Remote communities have unique medical challenges that larger communities and cities might not have to consider.

It has been an exciting year for UBC Northern Medical Program graduate Dr. Gurkirat Kaur Kandola. After finishing medical school last spring, she then entered UBC’s Paediatric Residency Program – Community Impact (CI) stream in July – a unique training experience that offers northern and rural learning as part of its core goals.

Launched in 2019, Kandola is one of the first residents to enter the CI stream which provides training in Prince George at the University Hospital of Northern B.C., in addition to ongoing training at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. It also offers a variety of opportunities to learn about the practice of paediatric medicine in northern B.C. and to learn about the challenges faced by rural paediatric care providers.

“I am incredibly honoured and proud to be a resident in this unique stream,” says Kandola. “I have always called Prince George home and to be able to continue part of my residency training in the north is a dream come true.”

"The Community Impact Stream offers many opportunities to gain experience in the care of vulnerable populations in Prince George and in smaller communities,” says Dr. Lara Malks-Jjumba, Co-Site Lead for the UBC Paediatrics Community Impact Program. “The CI resident is able to join paediatric outreach clinics throughout the north and to participate in primary care community outreach clinics in more remote areas, including Indigenous communities.”

After spending the summer at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, Kandola returned to Prince George in the fall, and has since completed rural outreach rotations in Terrace and the First Nations community of Takla.

“It’s humbling to visit smaller communities and see how much work many of the rural teams are carrying as they strive to deliver the best care possible, especially during this pandemic,” she says.

 Kandola speaks with CICK News and you can listen to that interview below: