The Victoria hospitals are located on the traditional and unceded territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) speaking peoples, who include the Esquimalt, Songhees, and W̱SÁNEĆ nations.
The home of UBC’s Royal College Emergency Medicine residency program on Vancouver Island is in beautiful Victoria, BC.
Program Highlights
- Two recently renovated emergency departments that combined see more than 125,000 patients per year
- Recently renovated simulation centre with two high-fidelity simulations per month, including “in situ” scenarios done in the trauma bay with multidisciplinary teams
- Dedicated ultrasound blocks in R1 and radiology/ultrasound block in R3
- Trauma Team Leader call opportunities for our residents throughout their five years of training
- Regular oral exams with staff physicians to help residents prepare for the Royal College exam. This includes graduated involvement throughout residency building to vigorous preparation for senior residents in the spring of their exam year
- Local and resident-driven radiology rounds and ECG rounds
- Local UBC journal club
- Annual Island resident retreat: sailing in Tofino, camping on Rathtrevor beach, houseboating on Cowichan Lake, and hiking on Saltspring Island are just some of the things we have done!
- Monthly resident family dinners
- Cookies when you least expect them
- Multiple teaching opportunities with residents and medical students through the UBC Island Medical Program
- Low staff-to-learner ratio on Emergency Medicine and off-service rotations, which affords access to multiple learning opportunities and independence early in training
- Support and access to training opportunities within the other UBC training sites
For more information, please refer to our program description on the CaRMS website.
Victoria General Hospital
This emergency department was rebuilt in 2009 and sees more than 65,000 patients annually.
Victoria General Hospital specializes in neurology, neurosurgery, pediatrics and obstetrics, and is also a level-2 trauma centre. It is the trauma referral centre for Vancouver Island with a trauma service that is run by trauma team leaders from the departments of emergency medicine, general surgery, anesthesia, and ICU. Emergency medicine residents can do optional TTL call as soon as they have completed their Trauma block in PGY-1. More than 20 percent of the annual visits to Victoria General Hospital are pediatrics. There are pediatric and neonatal ICU and a variety of other pediatric specialists (anesthesia, cardiology, neurology, psychiatry, general surgery, orthopedics). All pediatric resuscitation and trauma is led by the ER physician.
Royal Jubilee Hospital
This hospital near downtown Victoria has more than 62,000 emergency department visits annually. As the inner-city hospital, the patient population consists of a variety of demographics including those affected by addictions, homelessness, and infectious disease. It is the interventional cardiac, vascular and thoracic centre, and sees a wide variety of medical and surgical cases. This site is the primary home to ophthalmology, plastic surgery and nephrology services. There is a separate psychiatric ER attached to its main ER, and the BC Cancer Regional Care Centre for Vancouver Island is located at Royal Jubilee Hospital.
Sample Schedule
Our residency program follows the Competence by Design (CBD) format set forth by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. The program is five years in duration and an example outline of the curriculum can be found below:
UBC Vancouver Island RCPSC-EM Meet & Greet
Tuesday, November 14, 2023 5:30 pm PT
Join us by Zoom to meet the Victoria PD and residents and find out why Victoria is the best most westerly residency program in Canada!
Welcome to Victoria, BC!
Over 350,000 people call the Greater Victoria area home! We are lucky to enjoy a unique sub-Mediterranean climate and hours of sunshine throughout the year. Did you know that Victoria is the sixth sunniest city in Canada, and that it receives less annual precipitation than nearly 82 percent of Canada’s 41 largest urban areas? Some would say it’s a nice place to live! BC’s capital city has historic buildings at every turn, enough restaurants/cafes/pubs to keep you busy for years, an extensive system of bike lanes and regional trails for riding, sandy beaches with mountainous landscapes for lounging, and dense greenery everywhere you look.
Education
The University of Victoria is the primary degree-granting institution in Victoria, and was founded in 1903 as an affiliate of McGill University. It is now fully independent and consistently ranks in the top three comprehensive universities across Canada. The metropolitan area of Victoria also hosts Camosun College and Royal Roads University, which is home to Hatley Castle and was previously a military college. The Greater Victoria and Saanich School Districts operate a variety of elementary, middle, and secondary schools, French immersion programs, private and charter schools, and specialized schools.
