And now for something completely different...

This post isn’t specifically related to health human resources but I just had to bring it to attention, mostly for its comedic value. I was surfing some of the health blogs this morning and came across this post on Dr. Wes’ blog. Hilarious. A colonoscopy contest? Is this for real? Apparently so. Here is a link to the contest, sponsored by CBS and supported by the National Cancer Institute.

A lot of ink has been spilled about the differences between Canadian and American health care. Debating the merits and faults of either isn’t something I’m going to get into here. But nothing strikes me as more indicative of that difference than a sweepstakes contest offering free health care. Then again, a certain Halifax radio station had a contest a few years ago offering free plastic surgery (let’s just say, to ‘enhance’ certain assets) to the lucky winner. So, I guess crass reality show-style promotional events aren’t restricted to American-style health care. It’s funny, it’s weird. What do you think?

To give this post a bit of context and draw attention to the real issue here, I’d like to highlight a few facts (from the PEI Ministry of Health Annual Report 2006-2007 and the Health Canada website):

• Colorectal cancer (which the colonoscopy screens for) is one of the most common forms of cancer (including lung, prostate and breast cancers) affecting Canadians, with an incidence rate of 62 men and 41.1 women per 100,000 population in 2006.
• Incidence rates for colorectal cancer were higher for PEI than the rest of Canada (64.9 men and 52 women per 100,000 population). They were also higher for lung, prostate and breast cancer.
• Mortality rates for colorectal cancer were higher in PEI (31 men and 22 women per 100,000 population in PEI versus 27 men and 17 women in Canada). They were also higher for lung, prostate and breast cancer.
• Risk factors for colorectal cancer include age (over 70 most at risk), heredity, diet (high in red meat and low in vegetables may increase risk), weight, alcohol consumption and smoking.
• Colonoscopy is one of a number of screening techniques and is considered to be the most thorough screening technique.

It is somewhat disconcerting that the PEI incidence rates for colorectal and other cancers are higher than the Canadian average. There are likely many reasons for this – could human resources be one of them? Availability of human resources must certainly have an effect on mortality rates from these cancers. A 2006 article in the Montreal Gazette suggests that a lack of specialists and equipment in Québec is to blame for year-long wait lists for colonoscopies in that province, prompting many to pay for the procedure in one of Montreal’s many private clinics. Still, I don’t think we’ll see anything as bizarre and ‘un-Canadian’ as the CBS/National Cancer Institute colonoscopy contest on this side of the border anytime soon.

I believe it is also important for all of us to stay on top of managing our own health by living a healthy lifestyle and communicating with our physicians, pharmacists and other health care providers. It is always best to identify issues early.

Cheers,
Mark

Best Practices in Interprofessional Care Case Study

This Health Council of Canada video presents a brief case study of a successful collaborative practice facility in Twillingate, a small community of about 2,500 people on the northeast shore of Newfoundland. The chronic disease care team described in the video exhibits qualities that I think we can consider best practices in collaborative care – namely, that collaborative care is a team-based approach where practitioners from different occupations and levels of the health system come together to discuss an individual client’s case. The approach is client-centred, includes the patient as a team-member, and promotes the sharing of knowledge between disciplines. Seems like a no-brainer, I know. That collaborative care is a somewhat revolutionary health care delivery model may be a revelation to some, but the degree of collaboration exhibited by the chronic disease team in Twillingate is not the norm. However, collaborative practice facilities and teams are becoming more prevalent. We have good examples on PEI which I will be profiling in future blog posts. Stay tuned!

Embedding of this video is disabled, so you'll have to link directly to Youtube to view it. Sorry about the extra step!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PADGp1I34is&feature=channel

PEI Family Medicine Residency Program

The Department of Health released a press release last week announcing that five family medicine residents will be starting their two-year residency at the QEH and Prince County Hospital. The idea behind the residency program is to encourage family doctors to establish practices on the Island following their training. Recruiting family doctors is becoming a challenge everywhere, let alone in a rural setting like PEI, so with any luck the program will be successful and we will see more family doctors setting up practice here. Incidentally, there is some evidence (like this study from Canadian Family Physician) to suggest that providing training in rural medicine to medical students increases the chances that they will go on to set up practices in rural areas.

For Immediate Release March 12, 2009
Five Residents Identified for PEI Family Medicine Residency Program

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- The province announced today that five family medicine residents have been identified to begin their two-year training program on the Island this July.

“This is tremendous news for Islanders and I’m extremely pleased that we now have five talented medical school graduates identified and ready to start their training on Prince Edward Island this summer,” says Premier Robert Ghiz. “Establishing the PEI Family Medicine Residency Program has been a top priority for my government, and it will help significantly in the recruitment of additional family physicians for the province.”

The five medical school graduates were identified by Dalhousie University. Four of the students are graduates of Canadian medical schools and one is a graduate of an international medical school.

To train as a family physician, a medical school graduate must complete two years of residency training under the guidance of a practising, credentialed physician – also known as a preceptor.
“I’m very excited about five exceptional medical school graduates who will receive their two-year training across the Island,” says Health Minister, Doug Currie. “Medical residents who train here have the highest potential to stay, plus second-year residents can work as qualified physicians under the supervision of a licensed physician, which will help with patient workload. This will enhance our current recruitment initiatives and assist in ensuring we have an adequate number of family doctors into the future.”

