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Ultrasound clinic opened at Greater Victoria college to help ease waitlists

Camosun students will work alongside pros to treat area residents
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Selina Robinson, the minister of post-secondary education and future skills, is scanned by a Comosun College student. (Ella Matte photo)

By Ella Matte, contributor

A new on-campus ultrasound clinic opened at Camosun College on Thursday in a first for B.C. and possibly in all of Canada.

Selina Robinson, the minister of post-secondary education and future skills, made the announcement with Health Minister Adrian Dix, highlighting how students will get trained while also easing waitlists for ultrasounds for Greater Victoria residents.

“I am fired up to be here today - it’s the first time this has been done in this way in Canada,” said Dix. “It’s hard to imagine why it took so long but here we are. Camosun is number one.”

The clinic has two general ultrasound rooms and two echocardiogram rooms, which allows students the opportunity to be trained in-house simultaneously with advanced simulation and experienced Island health sonographers and radiologists as they conduct scans on area residents.

Students will learn to how to scan, read and use ultrasound scans to treat and monitor different medical conditions within two specialty disciplines which include general and cardiac. Each year, 32 students will receive this hands-on training.

Back in 2019, the provincial government put $1.4 million towards launching a diagnostic medical sonography program at Camosun College.

Robinson said “students will benefit from the experienced-based learning by being able to treat and work with real patients.” Robinson also talked to a second-year student in the ultrasound program, who told her, “She enrolled in the program because of its ‘unique approach to clinical practice. The pair scanning technique used at Camosun integrates students without slowing clinic operations.’ It’s opportunities like these which prepare students to take on the jobs of the future as we need to build and strengthen our economy.”