More students will have the opportunity to train in the Fraser region for in-demand careers as physical therapists, occupational therapists and midwives thanks to a new UBC faculty of medicine education facility in Surrey.
On Friday September 6, UBC and the Government of British Columbia held a celebration to welcome health profession students in the Fraser to the academic year and celebrate the new facility, located on the second floor of the City Centre 1 building in Surrey, adjacent to Surrey Memorial Hospital.
“We’re thrilled to have UBC’s physical therapy, occupational therapy and midwifery students in the Fraser region together under one roof for the first time,” said Dr. Roger Wong, vice-dean, education, UBC faculty of medicine. “By creating more opportunities for students to learn closer to home in a collaborative environment, we’re building a future health-care workforce that will improve community access and care for people living in the Fraser.”
As of this month, 88 students are based in the new facility, with annual intakes of 20 master of physical therapy students, 16 master of occupational therapy students and eight midwifery students to serve fast-growing communities in the region.
“Our province is focused on training more people for good-paying, in-demand health-care jobs in their communities,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. “By supporting UBC’s new training space in Surrey, we’re delivering more physical therapists, occupational therapists and midwives to care for people in our province today and for years to come.”
The recently renovated space provides a collaborative learning and teaching environment for students, faculty and clinical teachers across the three health profession programs.
Karn Athwal, a second-year UBC occupational therapy student in the Fraser cohort, spoke about how the fully distributed programs and new facility are empowering students like him to train and serve the region.
“It’s been an incredible privilege to be part of UBC’s first occupational therapy program in the Fraser, learning in a newly designed, modern facility alongside our health-care peers in physical therapy and midwifery,” said Athwal. “The new facility and program are empowering us with the expertise, skills and confidence to drive transformative change in health care, but also creating new opportunities for students to grow within their communities, making a lasting impact.”
The new facility is equipped with state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories, seminar rooms and student common areas, as well as multi-purpose spaces for assessment, treatment and health promotion within the community.
“Our government is taking significant action to create more training spaces for allied health professionals to meet the growing demand for high-quality health-care services in B.C.,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “By investing in this new modern training facility in Surrey, we can attract more young people and health-care workers to choose a rewarding career in the health sector that they want while ensuring their future patients receive the care they need.”
The B.C. Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills provided $24.9 million in capital costs for the new facility. This is in addition to more than $4 million in startup funding between the three programs, provided in partnership with the Ministry of Health, and ongoing targeted operating funding.
“We know that Surrey and the Fraser Valley are growing quickly,” said Rachna Singh, MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers, and Minister of Education and Child Care. “That’s why our province is investing in more health-care training opportunities for people in the region, helping them train for their careers close to home.”
A version of this story was originally published on the BC Government website.