Rural Immersion Site: Smithers

Smithers

The Town

The majestic mountains will captivate you and bring hours of adventure hiking, skiing, sledding or just gazing. Smithers is located is Northwest BC approximately halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert.  Smithers is a town of 5000 people with a catchment of 18000.  The surrounding communities of Houston and Hazelton use Smithers as an economic and health centre.

The Bulkley Valley is the traditional territory of the Witsuwit’en, who have lived here for countless generations. Their rich culture is seen and heard throughout the valley, the land that they have known and loved longer than memory can recount.

Visit their website at tourismsmithers.com.

The Clinical Experience

Residents will become part of clinic and hospital team, working alongside each clinician, being responsible for patients at a level commensurate with the resident’s experience.  The team will work to foster graduated independence and the skills needed to successfully move into rural practice at the end of residency.

Smithers offers a broad range of clinical services: family practice, obstetrics, ER, OR (multiple visiting specialists), palliative care and home visits. There are multiple family practice offices each offering different experiences in the feild of family practice such as ER work, maternity-prenatal, intrapartum and operative, GP surgery, GP anaesthesia, GP oncology, OAT clinic, MSK u/s consults, and quality improvement.

Smithers has a 20 bed hospital with inpatient, OR, ER, maternity, lab, radiology (xray, mammography, u/s, CT), regional cancer centre and site pharmacist.

You will be working with 14 family practitioners, three GP anaesthetists, two GP oncologists and three nurse practitioners.

The Community

Smithers has plenty to offer anybody seeking outdoor adventure, arts or special interest groups.   Smithers hosts an annual musical festival. If sports are your thing, there are several adult sports teams to join including hockey, volleyball, basketball and curling.

You can find a medical staff involved in one or more of all activities offered in town.  They love showing others the amenities and the best places to hike, cycle, or ski.  We will glad you show you around.

There is a strong Indigenous Community in Smithers. Both Babine Lake and Witset come to Smithers for their healthcare needs. 

We look forward to learners in our community.   The Smithers community is very welcoming and there are many things to do for a rural community.

Contact

Ask me anything, anytime: Dr. Marlowe Haskins marlowe.haskins@ubc.ca.