With the new Northern Medical Program now underway, health care providers and educators are continuing to focus on meeting the needs of northern communities for various health care occupations. UNBC is joining with Northern Health, the College of New Caledonia, Northern Lights College, and Northwest Community College  to identify northern BC’s priority education and training needs in health care professions and develop a plan for resolving shortages.

The one-year study is being funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and will include public meetings and surveys, statistics on demand and usage of various health care services, and changes in wait lists and wait times. It is expected that meetings and interviews will be conducted in the Cariboo, Northwest, Peace River-Liard, the Bulkley Valley, Prince George, and the Robson Valley. Parents, the elderly, health care practitioners, and aboriginal citizens will be among the groups consulted.

"The new medical program here is a good example of how UNBC, UBC, and Northern Health have worked together to design and implement a program clearly focused on educating physicians who have the skills and attitude to work in northern and rural communities," says Jim Randall, Dean of Arts, Social, and Health Sciences at UNBC. “But we shouldn’t need to organize rallies around the region to articulate our health service needs. This study will provide advice on training needs and identify partnerships that help to resolve them."

"Northern Health and our educational institutions clearly share a vision of the north becoming a centre of excellence in rural and remote health care," said Harry Gairns, NH Board Chair. "This study will set the foundation for enhanced training opportunities for health professional in our region, bringing us closer to achieving that goal."

Although the colleges and the University offer a number of diploma and degree programs in a variety of health service professions, shortages continue to be communicated by northern residents. These include physiotherapists, nurses, speech pathologists, lab specialists, and radiation technologists. The new study will identify the regional priorities for health education. The research is beginning this month.