More people will have the opportunity to train for in-demand careers, such as physical therapists, occupational therapists and midwives, at a new state-of-the-art University of British Columbia (UBC) facility in Surrey.

“Our Province is focused on training more people for good-paying, in-demand health-care jobs in their communities,” said Lisa Beare, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills. “By supporting UBC’s new training space in Surrey, we’re delivering more physical therapists, occupational therapists and midwives to care for people in our province today and for years to come.”

The new space provides a collaborative, state-of-the-art learning environment for students, faculty, clinical teachers and staff. The facility is located on the second floor of the City Centre 1 building in Surrey, adjacent to Surrey Memorial Hospital.

As of this month, 88 students are based in the new facility, with annual intakes of 20 master of physical therapy students, 16 master of occupational therapy students and eight midwifery students to serve fast-growing communities.

The recently renovated space provides a collaborative learning and teaching environment for students, faculty and clinical teachers across the three programs.

“Our government is taking significant action to create more training spaces for allied health professionals to meet the growing demand for high-quality health-care services in B.C.,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “By investing in this new modern training facility in Surrey, we can attract more young people and health-care workers to choose a rewarding career in the health sector that they want while ensuring their future patients receive the care they need.”

The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art teaching and research laboratories, seminar rooms and student common areas, as well as multi-purpose spaces for assessment, treatment and health promotion within the community.

The Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills provided $24.9 million in capital costs for the new facility. This is in addition to more than $4 million in startup funding between the three programs, provided in partnership with the Ministry of Health, and ongoing targeted operating funding.

“We’re thrilled to have UBC’s physical therapy, occupational therapy and midwifery students in the Fraser region together under one roof for the first time,” said Dr. Roger Wong, vice-dean, education, UBC faculty of medicine. “By creating more opportunities for students to learn closer to home in a collaborative environment, we’re building a future health-care workforce that will improve community access and care for people living in the Fraser for years to come.”

Training more allied health-care workers is part of B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy, which focuses on 70 key actions to recruit, train and retain health-care workers in the province, while redesigning the health-care system to foster workplace satisfaction and innovation.

Through the StrongerBC: Future Ready Action Plan, the Province is making education and training more accessible, affordable and relevant to help prepare the people of B.C. for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

Quotes:

Rachna Singh, MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers, and Minister of Education and Child Care –

“We know that Surrey and the Fraser Valley are growing quickly. That’s why our Province is investing in more health-care training opportunities for people in the region, helping them train for their careers close to home.”

Karn Athwal, second-year UBC occupational therapy student –

“It’s been an incredible privilege to be part of UBC’s first occupational therapy program in the Fraser, learning in a newly designed, modern facility alongside our health-care peers in physical therapy and midwifery. The new facility and program are empowering us with the expertise, skills and confidence to drive transformative change in health care, but also creating new opportunities for students to grow within their communities, making a lasting impact now and for years to come.”

Quick Facts:

• Physical therapists, occupational therapists and midwives are part of B.C.’s health-care workforce.
• Occupational therapists help people whose capabilities have been impaired by illness, injury, developmental disorders, emotional or psychological disorders, and aging.
• Physiotherapists plan and put treatment programs in place for patients to maintain, improve or rebuild physical ability, ease pain and prevent physical problems.
• Registered midwives provide primary maternity care to healthy pregnant clients and their newborn babies through low-risk pregnancy, labour and birth, until about six weeks after the birth.

Learn More:

To learn about B.C.’s Health Human Resources Strategy, visit:
https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/health-care

For the Future Ready Action Plan, go to:
https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/jobs-and-training/