Expanding Access to Pediatric Care

Unveiling Our Early Intervention Physiotherapy Clinic

We are thrilled to introduce our new Pediatric Student-Run Physical Therapy Clinic, where health, education, and community come together.

This collaborative initiative between the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Physical Therapy and the BC Centre for Ability will build upon the student-run practice model to address gaps in the clinical education of physiotherapy students and the growing need for physiotherapists working in the pediatric sector.

“Our priority is to establish a sustainable physiotherapy treatment model aimed at bridging service gaps and reducing wait times for pediatric clients and their families in Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, and Richmond.

In order to improve accessibility, each clinical block will operate on a rotation system between two clinical sites, ensuring that families from various communities can readily access our services. Simultaneously, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and enjoyable learning environment for students to have the ability to work with a pediatric population.”

Kiersten McMaster

Pediatric Student-Run Clinic Physiotherapist

Addressing Clinical Education Gaps

With the UBC Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) Program expanding its capacity to 140 students annually by 2024, there is also an increased demand for clinical placements. Additionally, there is also a need for a greater variety of clinical placements to help graduate physical therapists with more diverse placement experience.

Establishing this Pediatric Student-Run Clinic will address gaps in the clinical education of physiotherapy students. This clinic will help provide placement experience to an additional 10-12 students annually.

“We want to increase student exposure, interest and access to high-quality community-based pediatric public practice placements.

Our partnership with the BC Centre for Ability is unique because the clinical instructor supervising students will also be involved in teaching the pediatric content with the UBC MPT program. This will support a seamless transition from the classroom to the clinic for our MPT students and ensure that our pediatric content is responsive to student’s learning needs.”

Angelina Woof

Associate Head of Clinical Education

Increased Access to Pediatric Care

The long-term goal of the Pediatric Student-Run Clinic is to provide an enhanced learning experience for students in providing assessment and treatment to children and youth with a large spectrum of physiotherapy needs.

This clinic will allow for education and experience that would introduce physiotherapy students to the world of pediatric physiotherapy and provide an essential element of training for the future generation of physiotherapists in British Columbia.

“A key priority with this clinic is to create new, diverse, high-quality learning experiences for our MPT students.

Many of our students express an interest in pediatrics, and the ability to offer this experience right on the UBC campus in partnership with the BC Centre for Ability will also bring a new service to families in the UBC neighbourhood.”

Dr Alex Scott

Department Head

Looking Ahead to Future Collaboration

A crucial strategic goal for the UBC Department of Physical Therapy is to develop and maintain collaborative partnerships which contribute to our mission. By opening this Student-Run Pediatric Clinic, we will continue our goal of supporting education and clinical initiatives in addressing existing and evolving needs of the healthcare system.

“I hope that through this project we can demonstrate the long-term viability of this model, with the ultimate objective of expanding it into a comprehensive, multidisciplinary clinic.

This expanded clinic would provide a wide range of services in collaboration with other departments at UBC, including Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech-language Pathology, and Social Work, all aimed at enhancing accessibility for children, youth, and their families in British Columbia.”