UBC Rural Continuing Professional Development

The University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine’s Division of Rural Continuing Professional Development (Rural CPD) supports rural health care providers to build relationships and engage in learning activities “closer to home,” in their usual context of health care delivery in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.

The goal of Rural CPD is to cultivate strong relationships with, and meet the needs of, partners, project stakeholders, and rural healthcare practitioners. With its shared commitment to improving the health of people and communities in rural British Columbia (BC), Rural CPD operates in partnership with the Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc) to deliver impactful educational opportunities, offering rurally-specific CPD programs that are community-based, interprofessional, interactive, and practical. In addition to multi-modal learning opportunities, Rural CPD conducts a variety of research and evaluation activities related to the provision of medicine in rural BC. Rural CPD is supported and funded by RCCbc through the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues.

“Great to get topics specific to rural practice! There aren't a ton of CME [Continuing Medical Education] resources out there for us. It's also great to hear about colleagues' experience.”

Pediatric DERMES participant

Achievements

Delivered educational programs for hundreds of rural healthcare providers

In 2022-23, Rural CPD’s distributed learning programs offered opportunities for rural practitioners to enhance their clinical skills in a supportive, safe learning environment. Enhanced skills, such as Point-of-Care-Ultrasound (PoCUS), and reliable, timely, point-of-care clinical support, such as through Real-Time Virtual Support, help reduce barriers to care in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. During RTVS Virtual Simulations, the team covered topics such as pediatric head trauma, postpartum hemorrhage, and pneumosepsis.

The program also delivered four Virtual Health Grand Rounds sessions, covering topics such as virtual dermatologic exams, augmented reality as a medical learning tool and virtual ophthalmology exams.

Supported extended learning & coaching opportunities

In 2022-23, the Rural CPD team supported 29 international medical graduates and new to practice physicians through the Personal Learning Plans Program. Additionally, 800+ participants were supported in Coaching and Mentoring Programs, which translates to over 4300 coaching hours.

Additionally, 100 participants were also supported through “Nawh whu’nus’en – We see in two worlds”, Indigenous Patient Led trauma and resilience-informed curriculum for rural and rural-serving providers.

Explore the Numbers

21 Ultrasound Education Days

Hands on Ultrasound Education course days took place in 9 communities, reaching 165 participants in majority RSA A communities.

10 Rural PoCUS Rounds

These Rural Point of Care Ultrasound (PoCUS) Rounds sessions, reached 450 participants.

40 RTVS Virtual Simulations

Topics included pediatric head trauma, postpartum hemorrhage, and pneumosepsis.

543 Rural Rounds Participants

A series of 10 Rural Rounds sessions reached 543 participants.

Making a Difference

Just one-month post course, a participant from the Hands on Ultrasound Education course for Obstetrics reflected on their progress: “I have done a bunch of viability scans – 3 that confirmed viability (especially good for one mama who had 5 losses last year).”

Additional feedback from participants of the Hands on Ultrasound Education (HOUSE) course reinforces the value of the program for rural practitioners:

“Fabulous course! I appreciated the personalized teaching very much.”

HOUSE EM course participant

Those participating in the Rural Rounds, Pediatric DERMES and Coaching and Mentoring Program highlighted the benefits of educational opportunities catered directly towards healthcare providers in rural communities:

“Excellent program. Great for us rural folks to be able to attend remotely. ”

Rural Rounds participant

“The principles apply both to rural and urban care, with great admiration for the ingenuity and vast knowledge of rural practitioners. ”

Rural Rounds participant

“As a physician who lives in a rural and remote region and works as a locum, I have benefitted from the Coaching and Mentoring Program (CAMP) quite significantly over the last year […] As part of my exposure throughout this process, I have been working with an anesthesia coach to improve my airway skills and learn new skills, especially for the very young. In rural settings, I do not get to do those often and therefore I do not feel as competent. I do feel slightly more so after CAMP. Additionally, CAMP offered me networking for people interested in dealing with minority rights in the health care system. ”

Coaching and Mentoring Program Participant

Plans for the Future

UBC Rural CPD is committed to supporting the learning needs of physicians and other health care providers who practice in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities in British Columbia. The program demonstrates that through community-based, interprofessional, collaborative, and practical CPD, rural health care providers can be supported to deliver safe and effective health care to rural British Columbians. This is achieved through strong relationships with partners, collaborators, and team members as well as strong pedagogical approaches to education and professional development.

Looking forward, the team will keep investing in relationships with partners, collaborators and rural physician learners. They will continue to bring an equity lens to all that they do to ensure that rural providers who need it the most are supported.