Kelowna Regional
Site Information
Number of Residents: 4 CMG, 1 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
Thanks for your interest in the Kelowna Regional site!
Established in 2020, Kelowna Regional is a “newer site” built on a long tradition (30 years!) of excellence in training family physicians.
With two sites in Kelowna, we still view everyone together in one big program with one key difference being the regional group gets to take advantage of more time in the Okanagan. Although the hospital is a tertiary care center, and the city large enough to provide much variety in training experiences, there is still this small-town collegiality – all in a stunning locale. Both cohorts spend first year sharing academic time and rotating through a block-based curriculum with regional having an extra block of family medicine instead of in the ICU. The block-style is an ever-changing and exciting, although at times demanding, way of consolidating skills in a variety of core specialties.
Second year is divided fairly evenly in 4-month blocks between electives, rural family medicine, and Kelowna family practice offices with time in areas of special interest called “selectives.” It is the best of all worlds! There is much autonomy to seek a clinic and type of practice that best meets ones learning needs. The goal is for residents to wake up happy to go to work!
Kelowna is a “green” site that passionately emphasizes the importance of planetary health and educating residents on how climate change relates to family practice, patient medical conditions, and our personal and professional choices. We are also thrilled to incorporate education and clinical application of evidence-based lifestyle medicine – a practical, and ever necessary area of medicine. Lastly, our goal is to foster a safe, supportive, fun environment where you can work hard, maximize your learning, and reach your potential knowing we have your back.
Please reach out – we at the site, and many alumni, would happily answer questions and talk about this program we are quite proud of!
About
Contact:
Dr. Lizanne Venter
250-862-4014
Click here to view the site presentation
Learn more about the City of Kelowna here.
Lead Resident Message
Welcome to the Kelowna Regional Program! The sibling to the Kelowna Rural Program, it’s easy to forget there are two streams, as we spend our entire R1 year alongside each other and truly feel like one big program. The main difference comes in R2: the regional stream has one 4-month rural block, and the other 4-month block is in Kelowna. This gives you a bit of extra time to enjoy the beautiful Okanagan and more experience in an urban environment, allowing you to really curate your rotation to what your career goals are.
I can go on forever talking about the structure, the flow, what the rotations are like, etc. but you already saw that above. In reality, most programs will prepare you to be a great family physician. The Kelowna program offers much more than that, it prepares you to truly be a jack of all trades but also the importance of work-life balance. I remember reading the phrase “rational risk-taker” when I was applying to the program and now that I’ve gone through part of my training here, I think it most accurately embodies the type of person that would enjoy and most benefit from this program. Are you adaptable? Do you seek new adventures? Are you the one in your friend group that’s always convincing people to try something new that would raise eyebrows? Is type 2 fun your type of fun? If those resonated with you or just gave you a chuckle, then this is the place for you.
Some people (let’s be honest, most people) would find it intimidating and bonkers choosing to go somewhere new, under-resourced, and kind of out of the way for 4 months. But that’s not the kind of person that would choose to end up in this program. I sit here writing this from a local coffee shop in Invermere, a place I didn’t even know existed a short year ago, a place I’ve never been to before. Now, I find myself already integrated with the community and look forward to coming back here one day. Most of us are very outdoorsy and get drawn deeper to these communities for their incredible playground potential. We work hard, but we play harder. That’s the ethos of this program. It’ll prepare you to be an excellent full-scope physician that runs the rural ED one day then runs up a mountain the next.
I hope I’ve conveyed what makes us unique and an exceptionally great place to train. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions at all, about the program and beyond.
Sincerely,
Dr. Chris Rafiaa
