14 Internationally-trained doctors are fanning out across rural British Columbia, including one in Quesnel, as part of a new pilot program.
It’s called the Practice Ready Assessment Program and how it works is physicians who are already trained to get licensed in BC get sort of fast-tracked through the system with 3 months of training in a rural community.
Dr. Dick Raymond, the Medical Director for Northern Health in Quesnel says the next step is then to place that physician in another community.
Dr. Raymond says they then have to commit to at least 3 years.
He says, in this case, Quesnel’s doctor may stay a lot longer…
“This is a man who’s well known to the physician community there…In fact, they were trying to get him to Quesnel even before this program became available.”
“So he’s coming to a very welcoming community not only from the point of the community looking for physicians to come there but also the point of view from the physicians who know this man and are going to be able to work with him very well.”
Dr. Raymond says a second group will be trained beginning in September and he says Quesnel will also get one of those doctors.
(Files from George Henderson)