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Kelowna emergency medicine program graduates first residents

Transformative Learning | Strategy 15: Student Experience
Theme: Innovation
Dr. Jared Baylis and Dr. Daniel Ting at the start of their five-year emergency medicine residencies in 2014. Both recently became the first graduates of the Kelowna Emergency Medicine Residency Program

Earlier this year, the Kelowna Emergency Medicine Residency Program proudly graduated its first two residents.

The unique program, which was launched in 2014, is the only Royal College training program for emergency medicine residents in the B.C. Interior. According to Dr. Kevin Clark, program director and a clinical associate professor in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, the learning environment in the B.C. Interior not only fosters a strong sense of belonging for residents, but also provides them with an unparalleled opportunity to train in a large medical centre.

“The clinical experience is second to none. Residents get a lot of close attention because we only have 10 of them,” Dr. Clark said. “The emergency physicians have a keen interest in the program succeeding and are very engaged. They treat the residents as part of our greater emergency family and really take ownership of their learning. It is an ideal learning culture and environment.”

The program represents UBC’s efforts to strengthen undergraduate and graduate student communities and experiences across the university, as outlined in Strategy 15: Student Experience of UBC’s strategic plan.

Learn more about the Kelowna Emergency Medicine Residency Program and why its first two graduates say participating in the program was “a privilege of a lifetime.”

“By training medical residents in the interior of B.C., they are more likely to stay on and practice in the community.”

Dr. Kevin Clark, program director