l-r Dr. Jayne Garland, Head of the Physical Therapy Program at UBC; Cathy Ulrich, CEO of Northern Health; Shirley Bond, MLA for Prince George-Valemount; Northern and Rural Physiotherapy Cohort student Regan Daoust of Prince George; UNBC President George Iwama; Pat Bell, MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie; and David Snadden, Executive Associate Dean of Education for UBC’s Faculty of Medicine.  

Prince George, B.C.- The phrase  has long been,  "train them in the north and they will stay in the north".  That is  the foundation for the  development of the Northern Medical Program, and now, there has been a major step taken to ensure  physiotherapists will also  be trained in the north.

The new physiotherapy teaching lab at UNBC  will be the hub  for students in the Northern and Rural Cohort (NRC) of UBC’s Master of Physical Therapy Progam.  A state of the art facility is equipped with four large video monitors, video cameras and a full complement of physiotherapy teaching equipment, including nine plinths (assessment and treatment tables).  It will be linked to UBC’s Faculty of Medicine.

(at right, student Regan Daoust  helps  patient  improve mobility in her right elbow – photo 250NEWS)

The first 15 NRC students were admitted this September and are currently pursuing coursework at UBC. Their first northern/rural clinical placements will start in April.

The following placement sites are already confirmed: Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Prince George, Quesnel, Terrace, and Prince Rupert.