Our health care system needs professionals who want to practice in a rural setting. Our comprehensive program in the health sciences pairs academic excellence with mentoring and community service opportunities providing you with the support you need to apply competitively to medical school as well as programs in pharmacy, dentistry, optometry veterinary medicine, and more.
We are still accepting applications for Fall 2020 intake.
Early Indicators of Success
The RPM Program was launched in 2014 with support from the Joint Standing Committee on Rural Issues--a committee comprised of Doctors of BC and the Ministry of Health.
The program was designed to help address the underrepresentation of rural students in professional health care programs. In the past three years, seven of our former students have already received offers of admission to medical schools in Canada. Recent graduates have also successfully entered other competitive programs in the health sciences and found exciting employment in the health care sector.
“Rural and remote communities across Canada are experiencing real challenges finding physicians and other health professionals who are committed to and passionate about careers in quality health care in small communities. Our Rural Pre-Medicine program is an innovative, high quality preparedness program in the rural context for students who want to work as physicians and health professionals in remote and small communities. To me, this is one of Selkirk College's unique and exciting contributions to supporting professional health care in Canada.”
-Angus Graeme, Selkirk College President & CEO
For more information view our brochure.
Program At-A-Glance
In the News
As the 2019-2020 academic year approaches, three more Selkirk College alumni who graduated from the Rural Pre-Medicine Program will be attending medical school as they make their way towards a rewarding career in health care.
The Rural Pre-Medicine Program graduated its third cohort in the spring with eight students completing a vital step in their educational journey. From a diverse background, the students got together with their supporters just prior to graduation to celebrate the achievement.
Selkirk College learners in the Rural Pre-Medicine Program started off the Fall Semester with a visit from a University of British Columbia doctor who helped provide valuable information about what it takes to get into medical school.
Launched in 2014 as part of an effort to educate rural students in a manner that helps build a stronger health care system outside urban areas, the Selkirk College Rural Pre-Medicine Program has helped a pair of alumni reach their goal of entry into medical school.
Selkirk College was established in 1966 to bring inspiring post-secondary opportunities to rural British Columbia, so it's fitting that the valedictorians for the 50th graduating class are both raised in the West Kootenay.
A Selkirk College program started as a proactive solution to the rural doctor shortage across the country is gaining traction for its ahead-of-the-curve approach. The School of Medicine at the University of Calgary has given Selkirk College’s Rural Pre-Medicine Program endorsement just as the first cohort readies for the next step in their education.
What Students Say
