Transport Advisor, Emergency Physician Online Support - BCEHS - Provincial

Transport Advisor, Emergency Physician Online Support

BC Emergency Health Services

Provincial, BC

Are you looking for an exciting career where clinical expertise meets critical decision-making? 

We’re looking for a Transport Advisor with the knowledge, leadership, and collaboration skills to drive excellence in patient transfers — from 911 calls to inter-facility coordination. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced environments, brings a team-first mindset, and is passionate about improving systems that save lives.

What you’ll bring to the role:

• Clinical experience in both hospital, pre-hospital, and transport settings
• Expertise in 911 response and inter-facility transport, with a strong grasp of medical transfer protocols
• Ability to coordinate multiple organizations to ensure seamless patient flow across the system
• Familiarity with EPOS-based decision making, including prehospital of standards and complex transfer approvals
• Engagement in quality improvement, research, and innovation to support continuous improvement in transport care

Job Summary

Reporting to the Medical Director – Emergency Physician Online Support and Clinical Hub, BC Emergency Health Service (BCEHS), the EPOS member is a key part of a remote operational division within BCEHS providing online medical support to paramedics and other healthcare professionals

Key Accountabilities

The Physician will provide both pre-hospital care and inter-facility transfer support during EPOS shifts as follows:

• The Physician will provide an equitable number of day, evening, night, weekend, and weekday shifts with a minimum of at least 3 EPOS shifts provided per month, on average.
• The Physician will provide coverage of EPOS shifts, as required by call volumes and requested by the EPOS Medical Director.
• During an EPOS shift, the on-duty physician will be expected to receive and manage a mix of calls pertaining to pre-hospital care and inter-facility patient transfers.
• The Physician will be expected to provide a fair proportion of statutory holiday and other “special day” shifts, as defined from time to time by the BCEHS.
• All shifts must be provided within Canada on a Canadian-based cellular network provider.
• EPOS shift hours will not interfere or overlap with other clinical or on-call duties; or virtual support for other programs within British Columbia.
• Facilitate and support a culture of staff safety and engagement

A. Clinical On-Line Support

• Provide emergency clinical support to paramedics involved in pre-hospital 911 scene call situations.
• Facilitate additional communication or liaise with emergency departments and/or physicians ready to receive critical patients as deemed necessary.
• Provide clinical support to Paramedic Specialists in dealing with clinical dilemmas or issues requiring physician consultation/authorization
• Provide clinical support to Clinical Transfer Nurses (CTNs) and Critical Care Paramedics (CCPs) in determining the clinical impact of various resources, routing decisions, and priorities related to a patient transfer plan. The CTN and/or CCP will:

  o   Confirm the need for a high acuity transfer;

  o   Triage cases (if required) and determine urgency and priorities of high priority transfers;

  o   Confirm care required for transfer including special medical resources; and facilitate and confirm appropriate destination of patient(s).

• Provide clinical assistance to Sending and/or Receiving Physicians involved in a patient transfer.
• Provide clinical assistance to Dispatch Officers working in the Patient Transfer Coordination Centre (PTCC), where resource allocation or prioritization conflicts exist.
• Provide support to the PTCC if solicited regarding determination of appropriate transport vehicle (ground, rotary, fixed wing, or water vessel). This may involve engaging with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) about the medical priority of a patient retrieval.
• Provide clinical support to inter-facility paramedics involved in a patient transfer where paramedic uncertainty or unexpected patient status changes emerge.
• Provide clinical support to facilitate the preparation of the patient for transport including working (if required) with the sending/receiving physician, the transport paramedics or other specialists or transport advisors.
• Respond to all calls for EPOS consultation within 30 seconds of the first telephone in-coming call notification.
• Complete all electronic patient records within 24 hours of the shift start time.

Organizational Responsibilities:

• Report to and assist the Medical Director for EPOS by adhering to and advising on EPOS policies, practices, protocols and processes
• Assist BCEHS in meeting its continuing medical education, research, and quality improvement goals by sharing learned insights from activities as an EPOS Physician. Participation will be required in the following activities:

  o   Provide medical input or subject matter expertise input with respect to guideline, policy or procedural development or educational content such that paramedics and PCCP staff are better informed and up to date;

  o   Participate in BCEHS sanctioned research projects;

  o   Participate in and provide medical expertise for case reviews and quality assurance efforts in partnership with Clinical and Medical Programs and other BCEHS personnel.

  o   Engage in education, reviews, meetings and conference calls as requested by the Medical Director of EPOS including attendance in person at BCEHS physician conferences or meetings.

What you bring

• Eligibility for registration with BC College of Physicians and Surgeons plus Royal College (RC) or CCFP(EM) certification.

• Fellowship in Critical Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, or General Surgery (with special interest in Trauma Surgery) from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or an appropriate equivalent. Emergency Medicine through CCFP(EM) certification.

• Maintaining clinical currency in one or more of the areas of speciality medicine.

• Candidates with direct clinical experience practising in prehospital and transport medicine within a high-performing HEMS or Retrieval Medicine system will be strongly favoured.

• Diplomate in Prehospital and Transport Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is highly desirable.

• Commitment to a patient and family-centred model of care.

• Commitment to and demonstrated experience with promoting the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and cultural safety.

Successful candidates will have:

• Demonstrated deep understanding of their personal learning journey related to Indigenous-specific racism and dismantling systems of oppression, as well as addressing racism more broadly. Able to articulate and share this journey to motivate and inspire others.
• Knowledge of the social, economic, political realities of settler-colonialism and impacts on Indigenous peoples in social and health contexts as well as knowledge and understanding of, and commitment to upholding legislative obligations and provincial commitments in the foundational documents: Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan, Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study, and the Distinctions Based Approach.

Contact

Applications, accompanied by a cover letter, detailed curriculum vitae, and the name, title, rank and contact information of three (3) references, should be directed to:

Jamie Sitar

Advisor, Talent Acquisition

Email: Jamie.Sitar@phsa.ca

About Provincial Health Services Authority 

The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) plans, manages and evaluates specialized health services with the BC health authorities to provide equitable and cost-effective health care for people throughout the province. Our values reflect our commitment to excellence and include: Respect people – Be compassionate – Dare to innovate – Cultivate partnerships – Serve with purpose.

Learn more about PHSA and our programs: jobs.phsa.ca/programs-and-services

PHSA is committed to equity in our hiring and employment practices. With learning and compassion, we are addressing existing inequities and barriers throughout our systems. PHSA is seeking to create a diverse workforce and to establish an inclusive and culturally safe environment. We invite applications and enquiries from all people, particularly those belonging to the historically, systemically, and/or persistently marginalized groups identified under the B.C. Human Rights Code.

One of PHSA’s North Star priorities is to eradicate Indigenous-specific racism, which includes dismantling barriers to health care employment at every level. We welcome Indigenous individuals to apply and/or contact the Sanya'kula Team (Indigenous Recruitment & Employee Experience) for support at indigenous.employment@phsa.ca.

Indigenous-specific anti-racism initiatives are rooted in addressing the unique forms of discrimination, historical and ongoing injustices, and marginalization faced by Indigenous peoples. These initiatives align with an Indigenous rights-based approach, recognizing the inherent rights and self-determination of Indigenous communities. PHSA must uphold legislative obligations and provincial commitments found in the foundational documents such as including Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan: A First Nations Case Study.