Residency Program a promising way to find new doctors

KAMLOOPS — With thousands of people in Kamloops without a family doctor, many are putting faith in a Residency program that started in 2014, and continues to provide good results. The idea is that the UBC Family Practice Residency Program takes in doctors in their latter years of studies. They work with local family doctors, see patients in a variety of settings, make use of the new teaching areas in the Clinical Services building at Royal Inland, and get to see what a family doctor has to deal with.

Some new statistics indicate that several doctors who have been through this program have chosen to set up practice in Kamloops. That’s a good sign. And a good start to relieving the family practice crisis. Some doctors won’t stay- that’s okay too. At least they’ll have a good grounding in whatever community they serve.

My family doctor participates in this program. I think it’s great. I feel like I am still getting the overall care he would normally provide, and the residents are certainly ready to ask him if they have questions, particularly about the history of a patient’s treatment. That lack of history is one of the biggest things wrong when you go to a clinic, or have to check in to hospital, where the “hospitalist” takes over your care, with absolutely no idea of your history on which to make a valid diagnosis.

The practice of medicine is changing, and not necessarily for the better. We have new specialists in town who will come to work here, but only if they can practice the way they want to practice. That doesn’t lend itself to what needs to be done to provide the best health care. Some like running the tests, and interpreting the results, but don’t want to do face to face care with patients, unless absolutely necessary. Some don’t want to go the extra mile for their patients. They want to work only certain hours, and don’t want to give up their “personal” time for emergency care. Now some of their concerns are truly valid, but many doctors today have taken up the idea of the “9-5” scenario, and if something happens, they aren’t as willing to jump in. Now I realize that’s a general statement. And certainly I know many doctors who are there no matter what.