Warren Brock
Communications Manager
Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Southern Medical Program
Office: Reichwald Health Sciences CentrePhone: 250.807.8601
Email: warren.brock@ubc.ca
Trail ICC Students Nick Leinweber and Dorothy Kuk
By Val Rossi, Trail Daily Times
Two UBC medical students are learning to think on their feet as they leap from academic studies into real-life scenarios at the Trail hospital and local medical clinics.
Vancouver’s Dorothy Kuk and Kimberley native Nick Leinweber, third-year students of the University of British Columbia’s distributed MD undergraduate program, were selected to take part in the southern medical program’s year-long integrated community clerkship in Trail.
Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital, along with a facility in Vernon, has been established as a teaching hospital for the pilot program that hopes to expand to facilities in Penticton and Cranbrook in the future.
“It’s a big change from being in a lecture hall for five days a week to a hospital and having patient contact every day,” said Leinweber.
“It opens up a whole new world of procedural skills and it’s hands on as opposed to interacting with a screen and lecture in large classrooms.”
Based in Kelowna, the new southern medical program is the fourth of UBC’s MD undergraduate program, which aims to improve upon the number of rural students seeking medical careers.
“I think what’s really unique about this program is that there’s this longitude nature of how we follow our patients,” said Kuk, recalling an awarding time when she monitored an expectant mother and then helped deliver her twins.
Unlike a traditional block rotation where a student would work in one area of the hospital for a time then move on to another, the integrated clerkship allows a student to work with patients through the entire care cycle – from diagnosis to treatment and follow-up.
Led by Dr. Cheryl Hume, the students shadow family physicians out of Riverside Family Medicine, Columbia Family Medicine and the Beaver Valley Clinic, and work alongside a number of specialists at the Trail hospital, which gives them the opportunity to bounce between areas of expertise.
“It’s a real community feeling,” said Leinweber. “People call you by your first name and you’re not just one of the bunch of people in a flock walking around.”
But transitioning from an academic setting to dealing with patients has been a learning curve for the two students.
“It’s like learning the art part now besides just the theory of how do you balance all the multiple issues because you’re dealing with a real person,” said Leinweber. “They’re not a test that you’re going through and trying to understand.”
For Kuk, the emotional connection she’s had with her patients has added a new element that no class could prepare her for.
“Going from textbooks to seeing real patients in pain or who are dying or suffering in anyway, it can be quite emotionally taxing sometimes,” she said. “It seems like a fine art that all of the doctors here have, where they can empathize but at the same time be very professional.”
While being involved in the pilot program for Leinweber was a chance to return to a region he grew up in and complete training close to home, for Kuk it was an entirely opposite opportunity.
“This was an experience to really figure out for myself whether I’d be suitable to live and work in a smaller community because I’m really very seriously interested in working in a place like this.”
The new partnership between UBC’s southern medical program and Interior Health is viewed as a great opportunity for students to gain clinical training while experiencing the benefits of practicing medicine in a smaller, rural community.
The program gives students a chance to complete their training in rural and underserved communities where they are more likely to return to practice after their studies.
“The doctors, all the ones I’ve spoken to, said that they really find it kind of energizing to have the students here,” added Alison Morrison, program assistant.
Since the new program just started, the first integrated clerkship opportunities were offered to students in sister programs on Vancouver Island, the north and Greater Vancouver.
By 2013, it’s anticipated that 32 students will be entering their third year of the MD undergraduate program with an anticipated four to six students participating in a clerkship in Vernon or Trail.
Two new programs bring innovative community-based MD training to Vernon and Trail
They’re here! MD students will learn medicine from patients and physicians in unique community-based settings in the UBC Faculty of Medicine Southern Medical Program’s (SMP) Integrated Community Clerkships (ICC) in Vernon and Trail.
Four third-year UBC medical students, two in each community, will spend the entire year training with local family physicians and specialists and providing care for patients.
“The Southern Medical Program is very fortunate to have the commitment of clinician teachers and dedicated onsite program leadership in both Trail and Vernon,” says Dr. Allan Jones, Regional Associate Dean, Interior. “Students will receive excellent training and support in such welcoming environments.”
In comparison to a Traditional Clerkship held in larger city centres, the ICC exposes students to an interdisciplinary team approach to patient care as they track patients from diagnosis to treatment to follow-up. Each ICC student is teamed with two local family physicians and spends time each week working with patients at their respective offices.
Under direction of their mentoring physicians, students monitor patients from the initial consultation through various treatments and settings including speciality and community referrals, hospital admissions, emergency department, operating room, in-patient care, and finish back at the family physician office for follow-up.
