Medical residents visit Gabriola!

They came, they learned, they enjoyed!

Ten physicians-in-training with UBC’s family medicine residency program spent a delightful afternoon on Gabriola Island this week.

The annual Residents Tour and Social is organized by the Gabriola Health Care Foundation and the Gabriola Medical Clinic. The event provides new doctors with a look at what Gabriola can offer family physicians who are looking to practise in a beautiful, lively island community.

The visit began with an informative tour of the Gabriola Medical Clinic, which is housed in the beautiful Gabriola Community Health Centre. The medical residents then toured the island with volunteer guides. The final stop was a delightful social event at the home of Gabriola family physician Dr. Tracey Thorne. The casual setting allowed residents to chat with Gabriola doctors about what it’s like to practise medicine in this supportive Gulf Island community, just a 25-minute ferry ride from the City of Nanaimo.

“Gabriola is a special place, and I was so moved by how deeply you and your team care for your community,” said one of the medical residents. “The clinic is incredible and the story behind how it came together, just as important.”

The building of the Gabriola Community Health Centre was initiated by island residents and funded primarily through community donations, with assistance from the provincial government. Skilled local volunteers carried out much of the design, planning and construction of the 4,600-square-foot building. The facility is owned and operated by the volunteer-run Gabriola Health Care Foundation, which leases space to the Gabriola Medical Clinic and other health-related tenants.

Big thanks to the doctors and staff of the Gabriola Medical Clinic and volunteers from the Gabriola Health Care Foundation who helped with this year’s Residents Tour and Social.

For more about practising medicine on Gabriola Island, visit beourdoctor.ca