New support for health care students. New Pan-Canadian Framework

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1 s first Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry Following through on a commitment made by Premier Campbell to support BC seniors and vulnerable citizens, Minister of Health Services Kevin Falcon launched the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry. Full report New program for allied health retirees The Provincial Recruitment Committee (PRC) has endorsed the Allied Health Retired Health Professionals Reimbursement Pilot Project, as a part of Health Match BC s Allied Health Professions Recruitment Incentive Pilot Program. More information page 4 New registry launched, services expanded Throughout the past year, Health Match BC has made a variety of advances in the recruitment of physicians, registered nurses, and allied health professionals in British Columbia. While physician recruitment continues to be the key focus, last year saw a large advance in the facilitation of the recruitment of registered nurses. Read further page 5 New support for health care students The Student-to-Nurse Committee established by Health Match BC in 2006 has now evolved into the Health Care Students-to- Practice in BC Working Committee. The name change was recommended by the committee members in order to expand our support to all health care students. What this means page 6 New Pan-Canadian Framework Projected skill shortages in some fields, including health care and allied health, mean that it s to everyone s benefit if internationally educated professionals can work to their full capacity upon arrival in. That s why a new federalprovincial accord, The Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, was released in November, More COMMUNITIES IN ACTION Prince George program celebrates 10th anniversary In the summer of 2000, residents of Prince George rallied to shine a spotlight on the shortage of health care professionals in the city. Community members and organizations agreed that they needed to work together to overcome the challenges of recruiting to a northern area. What they did page 8 PROFILE OUR RECRUITERS ON THE ROAD After seven years as a radiologist in the UK, Dr. Shyr Chui had reached the top of the ladder career-wise and was ready for a new challenge. He had attended a radiology conference in Vancouver, but it was at a medical conference in the UK when he first considered BC as a place to work. A better lifestyle page 9 Health Match BC's recruiters will be attending the following international conferences and annual meetings. Join them to find out more about the opportunities that await you. 1 April 10, Calgary: Healthcare Career Fair April 11, Edmonton: Healthcare Career Fair April 10-17, Toronto: American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting April 22-24, Toronto: American College of Physicians/ American Society of Internal Medicine Conference April 25-29, Bournemouth, UK: Royal College of Nursing Congress May 1-4, Vancouver: Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting May 18-20, Washington, DC: American Association of Critical Care Nurses May 22-26, New Orleans, LA: American Psychiatric Association Conference June 21-24, Edinburgh, UK: Royal College of Psychiatry Conference

2 s first Care Aide and s first Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry Related story: New registry to safeguard seniors, support caregivers page 3 Following through on a commitment made by Premier Campbell in April 2009 to support BC seniors and vulnerable citizens, Minister of Health Services Kevin Falcon launched the BC Care Aide and Community Health Worker Registry on January 29th at the Höfn Icelandic Harbour Assisted Living Facility in Vancouver. Minister Falcon noted that the number of seniors in BC is expected to increase by 220% by He stated that it s necessary to safeguard the rights of vulnerable British Columbians by ensuring that seniors, and others who have the highest level of needs, receive the care they require and deserve. 13,000 have registered Health Match must now ensure the registry is fully operational by April 28, That is when all 25,000 care aides and community health workers in publicly funded facilities are required to be registered. At the time of publication, about 13,000 had done so. While all caregivers will be able to maintain their current employment, those who register after April 28th will need to submit proof that they have completed a recognized BC health care assistant training program or equivalent course, before they can work for another publicly funded employer in BC in the future. Publicly funded employers are required to check the registry after April 28th before hiring new care aides and community health workers. To protect the public, employers will be required to report any alleged patient abuse by an employee to the registry at the time of suspension or termination of employment. This may result in a registrant s removal from the registry and affect their ability to hold employment with a publicly funded health employer. Collaborative effort In the initial phase, registration will be optional for care aides and community health workers employed by facilities or organizations that do not receive public funding. Discussions will be held with the BC Care Providers Association and others about extending registration to all care aides and community health workers. Health Match BC and the Health Employers Association of BC have worked closely with many groups including the Hospital Employees Union, the BC Government Employees Union, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, and the BC Care Providers Association to ensure that the registry protects the public and reflects the needs of care aides and community health workers and their employers. An important feature of the registry is that, once it is fully operational, it may assist educators with the development and implementation of a standardized provincial health care assistant curriculum, as well as educational assessments for internationally educated staff and information on job opportunities in the province. Care aides and community health workers are an important component in our health care system. We are committed to helping them further their careers and safeguarding vulnerable British Columbians. 2

