Program Overview

Introduction to the Comox Valley MD Undergraduate Program

The Comox Valley MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC) site is part of the expansion of UBC’s MD undergraduate program for 2025. We are proud to be part of a vibrant community, with enthusiastic medical teachers. Additionally, we are home to the UBC Postgraduate Strathcona (Comox Valley) Family Medicine Program.

Welcome Message

Welcome to the Comox Valley MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC) site, launched in June 2025. Clerkship marks a pivotal phase in the clinical journey, where medical students engage in the rewarding experience of learning while providing patient care. At the Comox Valley ICC site, we are dedicated to providing a supportive and well-rounded training environment for our students. We work collaboratively and flexibly with students so they can gain the confidence and skills required to transition to residency.

General Program Overview

The Comox Valley MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP) Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC) site is part of the expansion of UBC’s MD undergraduate program for 2025. We are proud to be part of a vibrant community, with enthusiastic medical teachers. Additionally, we are home to the UBC Postgraduate Strathcona (Comox Valley) Family Medicine Program.

Specific Experiences

Our schedule starts with orientation weeks in core generalist specialties including General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine. Following orientation, students have longitudinal exposure to Family medicine and other disciplines will be scheduled throughout the academic year. In our family medicine community, we have physicians who practice Obstetrics, Addiction Medicine, Sports Medicine, Gender-affirming care, Oncology, Hospitalist and Geriatric Medicine. Each student will have a Primary Preceptor and have the opportunity to work with them in their varied roles.

• Family Medicine/Emergency Medicine – Orientation at the start of the academic year followed by longitudinal exposure.
• Specialty Training – Orientation week(s) and or longitudinal exposure to General Surgery, Anesthesia, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Internal Medicine, Psychiatry, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics and Pediatrics.
• Academic Half Days – Combination of on-site academic sessions with local physicians and resident teaching, as well as shared academic sessions with our Island Medical Program (IMP)/ICC counterparts.
• Independent Study Time – Scheduled for Friday afternoon.
• Longitudinal Community Experiences – Indigenous Health clinic, Musculoskeletal, Dermatology, Ski Patrol medical clinic, Elderly Care, MAID, Gender-affirming care, Pain clinic, Oncology, Long Term Care, Foundry Clinic, Women’s Health Clinic, Bone and Joint Clinic and Multi-disciplinary care with allied healthcare providers.

Participating Hospital Sites

• North Island Hospital – Comox Valley
  • Opened on October 1, 2017, North Island Hospital – Comox Valley is a relatively new Island Health facility with 153 beds.
  • Some Comox Valley family physicians provide in-patient care to their own patients, and in addition some of our community doctors work on a team providing hospitalist care. Specialists and family doctors collaborate daily to provide support to our growing community.
  • Our specialist physician community also includes Urology, Otolaryngology, Critical Care Medicine and Geriatric Psychiatry. We have access to Plastic Surgery, Nephrology and Stroke Clinic in Campbell River and Nanaimo.
  • A dialysis unit is located in Cumberland, one of the three communities that make up the Comox Valley.
  • The hospital also features UBC space, including a centralized education area, clinical skills room, lockers, lounge and on-call sleep areas. This facility provides opportunities for ICC students to interact with both local and visiting residents.

Community Profile

The Comox Valley, consisting of the communities of Comox, Courtenay, and Cumberland, has an approximate population of 76,000, which increases slightly during the summer months. The Comox Valley is truly a home for nature enthusiasts. From Mount Washington, Vancouver Island’s largest ski resort, to the Cumberland Forest, a popular destination for mountain bikers, the area offers year-round outdoor activities. The area is packed with hiking trails, swimming holes and spectacular beaches. For travel, the Comox Valley is well-connected. The local airport offers several international flights and multiple daily connections to Vancouver and Alberta. The marina provides float plane service to Vancouver in the summer season. We are a 3-hour drive to Victoria, 1.5 hours to Nanaimo, 45 minutes to Campbell River and about 3 hours to Tofino. The local ferry goes from Comox to Powell River on the Sunshine Coast. The Comox Valley is the traditional territory of the Puntledge, E’iksan and K’ómoks peoples. Today the three tribes are known as the K’ómoks First Nation. Comox, Courtenay and Cumberland are the three main communities that make up the Valley, stretching from mountains to sea. The Town of Comox is a seaside community that attracts recreational mariners to the Comox Marina where the catch of the day is only a cast away. Courtenay is the Comox Valley’s largest urban centre, where you’ll find urban amenities wrapped in small town charm and character. Cumberland celebrates its coal mining past while embracing the hip and contemporary.