Virtual Classroom for Med Students

By 250 News

Virtual classroom at Prince George Regional Hospital, wall of monitors to carry all kinds of video / audio feed from any of  5 sites in the province.

It is state of the art, it is  unique to Canada, and it is taking place,  in part, in  Prince George.

The system is called the Clinical Academic Campus. linking PGRH with Royal Jubilee Hospital,  Victoria General  Hospital, Royal Columbian Hospital as well as  UNBC, UBC and UVic.  The technology will help  resolve one of the key  issues for  training physicians,  distance.

With a land mass as large as B.C's,  creating  a system  that will allow  access to  experts is not easy.  The Clinical Academic Campus will, through technology, shrink the province so  students at  different facilities can have the same access to  lectures and instruction by  experts.

The system is in "real time" and students can  interact by activating the microphones on the desks.

In addition , the  cameras at each location have a remote link to the microphones so when  a mic is activated, the camera zooms in on that microphone, getting a shot of the person asking the question.

In all, the  province wide project cost  about $140 million dollars.  Gavin Stuart is the  Dean of the UBC Faculty of Medicine, "These Clinical Academic Campuses will  allow medical students and residents to receive an outstanding education  with the enthusiasm of clinician-teachers across the province and make a major  difference  to the health of British Columbians."

The technology  and the program are being eyed by other countries. Health Minister George Abbott says Australia has already expressed  interest in  watching how this new technology will  work.

Although  the concept of "Distributed Learning" is not  new, this is the first time multiple campuses have been linked together.

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