3 s first Care Aide and New registry to safeguard seniors, support caregivers Main story: s first Care Aide and BC increased safeguards to protect vulnerable British Columbians and created supports for care aides and community health workers with the creation of a new registry on January 29, Care aides and community health workers are an important part of BC s health care delivery system, said Minister of Health Services Kevin Falcon. Not only will the registry protect the public and help to ensure that individuals working for publiclyfunded employers are providing appropriate standards of care, but we are building in supports for workers to encourage career mobility and development. First of its kind The BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker registry is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Registration with the registry is a requirement for employment as a care aide or community health worker with publicly-funded employers in To protect the public, employers will be required to report any alleged patient abuse by an employee to the registry at the time of suspension or termination of employment. This may result in a registrant s removal from the registry and affect the individual s eligibility to hold employment with publicly-funded health employers. Care aides and community health workers in the public sector have until April 28, 2010 to register. People working in these positions will be able to maintain their current employment. Those registering after April 28th will be required to demonstrate they have the required knowledge and patient-care skills before they can work for another publicly funded employer. Expansion plans The BC Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry supports the government s commitment to ensure seniors and other vulnerable British Columbians, who have the highest level of needs, receive the care they require. The province has opened more than 6,000 net-new residential care beds, assisted living and supportive housing units since The Ministry worked on the development of the registry in partnership with the Health Employers Association of BC. The registry reports directly to Health Match BC. Once it s fully operational, the registry may incorporate a number of other features, including assistance with assessments for internationally educated care aides and community health workers and may offer information on job and educational opportunities. The province is also working with educational institutions to standardize care aide and community health worker education in BC to ensure all new graduates have the entry to practice skills required in today s health-care environment. In the initial phases, registration will be optional for care aides and community health workers employed by facilities or organizations that do not receive public funding. However, in order to ensure standardized levels of care for all British Columbians, the province will work with Health Match BC, the BC Care Providers Association and other stakeholders to encourage registration for all BC care aides and community health workers, regardless of where they work. The vast majority of care aides and community health workers in BC work for publiclyfunded or partially publicly-funded employers. 3