Recreation
Victoria is the main ‘jumping-off point’ for adventurers looking to experience Vancouver Island. The city itself boasts kilometres of bike lanes and dedicated regional trails, such as the Galloping Goose Trail, so that cycling to work earns you praise rather than road rage. If you’re a mountain biker, you can find adrenaline-pumping single track within Greater Victoria at Bear Mountain, Hartland/Mount Work Regional Park, or the newly built Jordie Lunn Bike Park – all of which are only a short drive from downtown Victoria. Surrounded by ocean on three sides, Victoria is an ocean sport mecca, and there is never a shortage of kite surfers, kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders, and sailors. Surfers are a short drive away from Jordan River, Sombrio and China Beaches, and only a few hours away from world-famous Tofino. Victoria is also home to many marinas (many of which boast excellent restaurants and cafés), including the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and Oak Bay Marina. Do you like golf? Well, Victoria arguably has some of the nicest golf courses in North America. Check out Victoria Golf Club or Bear Mountain Resort.
Victoria has a multitude of fine dining options, and is home to more than a dozen craft breweries. If you like something more challenging than Coors or Labatt’s, then Victoria’s craft brewing scene is for you. With more breweries per capita than anywhere else in Canada, you can be sure to find your favourite new beverage. Food options range from fine Italian dining at Il Terrazzo to French delicacies at Restaurant Matisse, from seaside pub eats at Spinnakers Brewpub to delicious sushi at Sen Zushi! If you are in need of something quick, a food truck is never far away.
Vancouver Island is also home to 38 licensed wineries, many of which are in the immediate vicinity of Victoria. In addition, Victoria hosts many great coffee shops and several roasteries such as Fernwood Coffee and Caffe Fantastico. No matter what taste, preference, or style, it can be found in Victoria’s thriving foodie scene!
Food & Drink
Victoria has a multitude of fine dining options, and is home to more than a dozen craft breweries. With more breweries per capita than anywhere else in Canada, you can be sure to find your favourite new beverage. Food options range from fine Italian dining at Il Terrazzo to French delicacies at Restaurant Matisse, from seaside pub eats at Spinnakers Brewpub to delicious sushi at Sen Zushi! If you are in need of something quick, a food truck is never far away.
Vancouver Island is also home to 38 licensed wineries, many of which are in the immediate vicinity of Victoria. In addition, Victoria hosts many great coffee shops and several roasteries such as Fernwood Coffee and Caffe Fantastico. No matter what taste, preference, or style, it can be found in Victoria’s thriving foodie scene!
Arts & Culture
Known as the cultural hub of BC and possessing old-world charm, Victoria has been called the most British city in Canada, but is also home to Canada’s oldest Chinatown. Music lovers of all varieties can find almost any music style ranging from the Victoria Symphony to Rifflandia Music Festival. The Victoria Fringe Festival, Belfry Theatre, and many other performing arts venues make for a great (and sometimes interactive!) night out. For those with a more discerning taste, a morning at Butchart Gardens chased with afternoon tea at the Empress Hotel gives a decidedly tranquil and recharging experience.
History
Prior to the arrival of European sailors and mappers in the 1700s, southern Vancouver Island was home to various Coast Salish peoples. The city itself was incorporated in 1862, and its long and rich history is readily apparent around every corner. The world-famous Royal Victoria Museum is located on the inner harbour and hosts a series of fixed and rotating exhibits. Directly opposite are the neo-baroque BC parliament buildings, first built in the 1890s and home to the BC Legislature. And then there’s the historic Empress Hotel, which was built in 1908 and is considered one of Canada’s grand railway hotels. Victoria’s Chinatown is the second-oldest in North America and it continues to be a vibrant cultural hub. Around the city are a variety of sculptures, statues, historic sites, and castles that provide for endless exploration.
