Resident doctors will start training this summer in communities across British Columbia.
Starting this July, UBC will welcome 186 new family medicine resident doctors to begin their training in urban, rural, remote and Indigenous communities across British Columbia (B.C.)
The news comes after the second round of the Canadian Resident Matching Service, which pairs final-year medical students with residency programs across Canada.
Dr. Roger Wong
This is the 10th year in a row that UBC’s family medicine residency program has filled all of its residency positions.
“Year after year, medical graduates from across Canada are choosing B.C. as a preferred location for their family medicine residency training,” says Dr. Roger Wong, Vice Dean of Education, Faculty of Medicine. “This speaks to the wide-ranging opportunities UBC offers resident doctors to train alongside world-class clinical faculty in team-based, community settings throughout the province-wide distributed medical education program.”
Recognized as a global leader in distributed medical education, UBC has the largest family medicine program in Canada with 20 training sites and more than four thousand clinical faculty across the province. Throughout their training, UBC resident doctors learn about the unique healthcare needs of diverse populations so that they can provide culturally safe, high quality and compassionate care to patients and families in B.C.
Dr. Wong also says that UBC resident doctors are deeply integrated into B.C. communities, which is a big part of what inspires them to stay on to practice.
Dr. Mark Mackenzie
Since 2004, approximately 82 per cent of resident doctors who did family medicine training at UBC are now practicing in communities across the province.
The strength of the distributed medical education program reflects the high level of commitment of faculty and staff, says Dr. Mark Mackenzie, Director, UBC family medicine residency program.
“What we are hearing is that our training sites are supported by family physician educators and leaders that are deeply committed to their communities and training the next generation of family doctors,” says Dr. Mackenzie. “And this is what resident doctors want – an engaged, intentional and robust residency experience.”
For incoming UBC family medicine resident Dr. Emily Hawse, matching to the Prince George training site was a dream come true.
“I’m from Prince George and had such a great experience in UBC’s Northern Medical Program that applying to stay here for residency was an easy decision,” says Dr. Hawse. “UBC’s family medicine residency program has a lot of rural training opportunities which is important for me as I hope to become a family doctor in Northern B.C. once I’m finished.”
Emily Hawse
Next year, UBC will welcome even more family medicine resident doctors into B.C. communities.
The Government of BC is funding further expansion of UBC’s family medicine residency program with 30 new additional positions phased in over the next two years across the province starting in July 2023.
“By further expanding the program, we’re training more family doctors to meet the needs of diverse families and communities across the province,” says Dr. Wong. “This means more opportunities for resident doctors to learn, train and stay on to practice in B.C.”
The UBC family medicine residency program is delivered in partnership with the Government of B.C., all health authorities, universities and local communities across the province where resident doctors gain direct experience working in community-based family practice settings, hospitals and a variety of primary care settings where family doctors make important and significant contributions.