4 s first Care Aide and New program for allied health retirees The Provincial Recruitment Committee (PRC) has endorsed the Allied Health Retired Health Professionals Reimbursement Pilot Project, as a part of Health Match BC s Allied Health Professions Recruitment Incentive Pilot Program. The purpose of the project is to provide one-time reimbursements to retired allied health professionals who have been approved by a health authority - to receive a payment equivalent to their annual professional registration fee in order to return to work on a regular, temporary, or casual basis to address an identified staff shortage, says John Mabbott, Executive Director of Health Match BC. Eligibility To be eligible for funding under this pilot project, the retiree must have been a fully-qualified allied health professional in one of the following professions: dietitian, medical laboratory technician, occupational therapist, pharmacist, physiotherapist, radiation technologist, social worker, speech/language pathologist, ultrasonographer, and other difficult-to-fill paramedical positions such as biomedical engineering technologist, psychologist, and combined x-ray/lab technologist. The candidate must also have been retired long enough so that their full registration has expired and an annual registration fee must be paid if they want to be eligible to work again. Allied health retirees from all parts of the province may participate. There are no limits or quotas for each health authority. When the approved funding is exhausted no further applications will be accepted. It is estimated that up to 100 retirees may be approved. Application process Provincial Recruitment Committee members: Health Match BC John Mabbott (Alternate: Eva Mendez) Fraser Health Darleen Odegard (Alternate: Glenn Marcus) Interior Health Gail Brown (Alternate: David Bamford) Northern Health Birgit LeBlanc Vancouver Island Health Rod O Connell Consolidated HR Services (Providence Health Care/Provincial Health Services Authority/Vancouver Coastal Health Authority) Judy Clark (Alternate: Debbie Blaney) The health authority must agree in advance with each retiree on a minimum expected period of service (hours) prior to applying for reimbursement from Health Match BC. The retiree must apply for re-registration themselves and pay the necessary fee to their professional licensing body. Then they can submit to Health Match BC an original receipt for full reimbursement, accompanied by an approval form signed by a representative of the health authority authorizing reimbursement. Health Match BC then reimburses the retiree on a timely basis for each eligible application on a firstcome, first-served basis until all the available funds are exhausted. At the end of the pilot project, the health authority reports to Health Match BC the number of hours that the retiree worked and in what capacity. Reporting process To assist with planning, Health Match BC will inform all health authorities of the amount of funding remaining on a regular basis. We will also prepare and publish a report from data provided by each health authority indicating the type of professionals recruited, the number of hours gained by each health authority, the associated costs of registration and the estimated return on investment. Personal information about health professionals will not be published, only aggregated data. Please contact Yvonne Attwood for more information on this project and check the PDF guidelines and forms on the Health Match BC website. 4

5 s first Care Aide and Health Match BC launches new registry, expands services Throughout the past year, Health Match BC has made a variety of advances in the recruitment of physicians, registered nurses, and allied health professionals in British Columbia. While physician recruitment continues to be the key focus, last year saw a large advance in the facilitation of the recruitment of registered nurses. Subsequent to the hiring of a full-time nursing and allied health recruitment consultant, Eva Mendez, in July 2009, over 780 nurses were registered with Health Match BC, compared to 2008 when 96 nurses were registered. Many are being helped to obtain licensure and find employment throughout the province. Care aide registration John Mabbott (right), Executive Director of Health Match BC at the launch of the Care Aide Registry with Minister of Health Services Kevin Falcon (centre) and Albert Tang (left), Executive Director of the Icelandic Care Home Höfn Society. Our services have increased significantly, says John Mabbott, Executive Director of Health Match BC. We ve had our best two years for physician recruitment. In the latter half of 2009, we also focused on facilitating the recruitment of out-of-province registered nurses. Most recently, we launched s first-ever Care Aide & Community Health Worker Registry. The registry is a database of credentialed care aides and community health workers who are employed or wish to be employed in BC by a publically-funded employer. Less than one month after the launch of the registry, 13,000 care aides, representing about 52% of all eligible candidates, applied for registration. Allied health collaboration Health Match BC is also revising its approach to facilitating the recruitment of some allied health professionals and recently appointed Catherine Omueti to help with this initiative. Discussions began in 2009 at the Provincial Recruitment Committee about provincewide allied health recruitment collaboration and will continue during (See New support for health care students in this issue). 2009: Physician matches Health Match BC filled 230 family practitioner and specialist physician vacancies. 44 were placed in the Fraser Health Authority, an 83% increase from Fraser Health has one of the largest, most rapidly growing populations in BC. 28 were placed in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, an increase of 115% from Most of these physicians were specialists. Health Match BC filled 59 psychiatrist vacancies during 2008 and This was more than the previous four years, when 51 psychiatrist vacancies in total were filled. 5

