Residents in the Prince Rupert area are benefiting from a new rehabilitation clinic led by UBC physical therapy and occupational therapy students.
The Prince Rupert Inter-professional Student-led Model (PRISM) Clinic, based in Prince Rupert Regional Hospital, showcases an important partnership between the Faculty of Medicine, the University of Northern British Columbia and Northern Health.
“By educating health professionals, such as physical therapists and occupational therapists, in Prince Rupert, we are exposing our trainees to the people, culture and rewards of practice in rural and remote settings, where their services are greatly needed,” said David Snadden, Executive Associate Dean of Education for the UBC Faculty of Medicine. “We are excited for our trainees to be a part of the Prince Rupert community.”
Based on a model that was first used at New Westminster’s Royal Columbian Hospital in 2008, the PRISM Clinic offers rehabilitation services to patients with a large variety of injuries and chronic diseases. Following the primary health care approach, patients will receive services along the continuum: in the hospital, in the community or in a patient’s home. A full-time physiotherapist clinical instructor supervises students earning a Master of Physical Therapy or Master of Occupational Therapy degree.
“A goal of the program is to help increase recruitment and retention of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and rehabilitation aids to rural and remote locations,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “It is known that if people train in the north, they are more likely to stay in the north. That is the reason these programs are important to ensuring smaller communities are successful in attracting specialized medical professionals.”
Funding for the program comes from Northern Health, and the Northern and Rural Cohort of the UBC Department of Physical Therapy delivered in partnership with UNBC. The northern and rural cohort is a provincial initiative aimed at recruitment and retention.
“The PRISM clinic is a great example of increasing access to care through partnerships between Northern Health and post-secondary institutions,” said Penny Anguish, Northern Health Chief Operating Officer for the Northwest. “We’re proud to have Prince Rupert as the first site outside of the Lower Mainland to host a student led clinic of this type.”
The first student led clinic in Prince Rupert ran from November to December of 2013. The next group of students will be in Prince Rupert from Jan. 6 to Feb. 7.
“The northern and rural cohort is an innovative and team-based approach to education that builds on partnerships to enhance medical services,” said Mark Dale, UNBC’s Interim President. “Recruiting and retaining professionals for our region, such as those involved in the PRISM Clinic, is important to UNBC. By offering training in the North, we are confident those professionals will stay, strengthening community capacity in Northern BC.”
There is a plan to expand the inter-professional education to include students from nursing, social work, and other medical professions. This inter-professional approach fits with Northern Health’s strategy of integrating health care services.