Okanagan South
Site Information
Number of Residents: 5 CMG, 1 IMG
Location: Penticton, Summerland and Oliver/Osoyoos, BC
Community: 90,000
Hospital: Penticton Regional Hospital and South Okanagan General Hospital
Curriculum Type: Block, Longitudinal FP
R2 Elective Time: 12 weeks
Site Director Message
Okanagan South/snpintktn UBC Family Practice Residency Program is based in Penticton, and serves a population of 90,000. This expands to 110,000 in summer with vacationers and agricultural workers, Penticton’s two primary industries.
Established in 2016, our site expanded to 6 residents this year. We are small enough that you will be a “first in line” learner. We are a RURAL program, with five months of rural placements. Teaching is by family doctors primarily in their home offices and clinics (eg addictions, maternity, WIC, Foundry). We have close relationships with our specialists, and train in Penticton Regional Hospital and South Okanagan General Hospital. New this year is a Critical Skills lead, coordinating acute and emergency skills, with a new SIM room and POCUS.
Penticton is a great place to live, play, work and raise a family. We support our residents to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Please see our 2-min video of residents having fun at work and at play:
Dr. Robin Masson and Dr. Tarinder Grewal, Interim Co-Site Directors
About
Contact:
murali.venkataraman@ubc.ca
Click here to view the site presentation.
Learn more about the City of Penticton here. Further details on activities are here.
Lead Resident Message
Penticton is a gorgeous city of 33,000 set between Okanagan Lake and Skaha Lake. It is a beautiful setting to relax after a full week of residency training. With over 200+ vineyards in the Okanagan Valley, stellar rock climbing, mountain biking trails, nearby ski hills, and water sports galore, it’s no wonder it is a mecca for athletes and vacationers. This setting has attracted many family practitioners and a wide variety of specialists to the area. Here are some highlights of our program:
A collegial and cohesive group of doctors who are extremely knowledgeable and friendly
From the moment you are accepted into the Okanagan South program, the community opens its doors to you! The group of family doctors and members of the community are welcoming, warm, and enthusiastic about having learners around. The staff is keen to enhance the transition to residency and help you settle in the Okanagan through numerous social and administrative events throughout the year.
Learner opportunities
Our program is growing up fast, we are now approaching 7 years since its inception. There are only family medicine residents on site. This means you are first in line for procedures, deliveries, first surgical assist, and typically have a one-on-one teacher to learner ratio. Furthermore, Penticton is also an education-based and not service-based program. We also have opportunities for addictions learning at our national award-winning Martin Street Outreach Clinic.
Continuity of care
With your entire first year and half of your second year based in Penticton, it is easy to develop relationships with patients and physicians alike. With a minimum of one-half day in your Family Practice clinic each week, you have continuity of care with your patients, can develop meaningful relationships with them, and can adjust management strategies accordingly.
Great opportunities in neighbouring locations
Throughout the curriculum, there are experiences in the small towns of Princeton, Oliver, and Keremeos. There are also opportunities to participate in experiences in more urban settings such as Kelowna and Vernon. Our experiences in these sites have been fantastic with excellent learner opportunities and a range of acuity. The curriculum also includes experience with marginalized populations at the correctional facility in Oliver, as well as the Foundry centre for youth/adolescents, and the Martin Street Outreach Centre in Penticton.
Brand-New Hospital
The brand new hospital was just completed in April 2019 and we can still smell the fresh paint. It is a $312 million dollar upgrade and it is quite incredible. Words won’t do it justice but suffice it to say we are very lucky. Although we are a rural site, our facility has an MRI, CT, MIBI, and 3D Cardiac ECHO. Our brand new UBC space is equipped with 4 call rooms, a resident-only locker room as well as a bathroom, and shower facilities. We’re also lucky to have a comfy resident lounge and a library, with a librarian on-site, for all of your research needs.
See you (virtually) at CaRMS!
From the Lead Residents,
Dr. Vicki Brannan & Dr. Jennifer Borchert