6 s first Care Aide and New support for health care students The Student-to-Nurse Committee established by Health Match BC in 2006 has now evolved into the Health Care Students-to- Practice in BC Working Committee. The name change was recommended by the committee members in order to expand our support to all health care students. Effective immediately, in addition to providing support to student nurses, the committee will also support allied health students including: pharmacists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, medical laboratory technicians, medical radiation technicians, and others. Expanded website The committee is dedicated to providing the students with the support and information they need to practise in BC, primarily through the collaborative creation of a new section for students on the Health Match BC website. This section will enable health care students from BC and across to access information on additional training, career pathways, incentive programs, and/or internship programs available in BC. This will send a message that health care students and new grads are valued and welcomed by health authorities in BC, says Eva Mendez, Health Match BC s Senior Consultant, Nurse and Allied Health Services. It will provide health care students with information that supports new graduates and novice professionals, as well as information on career growth including opportunities for advanced clinical practice. The new website pages will also feature links to employment opportunities with BC s health authorities. Health Care Studentsto-Practice in BC Working Committee: Health Match BC - Eva Mendez, Chair Consolidated HR Services (Providence Health Care/Provincial Health Services Authority/Vancouver Coastal Health) Linda Hand Fraser Health - Karen Muller Interior Health Gail Brown Northern Health Bev Boyd Vancouver Island Health - Rod O Connell 6

7 s first Care Aide and New Pan-Canadian Framework Projected skill shortages in some fields, including health care and allied health, mean that it s to everyone s benefit if internationally educated professionals can work to their full capacity upon their arrival in. Efficient and consistent processes are needed to assess the qualifications of professionals who have been educated outside of. That s why a new federal-provincial accord, The Pan- Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications, was released on November 30, There are almost 500 professional regulatory authorities in, most of which are in place to serve professionals who have been educated in. It will still be up to these provincial authorities to establish the occupational standards that will ensure the delivery of quality care to the public. Public commitment The Framework is a public commitment to make life easier for immigrants wanting to work in a regulated profession in, but it s not a legal document. Immigrants are to receive clear information, fair treatment and prompt communication throughout the assessment process. The Canadian system is complex and can be frustrating for immigrants. It will take collaboration among many stakeholders to reduce duplication and make the system more efficient. Smoother process In response to the growing number of internationally educated applicants in recent years, some BC regulatory authorities are already working toward a smoother assessment process. The Framework does not replace any of these strategies, but provides direction to regulatory authorities, government departments, post-secondary institutions and other stakeholders, to guide their work in this area. We have made significant efforts over the last few years, in response to the increasing number of international applicants for nursing, says Cynthia Johansen, Director of Registration, Inquiry and Discipline for the College of Registered Nurses of BC (CRNBC). These have included providing website information in multiple languages, and the introduction of the Substantially Equivalent Competency (SEC) assessment process for internationally educated nurses. The Framework targets several health and allied health professions, for implementation of a 12-month credentialing recognition process by the end of This list includes registered nurses, physiotherapists, medical laboratory technologists, pharmacists and occupational therapists. Several of these professional groups already have systems in place that are well within the guidelines of the Framework. Currently, the average time it takes the CRNBC to process an application from an internationally educated nurse once all required documentation has been submitted is four to eight weeks, says Ms. Johansen. 7

