Overcoming the challenge of physician turnover in Bella Bella

The ƛ̓uxválásu̓ilas Heiltsuk Hospital MSA and Rural and Remote Division of Family Practice are partnering to address the common issue of physician recruitment shared by many communities in BC. Through the collaboration, several strategies have proven effective to recruit new physicians. 

Collegial, personal connections

Activities include holding personalized lunch and dinner meetings with prospective, locum, and visiting physicians that foster collegiality and showcase the benefits of living and working in Bella Bella. 

Recruitment website

A jointly funded recruitment website provides an overview of health care services, local amenities, a recruitment video, and recreational opportunities in Bella Bella. With convenient links to VCH employment sites, physicians have found this resource informative in their preparation to work in Bella Bella.

Physician wiki for streamlined orientation

The partners have developed a secure, online "Bella Bella Physician Wiki" to modernize and streamline the orientation experience for regular physicians and locums. Supporting a healthy interest among locums to work in Bella Bella is critical for ongoing staffing needs. 

Helpful 'how-to' information and instructions are readily available on the Wiki’s easily searchable platform. Notably, 100 per cent of locums found this orientation/instructional website with its organized repository of resources helpful.

Slack channel for communication and engagement

The group further adopted Slack as a communication platform to facilitate continuous engagement of physicians with MSA activities and important issues, while reducing e-mails and streamlining information flow. 

Health authority engagement to improve clinical care environment 

Finally, the team continues to work with the health authority to enhance and streamline clinical spaces and processes, with ongoing changes that improve physicians' and locums' experience in providing care. 

Bella Bella as a training site 

These efforts have not only attracted new doctors, they have elevated Bella Bella as a site to support medical training experiences, and go a long way towards providing consistent and sustainable longitudinal care for the community.

“Encouraging and inspiring medical staff to take on challenges and projects and contribute to solving our collective recruitment and retention issues and other issues around the hospital has been an incredible privilege.” - Dr. Greg Costello

Left to Right: Dr Christina Thompson, Dr Xochitl Hanson-Pastran, Dr Adam Sandell, Jay Boulet (Office Manager), Dr Greg Costello, Dr. Bejaan Jivraj, Dr Chris Gooch, Rhonda Orobko (MSA Coordinator)
 

LEARN MORE: Bella Bella recruitment website>