Count backwards from 10…
BC residents narrowly escaped a collective medical emergency last weekend when the BC Supreme Court ruled that anesthesiologists must continue to provide full hospital services – at least until after a subsequent ruling on April 20.
Contrary to much of the coverage, the physicians are not just concerned about compensation.
“The issue here is we need a process to deal with the problems that we have with the recruitment and retention of anesthesiologists in this province,” said Dr. Jeff Rains, president of the B.C. Anesthesiologists Society.
And sure, compensation is part of that discussion. But so is lifestyle. Note that Dr Rains talks about recruitment and retention. How do we get doctors to come to BC – and keep them working here? Keep them working at all?
The anaesthesiologist dispute in BC falls on a backdrop of the 2012 Federal budget announcement where it seems that those of us lucky enough to still be at the peak of our careers, now have a chance to work even longer. For those of us who love our jobs, this doesn’t seem so bad today. But how will it feel when we are close to retirement?
Most of us will need to ease out slowly. We will want to nurture colleagues still building their careers – and make sure the intuition and expertise we have developed over our working lives is not lost. We will need a legacy. Our employers will need it too.
Why would a doctor want anything different? Most physicians spend their careers managing overwhelming workloads at the expense of their own families and lifestyle. I am sure retirement is a big draw for many. And many doctors are close to retiring. Canadian Medical Association research shows that 44% of BC physicians are over age 55. Replacing those doctors in this highly competitive recruitment market will be next to impossible.
Perhaps what we need to do is focus less on recruitment and more on retention – that and a gradual easing of workload as physicians age. Rather than putting more money and effort into recruiting a physician workforce that is in desperate supply internationally, perhaps we should consider innovative ideas to help older BC doctors keep working in ways that continue to reward them, and the communities they serve.
Maybe an attractive retirement program would even attract physicians to move to BC? Maybe a different way of doing things would bring anaesthesiologists, too.
The anaesthesiologist dispute is likely to be followed by many other physician shortages as more BC doctors retire. The countdown has started and with some creative foresight we can choose not to be put under.
Part of the Club
It was with excitement that I received a heavy package in the office mail this week. It contained my certificate that confirmed I am now a Certified Environmental Professional. This is not the highest academic achievement I have attained, but it is one I am very proud of.
The designation recognizes my experience in environmental and stakeholder communications as well as my graduate certificate in sustainability, received from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Seattle in 2010. More than anything it means that I have been evaluated by my peers as meeting a standard of excellence.
According the FSC-certified guidebook that came along with the certificate, “the CEP designation provides Canada with an invaluable tool for developing a highly skilled workforce. Environmental professionals demonstrate their ability to meet the National Occupational Standards (NOS) for environmental employment. “
CEPs work in environmental protection, sustainability and resource management sectors and consist of scientists, researchers, educators and communicators.
In short, the EP certification represents the standard of excellence in environmental employment in Canada. They have done so for more than a decade. It feels great to be part of this ‘club’.
I am now connected to a large network of Canadian peers who are both passionate about the environment and who have demonstrated their expertise as environmental professionals. For me this means that I can connect with project partners and follow front-line research much more readily.
Through the CEP designation clients and employers also have a way of separating self-proclaimed experts from those with years of dedication and experience. When it comes to making decisions about how our activities impact our precious environment – it makes sense to be talking to the right people. And the CEP designation helps us all know who they are.
Not to say that there aren’t plenty of experts doing great work without the recognition of a certifying body. There are. It is just that the certification is a kind of shorthand – it lets you know right away if the person you are consulting has met a national standard of excellence. Kind of like knowing that your doctor passed medical school – except this time the patient is the environment.
And we all have a responsibility to provide the best care possible.
Learn more about Certified Environment Professionals at http://eco.ca/certification/
Who cares about the air?
Well it turns out, not enough of us.
Health Canada recently released an Environics’ Survey that examined our knowledge and attitudes about air quality – and the survey results will have profound changes on how air quality is managed and reported in Canada.
If you are like the one-in-seven Canadians surveyed, you are probably saying “so what” at this point and may be thinking about your dinner plans. Well don’t make your shopping list just yet. It seems that air quality affects us all. We just don’t know it yet.
The study found a significant difference between our understanding that air quality affects our health and our awareness of our own local risk factors. About 96% of Canadians believe air quality affects health to some degree; yet few Canadians seek out air quality information regularly.
A majority of us continue to rely on our sense to tell us when the air is ‘bad’. And it seems that we tend to think about the long term effects of poor air quality but are less good at identifying the immediate impact on health unless “the connection has been made directly through a personal experience”.
So why is it that even those of us living in the most polluted parts of the country do not seem to make the connection between air pollution and our own health?
The Survey authors suggest our collective head-in-the-sand approach might be due to a “they must be talking about someone else” reaction or even a “this is too big for me to think about” response.
But perhaps we are not getting information we know how to use.
When Environics compared provinces that had the highest (BC) and lowest (Alberta) air quality awareness, they found one critical difference – the Air Quality Health Index.
Launched in BC in 2006, the Air Quality Health Index is the first air quality measurement tool in the world that reports the health impact of the air we all breathe. It makes the connection for us. BC residents have been learning about the Index and now use it to manage exposure during times when the air quality is poor – like in the fires of 2010.
Those same fires created the worst air quality in Alberta that has ever been recorded in the province. But without the AQHI, residents had no way of knowing how the outside air was affecting their health. That is changing. Seeing the success, the Government of Alberta committed to a province-wide launch of the Air Quality Health Index in the summer of 2011. Now the AQHI is reported across the country.
Ask us again in a few years. It appears Canadians do care about the air and this new tool will help equip them in making decisions toward improved personal health.