The ICC program provides opportunities for students to complete their training in more rural and underserved communities, where as studies suggest, they are more likely to return to practice upon the completion of their medical training.
The ICC sites in Vernon and Trail represent a partnership with the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Interior Health, Vernon Jubilee and Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospitals, and the medical professionals in these communities and surrounding areas.
By 2013, the SMP will have 32 students entering their third year of the MD Undergraduate Program with an anticipated 4 to 6 students participating in an ICC in Vernon or Trail.
Interior-based SMP students Daniel Manders, Ellen Cai, Brennan Arduini, Christabelle Bitgood, Ashley Shaw, Robyn Buna
Six Interior-based SMP students from the Class of MD 2015 toured the campus this week, met with Dr. Allan Jones, Regional Associate Dean, Interior and were introduced to local media. Of the 32 students in the SMP’s inaugural class, 7 are from BC Interior communities including Kamloops, Chase, Kelowna, Summerland, and Penticton.
Aug 22 – AM1150 Interview (Dr. Allan Jones)
Dr. Allan Jones, regional associate dean, Interior, with some of the medical students who will be attending the program at the Okanagan campus in January. They are, from left: Ashley Shaw, Chase; Robyn Buna, Kelowna; Ellen Cai, Penticton; Christabelle Bitgood, Kelowna; Brennan Arduini, Kamloops; and Daniel Manders, Summerland. The students begin their training next week at UBC’s Vancouver campus before returning to the Interior in the New Year.
Getting their education in the Interior is important to future physicians
The Southern Medical Program (SMP) has arrived at UBC’s Okanagan campus and students are eager to start their education in the medical doctor undergraduate program. Six of the “MD Class of 2015” toured the campus this week, met with Dr. Allan Jones, regional associate dean, and were introduced to local media.
The intake of 32 students in the first year of the SMP join their colleagues from three other sites of UBC’s MD Undergraduate Program and begin their first semester in Vancouver, before returning to the BC Interior for the remainder of their four years of medical education and training. Distribution and expansion of the MD program in the Interior is made possible by partnerships between the BC provincial government, the Faculty of Medicine and Interior Health.
“We consider UBC’s MD Program to be a provincial program now,” says Jones. “Instead of being limited to a single site, it’s four sites across the province.”
The four distinct regions include the SMP in the Interior, Vancouver Fraser Medical Program in Vancouver, the Island Medical Program in Victoria and Northern Medical Program in Prince George. The addition of the SMP brings the total number of annual medical seats in the province to 288 from 256. In their third and fourth years, the students will take clerkships at locations throughout the Interior.
The six SMP students on campus Monday say their education will benefit from studying close to home.
“I have a lot of family here,” says Daniel Manders, 20, of Summerland. “I’m really looking forward to this. It’s going to be a great career and I’ll have great family support.”
Robyn Buna, 22, of Kelowna says she looks forward to the small class sizes as well as connecting with her colleagues on other campuses via videoconferencing. “I hope there are different ways we can take our interests outside the classroom, through our learning teams and one-on-one,” she says. “I’m just excited to get started. These four years are going to go by fast.”
Christabelle Bitgood, 24, of Kelowna, says the Interior is home to her and she plans to live here after graduating as a physician. “If you are going to practice here, it’s just good sense to be taught by the physicians who are practicing here.”
Jones says this first class of the medical program in the Interior is breaking new ground. “Essentially, most of our students like the idea of being pioneers. They’re an adventurous group and I look forward to working with them.”
Health Sciences Centre at UBC's Okanagan campus
The Southern Medical Program has admitted its inaugural class of 32 students as part of the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Class of MD 2015. Starting in September, SMP students will begin the first months of the MD Program at UBC’s Point Grey alongside the other 256 MD 2015s. The addition of the SMP has now brought the number of annual medical school seats up to 288 offered in four distinct regions across the province.
“The admission of our inaugural class of learners is a significant milestone for our program,” said Dr. Jones, Regional Associate Dean, Interior. “As the newest additional program to UBC’s medical school, we have taken great steps to ensure our learners are provided with the same level of education and depth of experiences as their regional counterparts. We are excited for our graduating class of 2015 to begin their studies and look forward to personally greeting each of them during Orientation Week.”
In early January, students from each of the distributed program will transition to their respective sites in Kelowna – SMP, Victoria – Island Medical Program, Prince George – Northern Medical Program. The balance of students will remain in Vancouver as part of the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program.
SMP students will be arriving on UBC’s Okanagan campus in early January to continue their Year 1 studies at the brand new Health Sciences Centre (HSC). The final building component of the HSC is the installation of the videoconferencing equipment, slated for later this year in advance of the students’ arrival.
