A new place for learning and collaboration in northern B.C.

A new Learning and Development Centre — designed to meet the needs of students, medical residents and faculty — is taking shape at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. (UHNBC) in Prince George.

Northern Health has issued a tender to build the new centre, in partnership with the UBC Faculty of Medicine and University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). The Province of B.C. is providing $9.86 million in funding for the 1,300-square-metre facility, which will include a library, seminar rooms with a combined capacity of 140, a simulation lab, videoconferencing suites, and collaboration areas.

The 128 undergraduate medical students in UBC’s Northern Medical program spend most of their time in Prince George, at both UNBC and UHNBC. In addition, 30 residents in various specialties are based at the hospital year-round, along with several visiting residents. Students in the Northern and Rural Cohort of the UBC Master of Physical Therapy program also receive clinical training at the hospital.

“Northern B.C. has become a crucial part of UBC’s distributed model of educating and training health professionals,” said Gavin Stuart, Dean of the UBC Faculty of Medicine and UBC’s Vice Provost, Health. “This centre will enrich the vibrant atmosphere of learning and research that has developed at UHNBC, and make it an even more attractive destination for our students, residents and faculty, as well as other health care workers.”

The 1,300-square-metre centre will foster inter-disciplinary learning, clinical research and innovation, and will be built to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards. The centre, scheduled for completion at the end of 2014, will be a valuable resource for students and residents in the Northern Medical Program, visiting residents from other locations, and other health professional students in the region.

“Providing educational and training opportunities in northern B.C. is a priority for our government and the tender is the next step in moving this important project forward,” said Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond. “The investment in the Learning and Development Centre demonstrates our continued commitment to training medical professionals in this region.”

“This project will enable current and future Northern Health physicians and health professionals to learn in a modernized environment that will ultimately improve the quality of care we provide,” said Cathy Ulrich, Northern Health chief executive officer. “The project is the result of Northern Health’s strong partnerships with post-secondary institutions to educate and retain health professionals in the North.”

Through the Faculty of Medicine, the Province has more than doubled the number of first-year undergraduate medical school spaces in B.C., from 128 in 2003 to 288 today, while also expanding residency spaces to keep pace with undergraduate program growth.