Terrace

Welcome Message

Terrace-Spring_SummerWelcome to the Terrace MD Undergraduate (MDUP) Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC) Site.

Terrace serves a large population in Northern BC, where approximately 30% of the population identify as First Nations. As most are aware, the third year is a significant year in a medical student’s development as they transition from the preclinical years to hands on clinical experience (with a few exams thrown in for good measure!). Having had many years to develop our clerkship site, we are confident in our ability to deliver a complete third year experience.
We have a wide range of specialists, emergency medicine physicians, and family doctors who are enthusiastic participants in teaching and are familiar with third year content and expectations. Your year in Terrace will give you more than adequate exposure to all disciplines. We also have an active Family Medicine Residency Program and visiting Internal Medicine residents who mentor and teach students.

Dr. Emma Dowds
ICC Site Director, Terrace

Dr. Emma Dowds graduated from UBC in 2018. She completed her CCFP residency in Terrace and then went on to complete her CCFP(EM) residency at UBC. She now works as an ER physician in the Mills Memorial Emergency Room and recently joined the leadership team as co-lead of the ER department. She spends her free time mountain biking, hiking, skiing, camping and enjoying time with her young family.

General Program Overview

The Terrace MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC) site has been in place since 2008. Terrace ICC is renowned for its outstanding, enthusiastic, and collegial team of faculty who are dedicated to providing students with high-quality learning experiences. The integrated clerkship typically involves students working in one-week blocks of specialty services, which also includes a half day of family practice medicine. Our team of family practice physicians, accomplished in rural and generalist medicine, ensures that students gain valuable experience in rural medicine while in Terrace.

Specific Experiences

Students take integrated “mini-block” rotations with scheduled flexible learning days distributed throughout the academic year. A typical schedule for a Terrace student is:

  • 4.5 days per week – Clinical duties in specified rotation.
  • Half day per week – Family Practice.
  • Academic Half Days (AHDs) – majority are delivered locally.
  • Resident teaching sessions.
  • Call requirements:
  • One 24-hour ‘on call’ OB/GYN shift per week.
  • One evening ER shift per week.
  • One weekend of integrated call (multiple services) per month.
  • Flexible learning days where students arrange clinical duties within a current rotation, pursue a special interest project, or study for an upcoming exam.
  • Students work the majority of their time in Terrace with some time in surrounding communities.

All exams are scheduled and written in Terrace except for the OSCE.

Participating Hospital Sites

Mills Memorial Hospital

  • Mills Memorial Hospital is the Northwest Medical Referral Centre. The new hospital opens Fall 2025 and has 40 acute care beds, 10 critical care beds, and 20 psychiatric beds. It has full diagnostic services including diagnostic imaging, CT, mammography, MRI and a fully equipped laboratory.

Community Profile

Terrace, with a population of approximately 12,000 and serving as the medical catchment area for 80,000 residents, is situated in Tsimshian Territory. It serves as a geographic hub for Northwestern BC and is conveniently located an 80-minute flight from Vancouver. The area is renowned for its pristine wilderness surroundings, offering opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts such as skiing, hiking, mountain biking, and kayaking. Additionally, residents and visitors can enjoy the Saturday morning Farmer’s Market from May through October, featuring local produce and crafts.

Check out the Tourism website for interesting activities and upcoming events in Terrace.

“Welcome to Terrace, your home base for exploring northwestern BC’s spectacular outdoors. From fishing, biking, camping, meandering walking trails, lakeside relaxation and exploring the backcountry, there’s so much to discover. The Terrace area has become a destination for arts and culture in the region. Discover the public art and murals that set our town apart or take in live music, comedy, theatre or cultural activities you can’t experience anywhere else.
Whether you are hitting the slopes, shopping at local boutiques or exploring the rich history of the region’s Indigenous communities – Terrace is where your adventure begins.
[From the Tourism Terrace website, 2024]

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Emma Dowds
ICC Site Director, Terrace
Emma.Dowds@unbc.ca

Cara-Lee Malange
ICC Program Coordinator, Terrace
cara-lee.malange@unbc.ca

We would like to acknowledge that the Terrace Integrated Community Clerkship site operates on the traditional territory of the Ts’msyen people, in particular, the communities of Kitselas and Kitsumkalum.


Our Recent ICC Students’ Experience

‘’I really enjoyed being in a small community hospital, getting to know all the preceptors, and working closely with them. It’s nice to be familiar with how the main preceptors teach and adapt my learning strategies accordingly. I found that rural physicians in Terrace generally had wide scopes of practice, allowing me to encounter a diverse range of cases that are typically handled by sub-specialty services in the city. I even had the opportunity to consult with sub-specialists over the phone before patient transfers to higher levels of care, which was invaluable experience.
Additionally, there are so many outdoor activities available year-round! I highly recommend taking the stunning drive along the Skeena River to Prince Rupert, exploring the magical Nisga’a Valley to the north, and visiting the breathtaking Salmon Glacier on the BC-Alaskan border.”