Gateway Team-Based Care Teaching Clinic

Opening in mid-2026 with assistant professor of teaching Dr. Julie Tipping as program director, the Gateway Team-based Care Clinic (Gateway Clinic) is designed as an innovative clinical environment where students, clinician educators and researchers work together to model what high-functioning, team-based primary care can look like across British Columbia. With funding from the Ministry of Health, the School of Nursing is the administrative home to this unique collaboration.

What sets Gateway Clinic apart  is its integration within UBC itself. This unique positioning allows nursing students  (both RNs and NPs) and faculty to work side-by-side with colleagues from dietetics, clinical kinesiology, family practice, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, and social work. The result is a truly interprofessional learning environment to inspire the real-world settings where teams are increasingly needed.

For nursing, the vision of Gateway Clinic aligns perfectly with the School’s longstanding commitment to collaborative, person-centred care. The clinic’s first core pillar is Collaborative Interprofessional Health Education, which builds capacity for students to learn how team-based care is delivered, practiced, and refined. Undergraduate and graduate nursing learners will gain hands-on experience in clinical decision-making as part of an interprofessional team, developing a deep appreciation for the strengths and perspectives each discipline contributes. With supervision and mentorship from experienced practitioners, students will graduate with the skills, confidence, and values needed to thrive in team-based environments.

The second pillar is Interdisciplinary Evaluation, Research, and Knowledge Exchange. This will give nursing researchers and students opportunities to help shape the future of primary care education. Gateway Clinic will function as a hub where evidence-informed practices are developed, tested, and shared. For nursing faculty, this means new space for applied research, quality improvement projects, and collaborations that advance team-based care. For students, it creates a living laboratory where scholarly inquiry and clinical practice intersect.

Delivery of Team-Based Primary Care is the third pillar, offering an essential service to Vancouver residents as their new primary care providers, while giving learners rich, real-world experience. Patients will receive coordinated care from a diverse clinical team, supported to take an active role in their health. The clinic will offer both virtual and in-person services, preparing nursing students to navigate the full continuum of contemporary primary care delivery.

Gateway Clinic’s model is grounded in strong research, demonstrating that interprofessional education improves both practitioner readiness and patient outcomes. As a teaching clinic, it will provide longitudinal, team-based primary care while maintaining an explicit focus on learning. This multi-faceted commitment to education, clinical excellence, and community well-being positions Gateway Clinic as a scalable model for primary care delivery across the province.

Ultimately, Gateway Clinic represents a new space where nursing leadership, scholarship, and patient-centred care come together. It is a place where students will learn what it truly means to practice as part of a collaborative team, and where the School of Nursing will help shape the future of primary care in British Columbia.