Number of Residents: 4 CMG
Location: Vernon, BC
Community: 40,000
Hospital: Vernon Jubilee Hospital
Distance from Vancouver: 446 KM
Curriculum Type: Integrated longitudinal and block curricula
R1 Elective Time: 4 weeks electives
R2 Elective Time: 12 weeks electives

Interview with Aly, Amelia, Emma and Naomi (current physicians doing residency here):

What made you choose North Okanagan? 

Emma: I’m from Vernon and I love it here! I enjoy all the hiking opportunities, skiing in the winter, and swimming in the lakes. Vernon is the perfect midsize town with a thriving art scene, but it has a small-town welcoming vibe. It is near enough to a bigger airport and city (Kelowna) while still not feeling too urbanized. 

  

Amelia: I’m from the East Coast but I love BC and knew I wanted to come here for my residency. I was looking for a residency program that was more learning than service based, had community and rural opportunities, and had strong longitudinal components to the curriculum. North Okanagan checked all those boxes. Vernon is also a great spot for skiing, biking, and paddling, which happen to be some of my favourite activities.  For all those reasons it was a pretty good fit for me. I was also able to work with a community organization here that helped me find affordable housing, which made the move to Vernon much easier. 

  

Aly: The North Okanagan site was an appealing residency choice for many reasons. First, its small size means ample hands-on opportunities. With only a small number of ICC students and 4 residents per year, there is little competition for learning opportunities, including procedures. If you make your interests known, preceptors will arrange for you to be involved as opportunities arise. Secondly, a small resident cohort means we are known in the community. We have the chance to build strong relationships with our preceptors and mentors and therefore create a sense of belonging within the medical community. Lastly, the surrounding natural beauty of the North Okanagan drew me in. With Okanagan Lake and Kalamalka Lake just minutes away and more trails in the surrounding area than you can count, there is always somewhere beautiful to explore. 

What do you enjoy most about the North Okanagan site? 

Emma: I’ve loved how welcoming everyone has been. Every preceptor I have had has been keen to teach. I like that we rotate through different specialties from week to week instead of a block system. I like the fact that everything we need is in town so there’s minimal moving during residency. Being able to pick my own call schedule as well has been wonderful. Having local selective weeks where we can tailor our learning to our interests is awesome. 

  

Amelia: It’s still early but my favourite part of our site so far has been the people. My coresidents are all excellent and we’re so fortunate to have a supportive program director (no, really!) and a fabulously helpful site admin! We also have wonderful preceptors in our community sites and in the hospital. There are other great things that I could go on about at this site (nice hospital, good location, longitudinal curriculum) but honestly, it’s the people that make it what it is. 

  

What learning opportunities are available at the North Okanagan site? 

  

Amelia: There is really no shortage of learning opportunities here. One unique thing we do is our primary care call which runs throughout the 2 years. When on primary care call, we can pick from various call shifts including hospitalist, general surgery, obstetrics, emergency, and community shifts like urgent primary care or options for sexual health. These shifts give us the opportunity to see different things from week to week and we can select shifts to align with our learning goals. For example, I am currently looking for some procedural experience to supplement my family med weeks so I’ve been scheduling my call shifts for things like emergency, urgent care and the sexual health clinic so I can get some procedure time. Another cool thing that we just started is a procedures group where preceptors can message us if they’re doing a procedure we might want to jump in on. 

  

What was it like working with members of the medical community? 

  

Aly: The medical community in the North Okanagan has been overwhelmingly welcoming. There is genuine excitement to have residents at this new site and preceptors have been keen and kind in their teaching. Because we are a small cohort, preceptors have been able to tailor their teaching to our learning goals and as a new site, there is flexibility to pursue our individual interests. 

Emma: So far, every experience I’ve had working with members of the medical community has been amazing. Everyone’s been incredibly welcoming and keen to teach. We’ve been invited to so many events. 

  

Amelia: It’s been great, we have some excellent staff who are keen to teach. The vibe in the hospital is pretty friendly and even early into residency I’ve already met and worked with a lot of the staff due to our short rotations and options for call shifts. 

