MPT-North Newsletter | July 2020 | Department of Physical Therapy

MPT-North Newsletter | July 2020

The Master of Physical Therapy – North program is delivered in partnership by the University of British Columbia and the University of Northern British Columbia.

Head’s Message

Hi everyone,

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the first of a series of MPT-North newsletters, designed to keep you “in the know” and give you an opportunity to provide feedback as we implement the UBC MPT-North program at UNBC. Despite the additional challenges that the COVID situation brings, we are full steam ahead for the start of the first cohort, and look forward to a vibrant start to the program in the fall! As COVID will initially limit our face-to-face instruction, we will be providing much of our teaching on-line for the first several months. We have been doing this over the summer for the current MPT cohort and while not always ideal, overall it has been well received by students and we have managed to continue to provide a great learning experience.

As a clinician and/or community member in the North, you are a key element of success of the MPT-N program. You may already be hosting students from the Northern and Rural Cohort on their clinical placements (in which case – THANK YOU!) and we rely on your continued support to provide clinical experience for the MPT-N students. If you have never taken a student on placement before – this is a great time to start! In addition to teaching in the clinical setting, we will be looking for “Clinical Skills Assistants” or “CSAs” who will support classroom learning at various points throughout the program. Later, we will be looking for instructors and guest lecturers willing to share their expertise with the next generation of clinicians.

We are developing a great team to coordinate the program in the North. Robin Roots, who most of you know, will be continuing in her role focusing on the clinical education side of things. Her role has been retitled “MPT-N Clinical site lead”. Her counterpart, newly hired Dr David Anekwe, is the “MPT-N Academic site lead”. His role will be to coordinate the academic (classroom) teaching in the program. Becky Harnett is our new administrative lead at UNBC, and a research faculty member (who will also teach in the program) will be recruited over the next few months. You will meet various members of the team in this and upcoming newsletters.

Your input and suggestions are a key part of the MPT-N program. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any members of the MPT-N team; we’d be delighted to hear from you!

Sue Murphy
Head, Department of Physical Therapy, UBC

What Exactly is the MPT-North?
MPT-North (or MPT-N) refers to a cohort of 20 UBC MPT students who will complete their training at UNBC. Although MPT-N students are part of the regular UBC MPT cohort and will follow the same curriculum as the students in Vancouver, the learning experiences for students at UNBC will be geared to the health care needs of patients and clients in northern and rural Communities. The MPT-N cohort is the first cohort of students to be part of MPT program distribution around the province – there are plans in the works for a future distributed cohort to the Fraser Valley.

History of MPT-North
You might be wondering how the MPT-North came about. As with all great initiatives, there is a story behind it, so pull up a chair. [Read More]

Student Placements: An Interview with Regan Daoust – Physical Therapist
During the MPT program, I tried to get as many placements in Prince George or in the northern region as possible to gain a better understanding of my community and how I can learn and adapt to our strengths and challenges. [Read More]

Building a Home for MPT-North Students at UNBC
There might not be a ground-breaking ceremony per se but the hammering and sawing at UNBC have been very exciting as renovations are underway to make space for the MPT North and MOT North programs! [Read More]

How to Become a Clinical Skills Assistant
Clinical Skills Assistants (CSA) help teach students to become leaders in the physical therapy profession and are an invaluable part of the learning process in the UBC Master of Physical Therapy program. The main role of CSAs is to provide support to the lead instructor and students in lectures, laboratory sessions, small group sessions and assessments. Being a CSA is a rewarding experience that provides the opportunity to help bridge the gap between classroom learning and clinical practice. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a CSA, please watch this video and contact us at physical.therapy@ubc.ca