As of 2023, the Victoria Emergency Physicians Association comprises 55 staff physicians, with a near-equal mixture of FRCP and CCFP(EM) training. All physicians cover both primary hospital sites and all participate in the training of our residents. The group has a broad range of niche and subspecialty expertise including critical care, POCUS, pre-hospital and flight medicine, geriatrics, palliative care, addictions, sports medicine, and expedition/backcountry medicine, while others are engaged in medical administration, education, and research.
“The Vancouver Island Program is special because of the residents. We are like a big family. The staff are great, the ER physician group is stellar, there is a lot of high-acuity and really interesting medicine, but the residents themselves are what really makes this program special.” – Dr. Helen Ross
“For me it comes down to three things: the people, the place, and the program, and we’ve got it all!” – Dr. Nathan Ashmead
“As a graduate from this program, I think I have a pretty good inside view. It’s a program that provides fantastic training, you get to know all your staff really well and they get to know you really well. There is a lot of time and effort put in to make sure that we have all of the various facets of Emergency Medicine covered in our training.” – Dr. Tristan Jones
“The group here is still nice and small, which allows for more opportunities for each learner.” – Dr. Gina Gill
“We’re not jammed packed full of trainers… so for the stuff that comes in, you get to see and you get to do.” – Dr. Khala Albert
“I really like working in Victoria specifically because it’s a referral centre for peds, trauma, and cardiac… you see a lot of great acuity, but it’s small enough that you know all of your colleagues really well… and you know your consultants too.” – Dr. Rob Brunelle
Breezy (Brianna-Lee) Beaudry, Vancouver Island Site
Breezy joins us from the NOSM Thunder Bay campus where she completed her medical school training. Her passion for the great outdoors is only matched by her excellent taste in EDM music. As a budding star in the realm of wilderness medicine, she spends her extracurricular time engaging in what she refers to as “hands-on […]
Colin Sedgwick, Vancouver Island Site
Colin Sedgwick is a born and bred BC boy. Just prior to being born in Vancouver, his mother obtained an ultrasound that showed him reading the Rosen’s textbook in the womb. Shortly after being born, he interpreted his own fetal rhythm strip and decided that the Vancouver life was causing too many decelerations, so he […]
Eva Bruketa, Vancouver Island Site
Eva joins us with a bit of mileage under her belt as she was born in Germany, lived in California, and then moved to Toronto to complete a double major in neuroscience and psychology. From there, she moved yet again for her medical school training at Queen’s University and then looked across the country to […]
Hilary Drake, Vancouver Island Site
Hilary grew up on the North Shore but has since steeped in many different towns including Sackville NB where she completed her undergraduate degree at Mt. Allison, Nelson BC where her family calls home, and Whistler BC where she learned to shred ski slopes. She has since wandered throughout BC for her medical training as […]
Jamieson Ward, Vancouver Island Site
Master Corporal Jamieson Ward, is not your average EM resident. First of all, he’s a father of two beautiful girls, he once lived on the island and then actually left it (there’s a published case report about this rare event), and he’s also ex-military. He was born in Montreal, QC before he embarked on a […]
Jasmine Lam, Vancouver Island Site
Jasmine was born in Ontario but was raised in arguably the best arm of BC, Salmon Arm. She attended Queen’s University for both undergrad and medical school where she met her now fiancé, Rickey. Unfortunately, she never completed her bachelor’s degree but is thankful to have survived medical school (though there certainly were some close […]
Katie Zumwalt, Vancouver Island Site
Katie is joining us from Calgary, where she was born and raised. Growing up, Katie never stopped moving whether it was swimming in the pool, skiing in BC or just running around with friends and family. For her undergrad, Katie took a big move out east to St. FX in Nova Scotia where she studied […]
Lulu Yang, Vancouver Island Site
Hailing from Vancouver (where she did both her undergrad and medical school), Lulu has decided to ditch the traffic and noise of the big city and instead pursue her passion of chasing after five foot stingrays off the island’s coast. Oh, and she’s also kind of interested in Emergency Medicine! With her amazing voice and […]
Max Moor-Smith, Vancouver Island Site
