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. Robert D Sebastian, MD, CCFP Site Director
About
Contact:
Dr. Robert D Sebastian
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 Rural Program! In my humble (and unimportant, probably biased) opinion, the best program in the country. 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 (twice!!). 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