Events

ReMBC hosts a variety of events throughout the year. All are free to attend, and you don’t have to be a part of the program to join!

Upcoming events

Indigenous Initiatives and events from our partners

Past events

UBC Health and Rural eMentoring BC present: Going Rural – Opportunities in Rural Healthcare. January 28th 2025

  • Description: This is a free event for students interested in rural healthcare. Learn about educational pathways and career options in rural healthcare, and get tips for applying as a rural student.
    • Hear rural students’ perspectives on getting into and succeeding in health professions schools and programs. Get tips on applying to schools and learn what it’s like to be a student in dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and medical school. 
    • Hear from an interprofessional panel of students about their experiences training in rural areas. Learn what it’s like to be a healthcare provider in a rural setting and the importance of interprofessional team-based care in rural settings to advance health equity.
    • Meet admissions representatives from college and university health professions programs, and hear about health professions resources and opportunities – get the information and connections you need to pursue your educational and career journey in rural healthcare!
  • When: January 28th 2025: 5-8pm Pacific Time Zone (doors open at 4:30)
  • Where: Online – ReMBC’s Gather.town space. No need to download an app, just click on a link and you’re there.
  • Who can attend: High school, college and university students who are interested in rural healthcare.
  • Event information: schedule, panelist bios, exhibiting schools and programs, and virtual venue info. View event information here
  • Event program: View event program
  • Register for free: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_838NLg5ZbuiTbGS

Help promote the event, share our flyer

UBC Health and Rural eMentoring BC present: Going rural – opportunities in rural healthcare. January 23rd 2024

Event details

  • Description: Get information and resources to help you pursue your educational and career journey in rural healthcare.
    • Hear rural students’ perspectives on getting into and succeeding in health professions schools and programs. Get tips on applying to schools and learn what it’s like to be a student in dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and medical school. Hear students’ experiences going on rural rotations and working collaboratively with other health professions.
    • Learn what it’s like to be a healthcare provider working in a rural community.
    • Meet and chat one-on-one with admissions representatives from college and university health professions programs.
    • Chat one-on-one with students in health professions programs.
    • Play games, win prizes, score some swag!
    • Going Rural Event Program
  • When: January 23rd 2024: 5-8pm Pacific Time Zone (doors open at 4:30).

Choose which sessions to attend, or attend all of them!

  • 4:30-5pm Check-in
  • 5-6pm Panel Session: Rural rotations and careers: Hear from senior students about their experiences working in healthcare settings in rural communities. Learn about what different health professionals do day-to-day, how different professions work collaboratively, and what to expect when going on a rural rotation. Learn more about the panelists below.
  • 6-6:30pm Mixer session and virtual booths
    • Mixer session: Rural rotations – meet students in health professions programs.
    • Virtual booths – visit virtual booths hosted by a variety of schools and programs from across BC to learn about degree options and admission pathways. View which schools and programs will be attending below.
  • 6:30-7:30pm Panel Session: Going to school for a healthcare career: Hear from current health professions students from rural communities. Learn about the various educational pathways to different degrees, what school is like, and how these students made the transition from rural to urban.
  •  7:30-8pm Mixer session and virtual booths
    • Mixer session: Meet admissions representatives – short presentations from different health professions programs in BC about what degrees they offer and their admissions process, followed by an opportunity to speak one-on-one with representatives from each program. View which schools and programs will be presenting below.
    • Virtual booths: visit virtual booths hosted by a variety of schools and programs from across BC to learn about degree options and admission pathways. View which schools and programs will be attending below.
  • Where: Online – ReMBC’s Gather.town space. No need to download an app, just click on a link that we will provide and you’re there.
  • Who can attend: High school, college, university students from a rural community or who are interested in rural healthcare.

BC Schools and Programs hosting virtual booths and attending “Mixer Session: Meet admissions representatives” (7:30-8pm):

UBC health programs (Occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmaceutical sciences, medicine, dentistry and dental hygiene, nursing), Okanagan College Health and Social Development programs, Vancouver Island University Health Sciences Programs, Coast Mountain College Health and Social Services Programs, Selkirk College Rural Pre-medicine Program, Northern Lights College Health and Human Services Programs, North Island College Rural Pre-health Program. 

Featured Panelists:

Rural rotations and careers panel session – 5-6pm

Gabrielle Caillier (she/her): UBC Master of Physical Therapy Northern Program, class of 2024.

