Medical Director, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics - University of British Columbia/BC Children’s Hospital Emergency Physicians Associates (CHEPA)

British Columbia Children’s Hospital (BCCH) cares for the most acutely ill or injured children and youth in BC.   BCCH also provides developmental and rehabilitation services to children and youth throughout BC, and operates a wide number of specialized health programs. BCCH is also a leading acute care teaching facility, and conducts research to advance health and care through the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) and in partnership with the University of British Columbia.

BCCH is a program of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) which plans, manages, and evaluates specialty and province-wide health care services across BC. Our values reflect our commitment to excellence and include: Respect people – Be compassionate – Dare to innovate – Cultivate partnerships – Serve with purpose.

As the main Pediatric clinical training site for the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC), BCCH is the leading acute care teaching facility in the province. BCCH was recently accredited as the only Pediatric Trauma Center in British Columbia and serves as the site for definitive care of all major trauma in the province.

DIVISION OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE
DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
BC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL EMERGENCY PHYSICIANS ASSOCIATES
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA

Medical Director
Regular Full Time

The Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine is seeking a Medical Director (0.35 FTE). The Medical Director position is part of a dyadic leadership structure and works closely with the Division Head for PEM, and ultimately reports to the Department Head of Pediatrics and the CMO of BCCH. The Medical Director role is primarily inward-facing (as opposed to the Division Head role that primarily interfaces with other divisions and health authorities) and is responsible for the Division’s operational functionality. This includes ensuring quality of medical practice. ensuring that effective mechanisms are in place to facilitate best practice, promoting evidence based practices within the ED, addressing complaints from patients and families, working closely with the ED Nursing leadership team, working with the Scheduling team to ensure a fair distribution of shifts and coverage of the schedule, working with the Division Head to conduct in-depth reviews of PEM staff, collaborating with other Divisions in the hospital, communicating operational changes with Divisional members via weekly emails, chairing various leadership committees, and working closely with our Nurse Practitioner group.

The BCCH Emergency Department serves almost 49,000 children per year and provides an outstanding environment for clinical research and teaching of learners from multiple healthcare disciplines. The ED has more than 50 acute and fast-track beds including 2 state-of-the-art trauma/resuscitation rooms, specialized procedure rooms, and a dedicated mental wellness area. The Emergency Department is staffed by subspecialists in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, including 29 members of the Children’s Hospital Emergency Physicians Associates (CHEPA), and another 19 Float Pool members who are trained in PEM or Emergency Medicine. CHEPA is a formal democratic group of Pediatric Emergency Physicians that provides clinical service to the Emergency Department of BCCH, and is dedicated to excellence in clinical care, research and education. A fully equipped state-of-the-art simulation center within the hospital and the UBC Centre for Health Educational Scholarship (CHES) present opportunities for growth and development of faculty interested in educational research, while the BCCHR supports opportunities for the clinician scholar.

The Medical Director will also be appointed as a Pediatric Emergency physician. As a Pediatric Emergency physician, you are interested in a clinical career with significant administrative and/or academic interests in providing excellence to meet the acute medical care needs of children and youth. The successful applicant is expected to help provide provincial leadership in Pediatric Emergency medicine, to participate in the undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education programs of the Division of Emergency Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics, participate in Divisional and Departmental operation initiatives and staff meetings, and to support clinical and health services research of the Division. Successful applicants will bring both clinical and operational leadership expertise to the Division to further our University, Health Authority, and Provincial mandates. We are seeking highly motivated applicants who will be actively engaged in divisional activities beyond clinical shift work.

Applicants must have completed a subspecialty residency-training program in Pediatric Emergency Medicine accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or have comparable qualifications and be eligible for recognition as a PEM subspecialist by RCPSC. Applicants must also be eligible for a specialist license, as determined by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia. A minimum of five years of PEM clinical experience is required, and having previous leadership experience will be an asset. The ideal candidate will have or will be eligible for a Clinical Faculty appointment at the University of British Columbia.

The ideal start date for this position is January 1, 2025. Applications will be accepted until August 1, 2024 and will continue until the position is filled.

Qualified candidates should send their Cover letter, CV and the name, title and contact information for three referees to:

Garth Meckler, MD, MSHS
Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine
Division Head, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
University of British Columbia / BC Children’s Hospital
C/O Christina Tou, Administrative Assistant, email: CTou-02@cw.bc.ca

UBC and BCCH hire on the basis of merit and are committed to employment equity. All qualified persons are encouraged to apply. We especially welcome applications from members of visible minority groups, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to engage productively with diverse communities. Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

Reconciliation is an ongoing process and a shared responsibility for all of us. The BC Governments’ unanimous passage of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act was a significant step forward in this journey—one that all health authorities are expected to support as we work in cooperation with Indigenous Peoples to establish a clear and sustainable path to lasting reconciliation. True reconciliation will take time and ongoing commitment to work with Indigenous Peoples as they move toward self-determination. Guiding these efforts Crown agencies must remain focused on creating opportunities that implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Mandate.