8 s first Care Aide and Prince George program celebrates 10th anniversary In the summer of 2000, residents of Prince George rallied to shine a spotlight on the shortage of health care professionals in the city. Community members and organizations agreed that they needed to work together to overcome the challenges of recruiting to a northern area. The result? The award-winning Living and Working in Prince George initiative. Now in its 10th year, the program continues to provide support to employers recruiting talent to the city. Almost as soon as we voiced the challenges that we faced in recruiting health care professionals, we heard from employers in other sectors. They faced many of the same issues recruiting professors, engineers and senior managers, says Committee Chair Jacquie Scobie. We wanted to develop programs and services that would Almost as soon as address recruitment needs throughout the community. we voiced the Recruitment program The committee, made up of 15 key stakeholders, has developed a website, brochures, information packages, folders and tours of the community designed to help employers recruit the best possible candidates to Prince George. The tours are extremely well-received and are likely the key to the program s success. Volunteer community experts take candidates on a customized tour of Prince George, highlighting areas of interest, such as schools, subdivisions and recreational opportunities. The car and driver for the tours are supplied by a local dealership, or candidates can be chauffeured in a limousine or an antique car provided by the Antique Car Club. The tours offer the most positive experience of Prince George that we can share with prospective employees, says Scobie. It takes the employer out of the equation, which allows for an unbiased approach. It s just a chance to get to know the community better, from people who know it well. challenges that we faced in recruiting health care professionals, we heard from employers in other sectors. They faced many of the same issues recruiting professors, engineers and senior managers. We wanted to develop programs and services that would address recruitment needs throughout the Northern Health is one of the primary users of the community. - Jacquie service, which has helped to recruit the full gamut of Scobie, health professionals, from family physicians and Committee Chair. specialists to nurses and medical radiology technicians. It s a real coup for Northern Health to be able to use this service in Prince George. It can be harder to recruit to the north, and it really helps our efforts to have such great volunteers showcasing the community, says Bev Boyd, Recruitment Consultant for Northern Health. Success recognized The initiative was honoured with an Award of Excellence in Innovation from the BC Human Resources Management Association in The award recognizes the strong volunteer support of the committee members, many of whom are local human resources professionals working on it in their spare time. It also celebrates the creativity of community partners: Initiatives Prince George and the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to the Living and Working Committee s hard work, our members have an effective resource to assist them in finding and keeping the best and brightest employees, says Sherry Sethen, Executive Director of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce. 8

9 s first Care Aide and Physician Profile Dr. Shyr Chui, his wife Karenza, and their children Victoria and Daniel are originally from Worcester, England. They moved to Prince George in the summer of 2008, where Dr. Chui practises radiology at the Prince George Regional Hospital. After seven years as a radiologist in the UK, Dr. Shyr Chui had reached the top of the ladder career-wise and The Chuis at Mount Robson was ready for a new challenge. He had attended a radiology conference in Vancouver, but it was at a medical conference in the UK when he first considered BC as a place to work. I had just come out of a session that outlined the future of radiology in the UK. I didn t like the look of how things were going, and walked out of the seminar feeling a little depressed. And there was the Health Match BC booth, with a beautiful picture of the The work is much mountains that s when we started talking about moving broader and more to BC, said Dr. Chui. general than my A better lifestyle The Chui family was attracted by the promise of a better lifestyle with more time to spend with family and pursue personal interests. They considered several vacancies, but decided on northern BC for both personal and professional reasons. Prince George is a good-sized town and has everything that we were looking for familywise. And the hospital is a secondary referral centre for the region, with a comprehensive imaging department for radiology, says Dr. Chui. Did the reality live up to perception? The answer is a resounding yes. After the initial upheaval of relocation, the Chui family has settled into their new lives and their second winter in Prince George. They enjoy skating on the outdoor ponds and lakes, cross-country and downhill skiing and ice fishing. Six-year-old Daniel is the hockey fan in the family. In the summer, with the great outdoors at their doorstep, they are canoeing, mountain biking and fishing. The kids settled into their second year of school and Karenza, who was an active volunteer in Worcester, is volunteering with local charities. New challenges practice in the UK. I ve had to brush up on certain aspects of the practice, but I ve also been able to share my more specialized knowledge with the team. It s been a good change. I was ready for the challenge. - Dr. Chui, Prince George. Dr. Chui is enjoying the challenges of his new job as much as the ski slopes at Tabor Mountain. The work is much broader and more general than my practice in the UK. I ve had to brush up on certain aspects of the practice, but I ve also been able to share my more specialized knowledge with the team. It s been a good change. I was ready for the challenge. The family was put in touch with other people from the UK who moved to Prince George around the same time, and together they figured out the finer points of life in. Tracking down the perfect tea bag was the first puzzle that these new friends faced together. Now we know to look for the extra-strong bags. But we still bring back tea bags, whenever one of us goes to the UK for a visit, says Dr. Chui. 9