Clinical description

The Gastroenterology (GI) service is a busy service currently staffed by three RCPSC certified Gastroenterologists. The clinical activities of the GI service has three main components. The first is an inpatient and regional consultative service for ER and inpatients at the RIH, along with regional on call services for the Thompson/Caribou/Shuswap region. On any given day, the GI service typically follows between 10-25 patients in a consultative or admitting capacity. The GI service provides urgent and emergent therapeutic endoscopy services, including management of upper and lower GI bleeds including variceal hemorrhage, foreign body removal, ERCP and enteral stenting. Typically patients are of high acuity from the communities of Kamloops and surrounding areas. Common presentations include: GI bleeds, acute or chronic liver failure, Inflammatory bowel disease flare, pancreatobiliary conditions, and gastrointestinal malignancies.  A large hospitalist service admits the majority of medical patients to Royal Inland Hospital and readily co-manages a majority of the patients with the GI service. The second component of the GI service is a busy outpatient office practice, including a monthly hepatitis C clinic. A wide variety of patients with a wide range of gastrointestinal issues are assessed in the clinics/physician offices. The third component is an outpatient endoscopy services for the residents of Kamloops and the surrounding catchment area. The endoscopy unit at RIH currently has 3 endoscopy rooms, 2 of which run daily and are used by the GI specialists and general surgeons. 

Trainee expectations

Trainees rotating on the GI service will be given graded responsibility based on level of training and experience. The rotation will be offered to all trainees at levels ranging from medical students through to fellowship. A four-week block is considered standard and a minimum 2-week rotation is expected. A standard week of GI service runs Monday through Friday. For a four-week rotation trainees will typically assess inpatient and ER consults, formulate plans and review cases with their preceptor. There will be some expectations of the trainees taking ER and ward calls after hours, on the evenings when they are on call. There will be learning opportunities in an outpatient setting by joining the preceptor in their office. 

If there is interest on the part of the trainee and depending on their level of training, there will be opportunities for exposure to endoscopy techniques and development of endoscopy skills. 

Preceptors