Information about the program:
The RCPD, with the support of the Rural Coordination Centre of BC , is working with and on behalf of rural physicians to help support the continuing medical education and continuing professional development needs of rural health care professionals in BC. 

The RCPD program is based on the findings of the UBC CPD Needs Assessment of rural physicians sponsored by the Rural Education Action Plan. The Needs Assessment helped to identify urgent and emergent topics of special learning interest to rural physicians.  Emergency medicine, obstetrics & gynecology and psychiatry were the top three preferred learning areas for both GPs and specialists. The R-CPD will integrate with rural physician education programs already working on these topics, as well as create new rurally relevant educational programming, preferably in a small group learning format. 

The R-CPD hopes to educate physicians “Closer to Home” and follow the tenet of the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada, “Education for Rural Physicians, by Rural Physicians”.  The program will help rural physicians to build relationships between themselves and other health care professionals based on the “Closer to Home” philosophy, using local GPs, local or regional specialists, and other health care professionals with advanced expertise within their region of practice for teaching purposes in their usual context of healthcare delivery.  Technology-enabled solutions or opportunities for CPD at a distance will need to be supported.

The RCPD is also in the process of creating a rural speakers inventory and a searchable events calendar. More information and opportunities for input on CPD from rural healthcare practitioners will be available at the Rural Coordination Centre soon.

The RCPD is delivering a new 7-hour “Shock” course, designed by rural physicians for rural physicians. The accredited course intersperses  lectures on such topics as drug therapies and sepsis, with plenty of hands on practice with inserting central lines, and using ultrasound machines, discussion of scenarios and cases. To bring this course to your community please email Andrea Keesey.

For more information about the RCPD, please contact Andrea Keesey, andrea.k@ubc.ca  
T: 604-875-4111 X 69139