|
|
|
First MD class set to graduate |
|
|
Written by BERNICE TRICK
Citizen staff
|
|
Thursday, 08 May 2008 |
History will be made in Prince George on Saturday with an event marking the graduation of the first class of doctors from the Northern Medical Program.
A total of 23 new doctors, the pioneer class of a groundbreaking innovation in medical education, will all be on site to celebrate their own success and that of the program delivered by the UBC Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with UNBC.
Dr. David Snadden, who heads the NMP, said this is a huge milestone for northern B.C.
"When I look back at the four years and the 2000 community health rally that started it all, I can't believe the speed at which it has evolved. We're very excited to see this day come. All those who entered the 2004 program will graduate in time," said Snadden.
The students will officially graduate with their caps and gowns on May 21 at UBC in Vancouver where 200 medical students will receive degrees rather than the annual 128, Snadden said.
Next year the number will be about the same as this year, but in 2010 the number will increase to 256, doubling the annual number of B.C. graduates.
"The expansion of the UBC Faculty of Medicine was necessary for the province, and the creation of the NMP was a courageous response to a critical need for physicians in northern and rural communities," Snadden said.
"The graduation of our first students is testimony to the vision and perseverance of northerners, the vision and commitment of government, and the support of all our partners in delivering a world-class medical education."
-- All of northern B.C. is invited to attend the celebration event offering a pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. in the parking lot at Prince George Regional Hospital where the students have spent the past two years of their training. It's a thank you prescription written by the doctor students themselves to staff, NMP volunteers and local residents who welcomed the students with open arms.
-- An outdoor ceremony at 1:30 p.m. at the Agora courtyard at UNBC will recognize each graduate and their family.
The students will soon move on to their next training stint with 16 entering two-year family practice residency programs across Canada, including 13 that have chosen rural or northern programs. Six will enter PGRH family practice residency training, and one got into the new family practice residency program in Fort St. John, where the four available spaces are filled. Next year four more residency training spaces will open in Terrace.
The rest of the graduates are moving into specialty areas of psychiatry, general surgery, orthopedics, internal medicine and pathology.
"We are very pleased at how well this class has done. They are as competent and as competitive as you'll find across Canada," Snadden said.
The opening of the NMP and the Dr. Donald Rix Northern Health Sciences Centre at UNBC coincided with UNBC's 10th anniversary in 2004. The program was part of an expanded UBC Faculty of Medicine that also included the Island Medical Program at University of Victoria and an increased annual intake of students at UBC in Vancouver.
The NMP was the first of its kind in Canada and is recognized for its use of state-of-the-art telecommunications to allow delivery of undergraduate medical curriculum in northern and rural settings. Lectures and labs are held at the same time in Prince George, Victoria and Vancouver using a network able to accommodate data transfer equivalent to downloading 6,000 songs over the Internet in one second. Students also learn core curriculum in small group sessions and clinical settings in hospitals and health clinics throughout the North.
 |
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 08 May 2008 )
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