UK medical student, Tiffany Vracas
In completing the final component of her UK medical degree, Tiffany Vracas selected two international elective placements to explore different medical professions and cultures. Her first stop was Hong Kong working in a private practice for four weeks. Her next stop was Kamloops for a four-week, General Surgery elective placement at Royal Inland Hospital.
Based on the advice of a UK colleague and having previously vacationed in Canada, Vracas believed she could gain valuable experience by training at a full-teaching hospital situated in a smaller, more rural setting. “After reviewing all of my available options, Royal Inland Hospital seemed to provide me with the best of both worlds,” said Vracas.
Vracas was teamed up with Dr. Anise Barton, General Surgeon at Royal Inland Hospital and Co-Site Clerkship Education Lead in Kamloops for the Southern Medical Program (SMP). Together with Dr. Barton, she was able to easily map out her learning objectives and immediately start working with preceptors and patients. Starting in 2013, Royal Inland Hospital will be one of the primary sites for Year 3 SMP students completing their Traditional Clerkships rotations.
“Royal Inland Hospital provided some great advantages for my medical training,” said Vracas. “There was excellent exposure to both patients and preceptors and I was able to easily follow patients through their entire cycle of care. I was virtually able to learn more in four weeks than I could in half a year at a larger teaching-facility in the UK. All of the preceptors were enthusiastic about teaching students and really accommodating to my training needs.”
Vracas, an avid outdoor recreationalist, captured a small glimpse of what Kamloops and the region has to offer during her stay. Having arrived just after Sun Peaks closed for the ski season, she was able to take several hiking trips in the area including a trek to the world-renowned Helmcken Falls in Wells Gray Provincial Park.
As for Canadian culture, Vracas arrived on the first day of the Stanley Cup playoffs and quickly caught a case of Canucks fever. After a quick course in Hockey 101, Vracas embraced the Canucks as her team, even spending the remainder of her student budget on authentic Canucks jersey. Returning to the UK, she has faced the challenge of catching the remainder of the playoff-run in a country that is not so hockey-centric.
Vracas now enters her two years of pre-specialty training as a Foundation Doctor (FY). As for her desired speciality, she is currently learning towards Intensive Care, Anesthesology, or Pre-hospital Care. She is also examining the possibility of completing her FY training as an expedition doctor accompanying grade schools students on research expeditions in South America or the Antarctic. A possible return to practice in Canada is a future consideration.
Third-year UBC medical students train at Kelowna General Hospital. About 200 UBC medical students have received training at KGH during the past three years.
Hospital to receive its initial group of 1st-year students in January 2012.
By J.P. Squire – The Daily Courier
The medical students are coming.
The first fresh faces from UBC’s medical school will arrive in the Southern Interior in September. These third-year students will go to hospitals in Vernon, Kamloops and Trail in pilot projects.
The first wave of first-year medical students will arrive in Kelowna in January 2012, forever changing Kelowna General Hospital.
From February 28 to March 4, the Southern Medical Program held a Prototypical Week at UBC’s Okanagan campus and the Clinical Academic Campus at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH). The Prototypical Week provided an important assessment of SMP’s readiness to accept Year 1 UBC medical students in the fall of 2011. Additionally, it supports the ongoing quality assurance of UBC’s distributed MD Undergraduate Program as a whole.
Eight Year 1 medical students (pictured above) from UBC’s Vancouver Fraser Medical Program (VFMP) took part in the Prototypical Week and complete one full week of study. Students shared the same curriculum, course load, and clinical training as their colleagues in the VFMP, the Island Medical Program in Victoria, and the Northern Medical Program in Prince George.
Students studied at the UBC Okanagan campus throughout the week and participated in clinical skills training at the Clinical Academic Campus and various Family Physicians offices in Kelowna and Vernon.
VFMP Students: Jennifer Cutting, Ben Trepanier, Gavin Docherty, Katherine Shoults, Amy Kluftinger, Alexander Ednie, Maria Kovalik, Kelsey Stearns.
Eleven UBC medical students appeared more like family during their visit to Trail this weekend. The trip ended with a luncheon hosted by Dr. Cheryl Hume and her husband Dr. Ralph Behrens, where the crew fell in love with the family dog, Oscar.
By Val Rossi – Trail Daily Times
Trail gave eager medical students a taste of the area this weekend when 11 hopeful applicants met with local professionals.
Dr. Cheryl Hume hosted the visit, which will ultimately help a panel select two third-year UBC medical students to work in Trail for a year starting in September.