The 11th Annual Resident Talent Night is September 27, 2018! Resident Talent Night celebrates the resident community’s many talents beyond medicine, including musicians, spoken word poets, singer-songwriters, dancers, martial artists, magicians, acrobats, comedians, and more. It’s also a chance to showcase resident photography, painting and drawing submissions through an art exhibit. Learn more here!
We have also scheduled a Wellness Workshop this Thursday from 10:30 to 12:00 p.m. with UBC Resident Wellness Counsellor, Elizabeth Sabine. This session is focused on Resident Resiliency.
Residents may book a confidential counselling appointment on Thursday with Elizabeth. If you are interested, please contact her at elizabeth.sabine@ubc.ca.
A big thank you to celebrity chef Michael Smith for visiting the UBC Abbotsford-Mission Family Practice Residency Program! We greatly appreciated his time and insight as a champion for public health.
Our Resident, Dr. John Stimson, explained how Michael “educated us on the ground level problems facing dietary counselling of patients, namely the battle against commercial food. Food that is designed to be alluring to the taste buds, refined, and saturated with preservatives and sugar. Food that is cheap at the till but costly to the healthcare system. People are often left confused with what they should eat, constantly inundated with complicated diets or cure all food fads. He stressed that homemade meals can be accessible, affordable, and achievable for all citizens in the country, and that physicians are vital to promote this change.”
We also grabbed a signed copy of Michael’s new book! You’re welcome to check it out at our site’s little library!
I hope that his visit inspires us all to embrace healthier eating habits and to enjoy cooking!
As many of you prepare for your rural rotations, we’d like to remind you to please complete the UBC Rural Academic Learning Log. The log is designed to help you keep track of your educational activities and academic teaching while you are on your journey.
Click here to download the log and instructions. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me. Thank you!
We’re thrilled to have Chef Michael Smith visiting us this Thursday as part of our Academic Half Day Design Thinking Lecture Series! Chef Smith will be discussing his new book “Real Food Real Good” and how he’s approached bringing his ideas about health, nutrition, and cooking to life!
Our Faculty Development Breakfast has been rescheduled to the following date:
Tuesday, October 23 from 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Location: Mission Division of Family Practice, 7298 Hurd Street
Mission, BC V2V 3H6 / Chinook Room #3
Facilitator: Jacqueline P. Ashby, Ed.D. Register here!
Our visit to Holmberg House Hospice. From left to right: Dr. Nikate Singh, Dr. John Stimson, Dr. Jeff Van Huizen, Dr. Kathleen Ennis, Dr. Rylan Duivestein, Dr. Jennifer Chen, Dr. Lydia Hansma, Dr. Lakhbir Jassal (Youth Program Manager & Complex Care Counsellor at Holmberg House), Mr. Ron Kuehl (Director of Holmberg House), Dr. Danae Tracey, Dr. Michelle Hanbidge, and Dr. John Dickinson
“Empathy has no script. There is no right way or wrong way to do it. It’s simply listening, holding space, withholding judgement, emotionally connecting, and communicating that incredibly healing message of ‘You’re not alone.’” ~ Dr. Brené Brown
As part of our new Design Thinking in Residency curriculum, yesterday we explored the topic of Empathy that included exercises in emotion recognition and perspective-taking. Design thinking is a creative approach to problem-solving and Empathy is the paradigm’s first phase focused on understanding the user’s experience, insights, values, motivations, and feelings. Empathizing is also instrumental during design’s Discovery process where we unearth and investigate users’ needs, desires, and barriers that challenge them.
In medicine, research indicates that Empathy may improve physicians’ clinical competence, emotional regulation, and feelings of wellbeing (Hojat et al, 2002; Shanafelt et al, 2005); in addition to patient satisfaction, health outcomes, and adherence to medical recommendations or regimens (Blatt et al, 2010; Derksen et al, 2013; Hojat et al, 2002; Reiss et al, 2013; Krasner et al, 2009). Empathy may also reduce medical-legal risk; healthcare costs; and physicians’ depersonalization and burnout (Epstein et al, 2005; Levison et al, 1997; Moore et al, 2000; Thomas et al, 2007).
Empathy and employing the user-centred approach are described in our CanMED Roles and UBC Family Practice Curriculum. Our session emphasized the following objectives:
Demonstrate effective empathic communication skills including active listening, verbal and non-verbal skills, and expression of empathy.
Use a patient-centred approach in the care of patients and families.
Analyze the communities or environments that impact patient health.
We followed this session with a visit to Abbotsford’s first adult hospice, Holmberg House, conveniently located near Abbotsford Regional Hospital & Cancer Centre. Greeted by Holmerg House’s Director Rob Kuehl and Counsellor Dr. Lakhbir Jassal, our physicians learned about the program’s services provided and emerging research projects in Palliative Care. We toured the facility and gained a better understanding as to how designing with intention influences the relationship between person and place. The space also expresses the community’s connection, generosity, and support of residents and their families. We were able to observe how Palliative Care teams are embracing innovation as they rethink and redesign environments that offer the amenities and comforts of home while accommodating for residents’ psychosocial and medical needs.
We appreciate Holmberg House allowing us the opportunity to explore their unique context and in helping us comprehend the end-of-life experience.
Dr. Jody Ching warming up with fellow Preceptor, Dr. Trent Loewen, for the 1st Annual Resiraptors vs. Precipitators Volleyball Tourney!
Join us for the Second Annual Resiraptors vs. Precipitators Volleyball Tourney 2018! Admittedly, I’m a bit nervous about this year’s showdown. Our incoming cohort though are strategic and we’ve got some height on our side. For those needing a recap of 2016, the Preceptors were victorious; however, that was after senior administration conveniently modified the rules during play. Not happening this year :).
Be there:
Saturday, August 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mission Springs Pub (sandcourts in the back) Mission, B.C.
Residents, Preceptors, and your families are invited!
“Access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks—is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.” ~ Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health (CCMOH)
Canadian physicians, moms, and BC Parks are joining forces to support the growing movement acknowledging the benefits of outdoor play! The Outside & Unplugged walks is a recent initiative that encourages families to get outside and connect with each other. Over 100 physicians have volunteered to lead these walks in their communities. The event takes place on Saturday, July 21, 2018 at 10 am at 100 participating BC Parks.
We’ve just released the updated Academic Expectations and Guidelines for 2018. This document specifically addresses our Site’s expectations regarding Academic Half Day, Journal Club, and Scholar Projects.
Congratulations to Dr. Bruce Griffioen! Although he and his fellow R2s succumbed to the R1s during our recent volleyball match, Dr. Griffioen came back from defeat and prevailed with the power of his pen! As winner of the 2018 Field Note Limerick Contest, Bruce will receive the newly released bestseller “105 Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia”!
Now for the winning limerick:
There’s a great program in Abby and Mission,
Where you can learn to be a physician,
You start young and naive,
But then when you leave,
You’ve made a triumphant transition.
As an R1 you’re slow and so pensive,
Your SOAP notes are very extensive,
You scour UptoDate
About methotrexate
And the dose of each antihypertensive.
You gain confidence as an R2,
Patients actually start to trust you,
You can do an excision,
Without supervision,
And wait the whole day to review.
You’ve been given a solid foundation,
To start in this hallowed vocation,
So give recognition,
To every physician,
That contributed to your graduation!
Greetings Residents!
Greetings Residents!
Congratulations to Dr. Bruce Griffioen! Although he and his fellow R2s succumbed to the R1s during our 
Family Medicine Residency Site: Abbotsford-Mission 