The second group of graduates from the Northern Medical Program (NMP) will celebrate their graduation this weekend during an event in the Bentley Centre at UNBC. Among the group of 24 grads will be Jana Patenaude, who grew up in Prince George.

Patenaude, who attended Kelly Road Secondary and is a UNBC graduate, says she is heading to Saskatoon to begin her residency in Family Practice medicine and intends to work in a rural community when she is done.

"It was great to be able to go to medical school at home with such a small group of students, great faculty, and a welcoming and supportive medical community," says Patenaude. “My plan is to work in smaller towns after my residency. I’m not a big city girl!”

The NMP was recently given an award from the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada for producing rural doctors at the highest rate in the society’s 16 year history. Last year, about 70% of the NMP's first graduating class pursued residencies in family practice, with more than half selecting a rural location. This year, 13 of the 24 graduates have selected residencies in specialties other than Family Practice. These residencies, in such disciplines as urology, radiology, and orthopedics, while of great need in rural areas, are only offered in larger cities. Currently in Prince George there are two options available: Family Practice and Psychiatry.

“That doesn’t mean they won’t end up in a smaller community,” says Patenaude. “Just because life leads you to the big city to complete your residency, it doesn’t mean you don’t intend to return to a smaller community when you are ready to practice.”

Another of this year’s graduates, Amy Johnson of Houston, BC will be starting her Family Practice Residency at Prince George Regional Hospital this fall.

“The quality of the teaching and the experiences I had during my time at PGRH and in the community was superb. The residency program is strong and consistently graduates well-trained family physicians that practice a wide variety of medicine,” says Johnson, also a UNBC grad. “I am looking forward to working in a medical community where so many of my mentors are and hope to be involved with the NMP once I am practicing. Being able to stay in a great place like Prince George where I already have a great support system is the icing on the cake."

The NMP is part of the UBC Faculty of Medicine and delivered in collaboration with UNBC. By training doctors in northern BC and giving them exposure to the communities and citizens of northern BC, it's expected that it will help to produce more doctors who are interested in staying and working in the North after graduation. Dozens of communities and corporations across the North have invested in the program and donated $6 million to support students through the Northern Medical Programs Trust.

The celebration takes place Saturday May 9, at 2PM in the Bentley Centre at UNBC.