Interview with Melissa Ringer
(previous R2)

What do you enjoy most about the Rural program?
You participate in a lot of procedures and gain experience with acute family medicine in the Rural program. It’s not unusual to be called upon to help with an intubation or a central line. This program is very hands-on and prepares you to be a full-service family physician.

What does your typical day look like?
It’s different for Year 1 residents (R1s) than Year 2 residents (R2s). Right now, I’m on a rural rotation in Grand Forks. In the mornings, I usually work Emergency and then spend my afternoons at the community clinic. My Fridays are call-protected.

Is there a large service component to your residency?
We do some service, but staff and preceptors are very respectful of the fact that residents are here to learn and they protect that. They prioritize our education and allow us to structure our schedules to maximize our learning opportunities.

What kind of learning opportunities do you have?
I interact with a lot of GP specialists and I’m often invited to observe or participate in procedures that would normally be snapped-up by specialist residents. Otherwise, I pretty much decide what interests me and then approach preceptors to set up the learning opportunity. You’re pretty much a self-directed learner at the Rural site.

Does it get fairly competitive with the other residents?
No, not at all. Our R1s are the only residents in Kelowna General Hopsital – there are no specialist residents. So you have first chance to participate with procedures that you wouldn’t see in other Family Practice training programs. For example, I’ve learned how to insert an IUD, which is something that would normally be done by a gyn resident.

There isn’t a resident hierarchy at the rural sites. In fact, you can have two residents on-call at night and both will be invited to participate with the patients. It’s very learning-focused.

It sounds like you’re all pretty friendly.
Our group is definitely close. We regularly go camping and hiking together. We even organized a week-long canoeing vacation as a group! Even though we’re all spread out over the province during our rural rotations, we still travel to visit each other.

How does the community react to having residents coming in every year?
The physicians and staff are very welcoming and supportive of us – it doesn’t take long to feel like you’re part of the community. In fact, our resident and faculty social group participates in the “Adopt-a-Highway” program, as well as the local “Ski to Sea” race. It’s pretty easy to feel accepted here.

Do both years of the Rural residency take place in Kelowna?
Not really. R1s spend the year in Kelowna. R2s are based in Kelowna but participate in two four-month rotations – one in a ‘smaller’ rural community and one in a ‘larger’ rural community – so there is a lot of travel during your second year. The long rotations give you the chance to really experience life and medicine in these rural communities. If you choose electives that takes you out of Kelowna, you could be traveling even more.

Do R2s find the traveling stressful?
It really helps if you’re independent, flexible and open to change. The benefits you received from learning in the smaller communities are really worth all the travel.

How does the program impact those residents with partners and/or families?
About 50 per cent of our residents have partners, and all of them in our group have found work in Kelowna. Residents with families also really appreciate the rural lifestyle for their children, so there hasn’t really been any negative impacts.

Is it hard for residents to be stationed in Kelowna?
Kelowna has everything you could want - wineries, excellent restaurants,  UBC Okanagan, great access to outdoor activities. It’s a city, really.

What do you think is the biggest strength of the Rural program?
You get to see what’s out there and are encouraged to participate in whatever opportunities come your way. You also get to really know your patients and your community. This program allows you to develop an independence and a breadth of practice that you wouldn’t find anywhere else.