctors at the hospital, but the current and future UBC students.

“This gift not only enhances the quality of care for patients at Kelowna General Hospital, but enriches the learning environment and research capabilities for UBC medical students, residents, and clinical faculty,” says Jones. “We are incredibly grateful for Charles Fipke’s commitment to advancing health care education and research in our region.”

The advanced trauma room is also equipped with a resuscitation cart, respiratory cart, and difficult airway cart.

“Interior Health is fortunate to have the support of Kelowna General Hospital Foundation, UBC and the Charles E. Fipke Foundation,” said Norman Embree, Interior Health Board chair. “Through these partnerships, the new trauma room will also benefit patients experiencing heart attacks, strokes, and those who are septic.”

Last year, some 64,000 patients were cared for in the KGH emergency department and about 17 per cent of them required the advanced level of care provided in a room like Trauma 3.

Third year medical student Paul Dickinson at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.

Medical students are now a common sight in Vernon Jubilee Hospital (VJH) and local family practice clinics. Officially launched in 2011, the UBC Southern Medical Program’s integrated community clerkship (ICC) program in Vernon provides a full year of front-line, in-depth clinical training experience for two third year medical students annually.

The integrated model was first introduced in Chilliwack in 2004 by UBC – one of the first medical schools to pilot the program in North America – as an alterative to training in a traditional, larger urban centre. Since 2004, the program has expanded to include six different communities across BC including Vernon, Trail, Duncan, Terrace, Fort St. John, and Chilliwack.

“The program offers a tremendous opportunity for physician recruitment and retention for the Vernon community,” says Dr. Allison Rankin, general practitioner in oncology and ICC Site Director. “We are able to provide exceptional learning experiences for our medical students while building a robust academic interest amongst our medical staff.”

Each Vernon student is matched with two primary family practice preceptors for the entire year as they work collectively to care for patients in the clinics and at the hospital. Students also learn alongside specialists at the hospital rotating through eight different clinical rotations ranging from emergency medicine to obstetrics/gynecology to psychiatry. An impressive number of over 60 Vernon physicians are actively involved with teaching in the program.

A key highlight of ICC program is patient continuity allowing students to follow patients through their cycle of medical care. “Family practice helps set the stage for patient interaction as we are often the first point of contact, able to track them through their treatments, and complete the cycle with a follow-up,” says Dr. Aisha Manji, family physician. “Pairing students with two different family physicians helps expose the students to a broad patient demographic, diversity of pathologies, a range of acute to sub-acute problems, and different approaches to solving clinical problems.”

Patients play a key role in the program by allowing students to learn from their medical conditions and treatments. “Patients love to share the stories and experiences and feel they are also teaching the students,” says Dr. Manish Bhatt, emergency room physician. “As physicians, we are always busy and on the go whereas the students are able to take a bit more time to learn from each patient.”

As one of only two learners in the ICC program, students are able to receive extensive hands-on training while building meaningful connections with the medical community. Current ICC student, Paul Dickinson recalls of one his most impactful experiences from the past nine months. Dickinson had been called in to assist with a caesarian section during one of his pediatrics rotations. The delivery had gone well, however the baby was in some distress. “I had been working with the pediatrician for two weeks – who I also play hockey with once a week – and knew the respiratory therapist and both nurses quite well,” says Dickinson. “Everyone knew each other’s preferences and all of the attention was focused on the well-being of this baby. It was one of the first times I felt like a real part of the team and contributing to the care of patients.”

Throughout the year, students have the flexibility to spend additional time in different rotations and hone their clinical experience and exposure to each of the different specialities. “We want the students to see each speciality to get an idea of what we do and learn different approaches to solving problems,” says Dr. Nicholas Half, gynecologist. “It’s fun to see them learn and we want to give them a good experience.”

By the end of their third year, students have gained exposure to a depth of clinical experiences and in most cases a clear preference for their residency path upon graduation from medical school.  “Vernon is a great community and I have really appreciated the willingness of my preceptors to take the time to teach and explain things,” adds Dickinson. “I have always wanted to do a small town practice and this program has reaffirmed that.”