  • Gabrielle was born and raised in Prince George, BC and, prior to joining the Physical Therapy Program, completed a Bachelor of Health Science Degree at UNBC, majoring in Community and Population Health: Aboriginal and Rural Health. Gabrielle has worked at Kitimat General Hospital and Child Development Center, Prince George UHNBC IP Rehab and Prince Rupert Regional Hospital PRISM Clinic.
  • Career: Physical Therapist

ara Luk (she/her): UBC PharmD, class of 2021 

  • Tara was born and raised in Kitsilano/East Vancouver with no plans of ever working rurally. But she discovered the wider scope, larger impact, and lifestyle benefits of rural practice while on rotation in Port Alberni, Powell River, Penticton, and Dawson Creek during school. She is now a pharmacist in Fort St. John.
  • Career: Clinical Pharmacist (Med-Surg/LTC)

Seamus Damström (he/him): UBC, Land and Food Systems, Dietetics Major ProgramProgram

  • Seamus is Oneida with Czech ancestry on his mother’s side and Swedish and Irish ancestry on his father’s side. He was born in Cranbrook BC and grew up in Terrace BC. His post-secondary journey led him to the College of the Rockies and UBC, during which he traveled across Northern BC with Northern Health. Throughout his journey of reclaiming his Indigenous identity, he has recognized the significance of food and Land in building relationships and strengthening connection between language and health.
  • Career: Public Health Dietician in Population Health with Interior Health

Carmela de Gracia-Patten (she/her): BSc Kinesiology from UVic class of 2017, Masters of Kinesiology from UBC class of 2022

  • Carmela is from Nanaimo and is currently a Practicing Kinesiologist based in Terrace BC. She is the first example in British Columbia of Kinesiologist working in the Public Primary Care setting.
  • Career: Kinesiologist in Primary Care

Lauren Seabrook (she/her): Community Rehabilitation & Disability Studies U of Calgary class of 2022, Master of Occupational Therapy UBC class of 2024

  • Lauren chose Occupational Therapy because it focuses on the individual as a person, not just a patient, and asks “what matters TO you”, not “what’s the matter with you”. She grew up in the Northwest Territories, so northern and rural communities hold a special and important place in her heart; she is grateful to be a part of the first ever Northern cohort of UBC’s OT program, where she has done rotations in Prince George and Valemount/McBride.
  • Career: Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Going to school for a healthcare career panel session – 6:30-7:30pm

Alisha Thapar (she/her): UNBC Nursing 2023, UBC Northern Medical Program Year 1.

  • Alisha was born in Quesnel, BC and graduated from UNBC with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BScN). After working with many amazing physicians in the healthcare setting, she realized she wanted to become a physician as well, and was accepted into medical school.
  • Desired career: Physician

Alexis Magrath (she/her): UBC Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) program Year 2.

  • Alexis is originally from Prince George, BC. Midway through completing her Bachelors of Health Sciences from the University of Northern British Columbia, Alexis decided to pursue a career as a general dentist. She took one gap year between graduating and entering the DMD program at the University of British Columbia, during which she worked full time inside the local school district as a substitute teacher.
  • Desired career: General dentist

Mohamed Mamdouh Shubair (he/him): UBC Northern Medical Program Year 2

  • Mohamed is from Prince George, BC. After finishing his undergraduate university studies in Psychology, he worked as a counsellor for a couple of years. His time working in mental health inspired him to pursue a career that would allow him to be more involved in even more complex mental health care. Thus, he chose to apply to medical school to pursue a career in psychiatry.
  • Desired Career: Psychiatrist

Shae Lovely (he/him): UBC Pharm-D Program Year 2

  • Originally from Kamloops BC, Shae completed 3.5 years of undergraduate studies as a BSc – Chemistry major at TRU. Throughout his undergrad, he also worked as a community support worker primarily caring for youth/adults with autism and as a student researcher.
  • Desired career: Clinical pharmacist at a hospital.

Questions? e.mentoring@ubc.ca

We hope to see you there!

Rural Healthcare Career Extravaganza! April 13th 2023

Free event for high school and post-secondary students interested in rural healthcare

Date/time: April 13th 2023, 5:00 – 8:00pm (Pacific Time Zone)

Location: online on ReMBC’s Gather.town space

Cost: Free!

Register: closed

Description: Get career advice, learn about different healthcare careers, talk to older students and rural healthcare professionals.

