Instructor Janice Ross, a cardio technician from Prince George Regional Hospital, leads a seminar for nursing students at the University of Northern B.C. about proper use of an ECG. Jeff Miguez is the patient; students (from left) are Monique Cox, Jessica Korum and Crystal Osterhout.

If you’re thinking of a career as a health professional, you have more education options in British Columbia than ever before as the government opens up new programs and student spaces to produce more graduates and fill health-care needs throughout the province. Here are the most recent developments:

Doctors

This coming September, the University of B.C. will have a record number of first-year spaces available for medical students. All 224 students will begin their training at UBC. However, in January 2006, 24 students will move to Prince George and another 24 to Victoria, where they will continue their education at the University of Northern B.C. and the University of Victoria through the northern and Island medical programs of UBC’s faculty of medicine. The distributed program gives more students a chance to become doctors, and to study closer to their home communities. You can register online at www.admissions.med.ubc.ca – the deadline is October 3, 2005, to be considered for a September 2006 start.

The Ministry of Advanced Education has provided $134 million in funding for three brand-new buildings to house the expanded medical education program. And the Ministry of Health Services has invested $27.6 million to expand academic space in hospitals around B.C., where medical students also receive part of their training. And plans are to increase the number of post-graduate education spaces – known as residencies – every year until 2010, up to 256 spaces, double what there were in 2003.

Nurses

In Terrace, the University of Northern B.C. and Northwest Community College are partnering to offer a bachelor of science in nursing degree, which will also start this fall. The college will offer the first two years of the program, and students will take the final two years from UNBC. The program aims to making nursing degrees accessible to northwestern students closer to home. For information on admissions, pre-requisites and required courses, check out www.unbc.ca/nursing/.

Loan forgiveness for health professionals

Students in health professions who are looking for ways to reduce the cost of their education can do so simply by agreeing to work in underserved communities after they graduate.

The loan forgiveness program – which can eliminate your B.C. student loan in three years – was expanded this winter to include speech language pathologists, audiologists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists who provide support for children in rural and remote areas of the province.

Graduates of accredited schools of nursing (including licensed practical nursing), and medical, midwifery and pharmacy schools have had access to the program since December 2002.

For more information on the program, visit the Loan Forgiveness Program on the Student Services Branch website at the Ministry of Advanced Education.