Prince George is also fortunate to have a two-year family practice residency program for medical graduates based at University Hospital of Northern B.C.
Resident physicians are those who have earned their medical degrees, but must work two years as resident physicians before they can go into their own practices or work in facilities or other medical fields.
Prince George has had a residency program, in conjunction with the UBC medical program, at the local hospital since 1995 - nine years prior to the establishment of the Northern Medical Program (NMP) at UNBC.
It accommodate 11 student doctors who come from across Canada to complete their training in Prince George, and often the resident graduates stay to work in the community and the North.
"Residents here have always played a huge role in providing care to patients," Dr. Melanie MacNichol, a local resident physician said in an earlier interview.
"Now we also have a role in helping teach NMP students as they rotate through the hospital."
Lisa Lakusta, residency program co-ordinator, explained what resident doctors do during the two-year program.
"During their first year they spend eight weeks each in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, working in family practice offices and internal medicine. They spend four weeks each in psychiatry, orthopedics and emergency, six weeks in surgery and two in the Native Health Centre.
"In their second year they spend 16 weeks in family practice, eight weeks in emergency, eight weeks in Hazelton for the rural experience, four weeks each in Intensive Care Unit and geriatrics -palliative care, and they have 12 weeks to choose electives, like sports medicine or work in Third World countries, doing practice that interests them," said Lukusta.
After the NMP was established, it became clear that more resident spaces were needed in the North, so Northern Health established residency programs in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, called the Peace-Liard program that accommodates four residents, and in Terrace which offers spaces for two residents.
Residents, who provide essential services in hospitals across B.C., are often the first in-hospital doctors to care for incoming patients and are the future of medicine and the training of medical students.
The founder of the residency program was Dr. Galt Wilson who relocated to Vancouver in 2009 to work with the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Drs. Lawrence Fredeen and Susan Knoll now oversee the program.