Schedule of Events – attend all or some of the following:

  • 5-6 pm PSTHear from a panel of students in health science programs who come from rural BC. This panel will cover:
    • How to discover your different healthcare career options
    • What you can do NOW to be a competitive applicant for a health science program, and how you can leverage your rural background
    • What college/university is like
    • Transitioning to school in the big city
    • General advice, tips and tricks for getting into school and succeeding
    • Panelists:
      • Alisha – UNBC Nursing, Quesnel
      • Jihanne – UNBC Psychology, Dawson Creek
      • Lindsay – UBC Island Medical Program, Terrace
      • Kira – UBC Vancouver Medical Program, Nelson
      • Zoey – UBC Pharmacy, Castlegar
  • 6:30-7:30 pm PST Hear from a panel of rural healthcare professionals. Discover:
    • Whether working in a rural community is right for you
    • A day in the life: What to expect from different careers in rural healthcare
    • How to achieve a career as a rural healthcare worker: what kinds of experience and schooling will you need?
    • General advice, tips and tricks for getting your first job in rural healthcare
    • Panelists:
      • Dr. David May – Family Doctor, qathet BC
      • Dr. John Soles – Doctor, Kimberley BC
      • Dr. Mary Johnston – Family Doctor, Shushup BC
      • Robin Roots – Physiotherapist, Prince George
      • Austin Cho – Nurse, Whitehorse Yukon
  • 6-6:30 and 7:30-8pm PST Mix and mingle with:
    • Health science students from rural BC
    • Rural healthcare professionals
    • Representatives from colleges and university health science and professional development programs:
      • Rural Education Action Plan
      • UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences
      • NIC Pre-health
      • Rural Coordination Centre of BC
      • UBC Okanagan Nursing
      • Kwantlen Polytechnic University
      • UBC Summer Science Program
      • UBC Medicine
      • Selkirk College Rural Pre-Medicine
      • Rural Medicine Interest Group
      • UBC Dentistry
  • Play games and win prizes!

Meet your mentor – live! March 7th 2023

High school students: virtually mingle with our post-secondary student mentors, and ask them questions about life after high school graduation.

Current ReMBC mentees: meet up with your mentor and video chat at this event! Even if your mentor isn’t available, you’ll still be able to meet other mentors who can answer your questions and give you advice.

Event Details:

When: March 7th 2023 from 5-7pm (Pacific Time Zone)

Where: online on ReMBC’s Gather.town space

Cost: Free!

Register: closed

You can just mingle, or join some group activities (these are all totally optional!):

  • 5pm – Meet and greet, icebreaker game
  • 5:45pm – Q&A with our college/university student mentors
  • Game room: play Set, Skribbl.io, Top 4 or GuessMe with your mentor, or make some new friends and play with them.
  • Drop-in “Advice” room: bring all your questions about careers, college/university and “adulting”. You can also bring things like your resume or scholarship applications for one of our mentors to look over.

Meet your mentor – live! January 12th 2023

High school students: virtually mingle with our post-secondary student mentors, and ask them questions about life after high school graduation.

Current ReMBC mentees: talk to your mentor and see if you can attend the same session. You’ll be able to video chat with them live!

We’re hosting two sessions: you don’t have to attend the whole session, and you can attend both if you wish. 

January 12th: 4-5:30pm (Pacific Time Zone)

January 16th: 8:30-9:30pm (Pacific Time Zone)

Sign up here (for free): Closed

So, you want to apply to post-secondary? Nov 13th 2022

Event for students applying to post-secondary:

  • Date/time: Sunday Nov 13th, 10am – noon (Vancouver time)
  • Location: online (Gather)
  • Cost: Free!
  • Register: Closed
  • Description: Learn what the application process is really like from current college and university students.
    • Panel discussions with current post-secondary students
    • Admissions representatives from BC schools
    • Prizes, games and more

Meet with representatives from schools and professional development programs across BC, including:

  • Coast Mountain College
  • College of the Rockies
  • Northern Lights College
  • UBC (Vancouver and Okanagan)
  • Selkirk College 
  • Health Professions Summer Program
  • Rural eMentoring BC
  • Kootenay Association for Science and Technology

Schedule:

  • 9:30-10am – check in and get familiar with our online venue, Gather Town
  • 10-noon – Exhibitors: Drop-in and meet with admissions representatives from schools and professional development programs across BC
  • 10-noon – Meet a post-secondary student: chat one-on-one with a real-life post-secondary student about their experiences in school, and with the application process. Get personalized advice and support!

Panel Discussions Schedule:

  • 10-10:25am – The Application Process: This session is all about applying to schools. It will be organized into three parts:
    • Part 1: Deciding where to apply: what factors to consider, and how many schools you should apply to.
    • Part 2: Putting together a good application: how to stand out and what to do if you’re lacking in an area
    • Part 3: Staying organized and taking care of yourself during the application process. 
  • 10:40-11:05 – Paying for School: This panel will help you learn how affordable a post-secondary education can be! Panelists will answer questions about the different strategies they’ve used to pay for school, including: student loans, scholarships and awards, part-time work, and how to $ave money.
  • 11:20-11:45 – Post-Secondary Life: Panelists will answer questions about what post-secondary is really like. Topics will include: what classes are like, “adulting” and living on your own, moving away from home, living in residence, time management and self-care, finding friends and fun things to do, and living in residence – and what you can do NOW to prepare for all these changes!​