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UNBC

Northern Medical Program seeking volunteer patients

Mar 2, 2023 | 4:37 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Future doctors in the UBC Northern Medical Program at UNBC are hoping for some help from the public in the form of volunteer patients.

Students in the UBC Northern Medical Program use volunteer patients for a variety of clinical learning opportunities including neurological, cardiovascular, and more.

“It’s a critical part of our education,” said Dr. Paul Winwood, Associate Vice President, of the Division of Medical Sciences at UNBC and Regional Associate Dean, Northern BC, for the UBC Faculty of Medicine. “They do that before they get let loose on really sick patients in the hospital and the community, it’s a critical first part of our learning.”

The volunteer patient program provides an opportunity for people of all ages, genders, physical conditions, and backgrounds to participate in the education process of the medical students in the Northern Medical Program. Being a VP can be very rewarding and your participation is a vital component to the success of students.

The sessions that require volunteer patients, take place in the University Hospital of Northern BC weekday afternoons, Tuesday through Friday and VPs can spend anywhere from 1 to 3 hours with groups of 4 to 8 medical students.

The community has long supported the program, looking back Northern BC residents can look to themselves as the main reason why it exists today. It was created after 7,000 residents of Prince George packed the CN Centre Arena in June 2000 to protest the lack of access to physicians and health care.

You can find more information on how you can become a volunteer patient here.

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