All of it with the goal of attracting medical professionals to the community on a more permanent basis.
The program known as the PRISM Clinic makes use of medical students from the UBC Masters of Physical Therapy, UBC Masters of Occupational Sciences and Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation Assistant programs. A full time physiotherapist clinical instructor supervises the students as they provide the variety of rehabilitation services to patients.
The program is the first of its kind held outside of the Lower Mainland and is based on a model that was introduced to New Westminster's Royal Columbian Hospital in 2008.
“A goal of the program is to help increase recruitment and retention of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and rehabilitation aids to rural and remote locations ... 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.” Health Minister Terry Lake, speaking to the focus of a medical program for the North Coast
The student led clinic had its first exposure to the North Coast from November to December of 2013, the next group of students took up their duties yesterday and will continue on with their work until February 7th.
Funding for the program was provided through Northern Health, the Northern and Rural Cohort of the UBC Department of Physical Therapy in partnership with UNBC.
The North Coast project may just be the start of similar partnerships for the future, with plans in the works to expand the process to include students from nursing, social work and other medial professions.
You can find more background on the program from this media release from Northern Health, as well as this item from the UBC Faculty of Medicine.
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