This young buck was born & raised in Richmond, BC. He finally found his footing at the age of 17 and wandered over to Vancouver Island, never to leave again. He completed a BSc in Kinesiology at the University of Victoria, followed by his MD through UBC. A thrill seeking free spirit that skydives & […]
Riley Reel, Vancouver Island Site
Riley was born and raised in Cranbrook, BC, but upon moving to Victoria eight years ago, she decided she never wanted to leave. During her time in Victoria, she has developed an emotional attachment to the ocean, pushed the limits of her max heart rate on Mount Doug, and tried every London Fog in the […]
Rod Vafaei, Vancouver Island Site
Rod Vafaei grew up on B.C.’s beautiful North Shore and acquired numerous nicknames from his rugby days including Hot Rod, the Persian Rifle, and… less savoury ones that only his therapist has heard about. After perfecting the delicate art of being the class clown and clamming up whenever his crush walked by in high school, […]
Sarah Douglas, Vancouver Island Site
Sarah completed a degree in biomedical engineering at UVIC and when she was starting to get a few too many looks for talking to the robots, she decided to switch into a field with a bit more of a “human touch”. She completed her medical degree at UBC with the IMP program and decided that […]
Medical Student Electives
As of 2023, Victoria Emergency Medicine offers a 2 week elective for medical students in their final year of training that provides the opportunity to gain exposure and competence in managing a wide variety of clinical presentations in a busy Emergency Department. Students will have the opportunity to participate in procedures such as suturing, orthopedic reductions, casting, intubation, central lines, chest tube placement and trauma management. They will also have the opportunity to work alongside the Emergency Medicine residents.
For more information or to inquire about arranging an elective, please contact Anny Ruch at emadmin@uvic.ca. For questions regarding the elective itself please contact Dr. Jim Goulding at j.goulding@shaw.ca.
UBC Students
Applications for electives are submitted online via the One45 system. There are deadline application dates for each elective block, and your application must be approved by the elective organizer for successful placement.
Visiting Students
Application
Applications for electives are submitted online through the AFMC Student Portal; see here for details and further links.
Applicants to UBC electives are selected on a first come, first serve basis. Applicants are encouraged to apply and pay as close to the seven-month mark as possible.
Note that while you may complete the application process early, the placement process may start several months later as this is dependent
Unfortunately, UBC cannot guarantee that all applicants will receive a confirmed elective due to capacity limitations.
UBC will continue attempts at confirming a rotation for you up until 2 months prior to the elective start date. After that time, they will close your application to provide you with enough time to arrange an elective elsewhere.
You will receive regular communications throughout the process to ensure you are aware of the status of your application. on the UBC student schedule.
Placement Policy
Unfortunately, UBC cannot guarantee that all applicants will receive a confirmed elective due to capacity limitations.
UBC will continue attempts at confirming a rotation for you up until two months prior to the elective start date. After that time, they will close your application to provide you with enough time to arrange an elective elsewhere.
You will receive regular communications throughout the process to ensure you are aware of the status of your application.
Victoria Accommodations
Students with confirmed electives in Victoria can contact Angela Dawe at angela.dawe@uvic.ca for accommodation options.
Visiting Residents
We are happy to welcome visiting resident electives in Emergency Medicine. See the UBC PGME website for details of the application process and requirements. Questions or inquiries about electives can be directed to the Program Director (jeff.eisen@ubc.ca) or Program Admin (emadmin@uvic.ca).
Associate Program Director – Vancouver Island Site
Dr. Jeff Eisen
jeff.eisen@ubc.ca
For general inquiries, please contact our program admin:
Anny Ruch, Vancouver Island Program Coordinator
+1 (250) 519-7700 Ext. 13424
If you’re on the Island for any clinical rotation, or out of province and interested in getting to know our program, please reach out to our Lead residents as we’d love to meet you and chat! Contact Colin Sedgwick and Jamie Ward, Co-Lead residents – Vancouver Island Site, at VictoriaEmergLeads@gmail.com.
