Gabrielle Caillier

Hometown: Prince George, B.C.

What attracted you to your field?

While completing my undergraduate degree, I became very interested in chronic disease management and population health. I am also passionate about providing health care services to smaller communities, especially in the north. As a physiotherapist and working within the rehabilitation field, I will now be well-suited to promote increased health and well-being whilst making a difference in the community.

What is your favourite moment from your time at the MPT-N?

Being part of a smaller class size allowed us to build a close-knit community, while supporting each other through anything. Some of my favourite moments occurred sitting around a campfire laughing, spending the evening in a cabin after a day of skiing, and celebrating with everyone after OSCEs!

What is one piece of advice you have for students entering your program?

Be comfortable being uncomfortable. You will be doing new things every day and learning so much in the next two years. Taking every step in stride, taking care of yourself by doing the things that you love and knowing that your journey as a learner does not stop after graduation will be essential!

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Baneesha Gill

Hometown: Nanaimo, BC

What inspired you to pursue the Master of Physical Therapy (MPT) degree at UBC?

I love people and I love hospitals so I wanted to find a career that would allow me to have both but also with a work-life balance. Physiotherapy is such a huge field, and it is truly your oyster, you can do community exercise classes, work in a private clinic, teach in a physiotherapy program, visit people in their homes, create programs for seniors, see outpatient clients, see patients in the ICU, patients in a rehab setting, the list is never-ending. I cannot wait to further explore this field, and I know I will never be bored or tired of one thing because of the vast variety.
I came into this program after completing my bachelor’s degree in biology from Vancouver Island University, where small class sizes are the norm. It was something I valued so UBC offering smaller cohorts was very appealing to me.

How was your experience in the MPT program?

My experience was so great, and it was mostly due to the fact that I was in the Northern cohort, I would choose that cohort over and over again. Prince George teaches you a lot of things about physiotherapy of course, but also life. For example, you cannot put -20 degree antifreeze fluid in your car on the Island and then drive it up north for school during winter because your radiator will freeze….

We truly did everything together in PG, we were a family. We did class together all day, then went to the gym together, met up on the weekend to study in groups, hung out and explored PG with the same crew, and then also played intermural sports together. You become very close with your class, and it just makes the learning experience that much more enjoyable because everyone has your back, if you miss a day, 20 people are offering to catch you up on a random Saturday. If you’re stuck in the snow, everyone will give you a ride.

The community in Prince George and the faculty at UNBC are elite, and the facility itself is gorgeous.

What do you want to tell new physical therapy students about what they can expect during the program?

he first two blocks are so hard but so worth the struggle because once you get to your first placement, you start to imagine what your post grad life will look like and it all becomes very real very fast. These will be the fastest yet slowest two years of your life so enjoy every moment of it.