During the past two years, Island physicians have been part of curriculum and faculty development, and have been receiving training in integrating medical students into their clinical practice.

“This is the result of several years of planning for the implementation of the program, says Dr. George Carruthers, site director. “Currently there are about 30 preceptors on the Island who provide training at the post-graduate level. Island preceptors are looking forward to having the residents train here, which will result in enhancements to the Island medical community overall, and to patient care.”

The PEI Medical Residency Program will be based and operated from a site at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with rotations at Prince County Hospital and throughout communities across the Island.

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PEI Health Careers Directory

Last spring the Health Sector Council released the PEI Health Careers Directory, outlining 62 health occupations practiced on the Island. The booklet scratches the surface really; there are so many options for people interested in pursuing a career in health.

Each career gets a brief write-up including a job description, salary range, high school preparation and post-secondary requirements, and a list of schools offering programs leading to a job in the career profiled. So, for example, the entry for Medical Laboratory Technologist looks like this:

Health Profession: Medical Laboratory Technologist

Job Description: Medical Laboratory Technologists perform sophisticated laboratory tests that help diagnose and treat disease

Approximate Salary: $40,000 - $57,500

High School Preparation: Academic high school diploma with an emphasis on biology, chemistry, computer science and math

Academic Requirements: Post-secondary studies in medical laboratory science – usually a 2- or 3-year program at the community college level

Schools in Atlantic Canada: College of the North Atlantic, NL (3-year program); New Brunswick Community College Saint John Campus, NB (2.5-year program)

Each of the careers fits into a loosely defined category – Cancer Care, Clinical Laboratory Science, Dentistry, Diagnostic Imaging, Health Information and Communication, the Medical Profession, Mental Health, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, Special Technologies and Services, Therapy and Vision Care. The categories make it easy to look up careers that you might be interested in. If you’re curious about nursing, for example, open up the section on Nursing and you’ll see that there are seven nursing-oriented jobs listed. If you enjoy science and lab work, check out Diagnostic Imaging or Clinical Laboratory Science for jobs that lean in that direction, like medical laboratory technologist.

Check out the booklet; let me know what you think. We have hardcopies at the office for anyone interested (our contact info is on the PEIHSC website). Also, we’ll probably revise the booklet in the future, so if you work in any of the occupations listed and notice something that should be changed or updated (like the salary ranges) please get in touch with me.

Cheers,

Mark

Recruiting the ‘Facebook Generation’

Julie Murphy, Administrative Assistant with the Health Sector Council, sent me the following article on recruitment strategies for Gen Xers and Yers. The article points out that recruitment strategies highlighting job benefits and salary through the use of traditional media (newspaper ads, for example) do not resonate with the 18-32 age bracket, and how the most successful recruitment campaigns are turning to new venues (social media like Facebook, blogs, and Youtube) to send a different message (social responsibility and personal values versus job security and salary) about what it means to work with a particular organization. I think a good example of this recruitment style is the recent Canadian Forces campaign – you’ve probably seen some of the grainy, edgy, documentary-style recruitment ads on TV. You can also check out individual videos on the Canadian Forces website and on Youtube (like the Fight Chaos and Fight Distress/Chaos/Fear videos). I probably wouldn’t last a day in the forces, but these videos make me want to join and make a difference in the world...for a few seconds at least.

So what does this mean for the health sector on PEI? Can it learn something from recruitment strategies that emphasise changing the world, making a difference, and personal growth over salary range and mission statements? Certainly people working in the health sector are often drawn to the field out of a desire to ‘do good’ and change lives. But this aspect of health sector careers is rarely (if ever) stated in the job postings I see on the job board.

What do you think? Would a shift in focus in health sector recruitment to a more youthful, tech-savvy demographic with an emphasis on values and ethics serve to entice more health workers to the Island? In my opinion, yes, a different recruitment approach probably would serve to generate more interest in the PEI health sector. I’m not sure what that approach would necessarily look like; imagine the Canadian Forces videos but instead focusing on medical careers, nursing and so on. But there’s another piece to that puzzle, which is ensuring that once we attract the so-called ‘Facebook generation’ to the PEI health system we keep them there. That’s the key component really. If the workplace doesn’t live up to the expectations of a new recruit, they probably won’t stick around, and ensuring that we have an exemplary workplace here on the Island goes hand-in-hand with recruitment, whatever the approach.

Wooing Facebook Generation with Meaning, Spirit

By Carly Foster
June 1, 2008

In the 70s, it was stability. The 80s: Money. The 90s: Balance. Now, some analysts say employee recruiting and retention is about communicating the meaning and purpose of work, even more so than the value of benefits and total rewards.

The path to recruiting and retaining the so-called Facebook Generation is not through fancy gimmicks and traditional advertising - it's through meaning, spirit and tech-savvy company promotion, says Tod Maffin.The broadcaster, blogger and social media strategist was the keynote speaker at EBNC's recent sold-out Canadian Benefits Summit, discussing "Recruiting the Facebook Generation: How to Win the War on Talent."

read more of the article here...