  

What sort of recreational and cultural activities are available locally? 

Naomi: Vernon was awarded the title of “Trails Capital of BC” in 2022. If you enjoy doing outdoor recreational activities, Vernon has lots to offer. There is extensive hiking, running and cycling trails just outside of the city, including Kalamalka Lake Park with a great view of the lake and the city and the rail trail that connects Vernon and Lake country. There are multiple lakes for paddle boarding, kayaking, and other boating sports. There are several climbing areas around town including Cougar Canyon, Ellison and Aberdeen. Silver Star Mountain Resort is located 20 minutes from town for downhill skiing in the winter and mountain biking in the summer. Sovereign Lake Nordic Club and Silver Star Mountain Resort provide 105km of daily groomed cross-country ski trails in the winter, making it the largest continuously groomed network in Canada. There are 5 golf courses in the Vernon area that offer stunning views of the lakes and beautiful greens. 

  

There is a surprising number of arts and culture in Vernon despite its smaller size. First of all, Vernon is well known for its farmers’ market that happens every Monday and Thursday. From one of the top performing arts centres in the region, to small historic town theatres, to immersive outdoor performance-theatre under the stars, to a good-old drive-in movie theatre, Vernon’s performing arts scene truly has something for everyone. As part of the residency orientation, we were given a tour of the city and of the local Indigenous Garden at the Okanagan community college. 

  

Emma: There’s a great ski hill, Silver Star, and one of the biggest cross country skiing centres, Sovereign Lake, that are only a 20-minute drive up the hill from town. Vernon is nestled in between three lakes which each have different opportunities for swimming or sports. There are local sports, teams, and clubs for hiking, rowing etc. There are a number of different opportunities to attend arts events at different galleries. There are numerous local concerts and plays put on by different productions. The local farmer’s markets are great. 

  

Is there a lot of competition with other learners? 

                       

Amelia: Not at all. Quite often you’ll be the only learner on a service and have plenty of learning opportunities available. We are the only residency program based in Vernon so if you do come across other residents it’s mostly those here on electives. We do have four medical students based here who we work with on occasion and get to try our hand at doing some teaching with. 

  

What are some current challenges of the North Okanagan site? 

  

Amelia: We are a new site so naturally there are some growing pains. With every new rotation there is the potential for some logistical challenges to pop up, but as things have come up the staff, residents and administration have all been quite flexible and open to feedback – which I think is really reassuring. By next July I’m sure we’ll be running like a well-oiled machine, but we anticipate that with our new residents joining there will be some more bumps along the way. If you’re open to new experiences and can be a bit flexible, then I’m certain we can navigate the challenges together. 

  

Naomi: The North Okanagan program is quite new, with the inaugural class having started in the summer of 2024. With a new program, inevitably comes a few bumps in the road and navigating new hurdles. However, it is clear from the first few months of the program, that any challenges or questions are met with an open-minded response from our administrative team and it’s clear they are here to support us and our learning. 

  

The other big challenge is that the North Okanagan is a smaller centre. With that, there are some services and specialists that are not located here in Vernon. For example, all neurosurgery, PCI and thoracic surgery, etc. are located in Kelowna. Additionally, community support may be more limited than that in larger centres. Personally, this is the size of centre I am hoping to practice in, so I was looking for this in a residency program. 

  

What do you think is the biggest strength of the North Okanagan site? 

Amelia: I think the biggest strength of our site is the medical community here in Vernon. Our hospital is a busy community site with a ton of family doctors working in-house, from the ER to OB to the hospital floors and everywhere in between. For myself, I very much want to be a generalist and get exposure to many different aspects of family medicine in residency, and Vernon is a great place to do that. We also have great family doctors working in the community, and there are so many great role models to learn from. I think there are many other strengths of our program which you can read about on this website, but what has surprised me in coming here is just how great the medical community and the family doctors here are.  

What types of residents are best suited for the North Okanagan site? 

