Kelowna Rural
Site Information
Number of Residents: 6 CMG, 3 IMG
Location: Kelowna, BC
Community: 142,000
Hospital: Kelowna General
Distance from Vancouver: 391 km
Curriculum Type: Block / Integrated
R2 Elective Time: 16 Weeks
Site Director Message
Thank you for your interest in the Kelowna Rural Family Practice Program.
In this carefully designed program, residents spend their first year based in the Okanagan. The majority of rotations occur at Kelowna General Hospital. Some rotations, such as first-year family practice, are completed in practicing physicians’ offices in Kelowna or surrounding area. These preceptors, and those in our rural communities, are world class teachers with an incredible wealth of knowledge and skill.
During the second year of training, residents complete two 16 week rotations in rural/remote communities in BC and the Northwest Territories. In these communities, residents work alongside experienced rural preceptors who provide excellent teaching and role modeling of remote and rural practice. 16 weeks of elective time is offered in the second year with 4 of those weeks in an acute care setting. International elective rotations are also encouraged. The second-year finishes with a 4 week ‘Transition to Practice’ rotation.
We will prepare you to practice in non-urban settings while stressing the importance of balancing personal needs with professional commitment.
Time and experience has demonstrated that the best candidates for our program are those who are looking for adventure and exciting medicine in a non-urban full-spectrum family practice community. Candidates usually have an interest in the recreational and outdoor potential of rural communities. Such “rational risk-takers” stand out from the average resident based on their activities, experiences, and attitudes.
The best promoters for the Rural program are the current residents and grads. We would be happy to put you in touch with these colleagues if you wish to communicate with them directly. Otherwise, have a serious look at our website and feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.
Dr. Jade Dittaro, MD, CCFP, DipABLM – Site Director
Dr. Robert D Sebastian, MD, CCFP – Associate Rural Site Director
About
Contact:
Dr. Jade Dittaro
Dr. Robert D Sebastian
250-862-4014
CaRMS Description
Click here to view the site presentation.
Learn more about the City of Kelowna here.
Lead Resident Message
The Kelowna Rural Family Medicine program offers nine positions for incoming residents (6 CMG and 3 IMG). Our rural training program is certainly unique, tailored perfectly for someone who is seeking a career in rural medicine. We provide training in the core aspects of medicine, while allowing residents to enhance skills in their specific areas of interest. Residents will have ample opportunity to develop responsibility and independence, in part because we are based out of sites with few other learners. With this independence, however, our residents never feel that they are unsupported. Our entire faculty, support staff, and preceptors are approachable and available to residents.
The first year of the Kelowna Rural program is completed at Kelowna General Hospital, alongside the five residents in the Kelowna Regional program. The year is block based, and residents will rotate through ICU, pediatrics, internal medicine, hospitalist, general and orthopedic surgery, anesthesia, obstetrics, psychiatry/addictions, and emergency medicine. Residents will also be paired with a family medicine preceptor who they will join for a 1/2 day in clinic each week, as well as for 8 consecutive weeks during the year. Additionally, residents can choose to carry out longitudinal electives with family medicine preceptors or specialists in other areas of interest (e.g. emergency medicine, obstetrics) during their first year. There are ample opportunities to tailor the program and it is largely self-directed in terms of learning, allowing you to reach your own learning goals for your future career.
The second year is divided into 3 x 16-week blocks. One block of these 4-month blocks is dedicated to elective time, with the only requirement being that 4-weeks is carried out in emergency or trauma medicine. The rest of the time is for the resident’s choosing, and they can complete electives locally or choose to travel across Canada or abroad! The other two blocks see the resident placed in two rural training sites (16 weeks each). These sites are distributed throughout British Columbia, as well as in Inuvik NWT. The sites are hand selected by our Rural Site Director to ensure they offer the highest quality of well-rounded rural training. This is really where the resident will have the opportunity to hone their independence both in office-based practice as well as in acute care, including emergency medicine. Of course, residents can expect to experience the added challenges that are unique to rural and remote medicine, which will provide them with strong problem-solving skills wherever their future careers take them.
Typically, the Kelowna Rural residents are keen and ready for a bit of adventure. The first year provides an opportunity to get to know your fellow residents and faculty. Residents are generally able to enjoy extracurricular activities together in their spare time, including skiing, biking, wakeboarding, kite boarding, running, paddling, and more. Each year strong friendships are formed within the resident group, which continue into practice. When in rural communities during the second year, we network with each other remotely via monthly video conferences and tuning in to academic 1/2 day. We also have our annual retreat at Big White ski resort, near Kelowna, which offers an excellent opportunity for R1s and R2s to socialize. The Kelowna Rural program demands residents who can entertain themselves while in their second-year rural rotation communities, as the isolation can prove to be challenging.
To support the rural residents learning, the following courses are subsidized within our program: Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Advances in Labour and Risk Management (ALARM), and Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP). In addition, our residents are required to take the Essential Surgical Skills Course (ESSC). The Comprehensive Approaches to Rural Emergencies (CARE) course is optional. Residents will have 10 conference days over the two years which may also be used for conferences or additional coursework.
From air-evacuating medical emergencies above the Arctic Circle to perfecting fishhook removal techniques in Haida Gwaii, the adventures are plentiful, and we’d love the opportunity to welcome you to the rural family!
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, and I look forward to meeting you all!
Dr. Kyle Exner