  

Naomi: I would say that residents well-suited for the North Okanagan site should be self-motivated and organized. As we organize our own call schedules, this requires quite a bit of prior planning and administration.  In addition, residents that will thrive in this location will have an appreciation for outdoor activities so they will be able to enjoy what Vernon, and the surrounding area has to offer in their downtime and connect with their co-residents and staff. Most importantly, an eagerness to learn and willingness to seek out learning opportunities from the knowledgeable staff are important attributes of residents that will do well in the North Okanagan program. 

Amelia: If you’re interested in family medicine at a busy community site, you are open to new experiences, and you are a self-motivated and independent learner then this is the site for you. As Naomi said, strong organizational skills will make your life and schedule management easier, so they are a definite plus if you’re considering our site.  

 

Our Goals

Promoting Health Care Equity in our community

Opportunities to learn and practice Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility, Anti-racism, and the principles of equity/diversity/inclusion are a priority at the North Okanagan Family Practice Residency Site. As a new site, we have decided that these values are paramount and we are creating a training site that models the value of safety, including trauma informed practice, for all of our patients, co-workers, and learners. Our preceptors are trained and dedicated to showing our learners the wonderful meaning and importance of serving our most vulnerable populations.

The Sylix People have invited us to work at the Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) Clinic on their Land. The community is rich in Indigenous values, knowledge, and ways of being. Health care providers will need to be aware of the history and traumas that have impacted the health and well being of Indigenous Peoples to provide a safe place and space for Indigenous Peoples to share their stories. There will be opportunities to visit with our Aboriginal Patient Navigator in hospital and home visits to address barriers that continue to result in unsafe health care services and supports.

Our site promotes team-based care to connect our patients with the health care resources they need. Residents will work together with amazing teammates not just at OKIB, but also at Downtown Mental Health, the Urgent Primary Care Clinic, the Youth Hub, and Options for Sexual Health. We are training team players that foster collaboration and respect, integrating these principles into daily practice so they become trusted advocates for the unique care needs of their patients.

Making meaningful connections

We aim to make our residents feel a sense of connectedness; not just to their patients but also to each other, their preceptors, and to the community. Any residency program is a new adventure for our learners and you won’t have to do this alone. You will be a valued member of this medical community and your interests, challenges, and learning goals will be well supported. We will also promote resident wellness during this journey to further foster meaningful connections.

A Dynamic Site

We strive to have a resident objective driven site. This new site will continue to grow together with our learners as partners. Our faculty members are open to resident input and your voice matters. By meeting the needs of our learners, we will create strong family doctors of tomorrow.

Seeing Family Medicine through Multiple Lenses

We want all of our learners to feel confident and well equipped to work in many areas of family medicine by the end of residency. We will balance that training in health care facilities and in community. Residents will match with two primary preceptors with similar interests to mentor and provide patient panels to follow for both years. We will transition you into residency with additional orientation support. We will empower you to be an independent practitioner as you transition out of residency. Many of our family doctors are keen to teach and each practice is unique, so additional staff are available to augment your learning needs. Residents will work alongside longitudinal family physicians, focused practice family physicians, and locum family physicians to experience a range of career opportunities in family medicine.

Education

Our UBC Academic Space is in the newer Polson Tower of the Vernon Jubilee Hospital. There are two lecture rooms equipped with video conferencing, SIM lab, multiple call rooms, shower, resident lounge, and supportive staff nearby. There is also a library on site kept up to date with all the learning materials you need. As we work together with undergrad medical students, you will have opportunities to teach.

Curriculum Overview

Residents will spend one academic half day per week together, learning the CCFP Key Priority Topics through case-based teaching, SIM sessions, procedural skill stations, and facilitated group discussions. Regular exam preparation will be prioritized.

All residents will participate in the required Scholarship Curriculum.

R1 will start out with an Intro to Family Med to elevate comfort with your new life as a family medicine resident. Residents will then move on to 1-2 week rotations throughout the year, with opportunities for additional learning via flexible call shifts and electives.

R2 will continue with rotational experiences with flexible call. There will be more time for electives as well as exploring other family practices as you transition into an independent practitioner.

There will be numerous longitudinal experiences through both years. Residents will spend at least one-half day every week with one of their primary preceptors. There will also be attached patient panels for LTC, obstetrics, and palliative care to promote continuity of care.