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Because your voice matters.

Member, BC Emergency Medicine Network Patient Council

Posted • Last updated

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Commitment: Long-term

Connection method: Virtual

Open to Provincial Region, Indigenous patient partners across the province

Last updated

Volunteer Opportunity
A great opportunity awaits you to contribute to emergency care in your province, and to ensure that patients have access to care that is built upon a foundation of person-and family-centredness! We’re excited to welcome two additional members to bring an Indigenous perspective to the BC Emergency Medicine Network’s (BCEMN) Patient Council. If you enjoy thinking strategically and collaboratively, and can offer your enthusiasm, creativity, patience and time, please consider this engagement opportunity!

RSVP Now

Lead Organization/Department
BC Emergency Medicine Network

Aim
The aim of the Council is to bring together a diverse group of patient voices who are interested in working with the BCEMN to improve emergency patient care in BC. Having a Patient Council will help to ensure a patient lens is included in BC Emergency Medicine Network activities. The role of the Patient Council is to provide input on Network priorities/initiatives; act as a resource for Network Programs and Evaluation; identify resources that are missing/lacking for emergency patients in BC and play an advocacy role for emergency care in BC. The Patient Council was formed in 2020 and is an action oriented group that also takes on their own projects.

Level of Engagement
This opportunity is at the level of collaborate on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will work together with you to formulate solutions and incorporate your advice and recommendations into the decisions to the maximum extent possible.

Eligibility
It is important to hear the voices of many perspectives in this work. This opportunity seeks to have an inclusive approach and was originally posted in 2020. The posting encouraged diverse representation from across the province including people from different ethnic, economic, and social backgrounds. Many patient partners have applied to take part in BCEMN’s Patient Council and we would like to extend an additional invitation to Indigenous patient partners to share their voice as this work moves forward.

This opportunity is open to Indigenous Patient Partners from across the province who:
• Have experience of accessing emergency services and resources in BC, as a patient, family member or caregiver, for example accessing an emergency department for yourself or a loved one.
• Have experience of committee level work and are comfortable speaking in groups
• Are comfortable using Zoom to join online meetings
• Ideally we would like to recruit one patient partner from a larger town or city and one from a rural location.

As connection and relationship building is important to BCEMN we would like to meet with short listed patient partners as part of our selection process.

If you have a strong interest in this work but have not yet completed a PVN orientation and Volunteer Agreement, are unsure if your experience is a good fit or feel another format of engagement would work better with your availability, please contact Cassy Mitchell.

Logistics
• Number of vacancies: 2
• Date and Time: : Council meetings will be held on a quarterly basis. Timing will be
determined based on the Council members’ availability. Three of the four annual
meetings will be held virtually by Zoom videoconference/teleconference (duration: 90
minutes). One meeting per year will be arranged for in-person, if safe to do so with Covid-19 government health protocols in place (duration: 3 hours). In-between meetings there is also some email communication and the opportunity to meet more frequently to work on specific projects (optional).
• Location: Online and in-person (if safe to do so)
• Commitment: 12 months

Reimbursement
No out of pocket expenses are anticipated for the virtual element of this engagement opportunity. However, if you meet the eligibility criteria, but have concerns about your ability to participate, please contact Cassy Mitchell cmitchell@bcpsqc.ca to see if support options are available. We are always seeking to better understand and reduce barriers to participation.

Travel costs related to in person meetings will be reimbursed as per BCEMN reimbursement policy.

Background
BCEMN launched September 2017 to improve emergency care in BC and exists to
connect all emergency practitioners throughout the province so they can share the latest knowledge and support each other, so that no one practitioner is working in isolation.

Over 1,400 emergency practitioners manage approximately 2.3 million patient visits each year in 108 Emergency Departments and Diagnostic & Treatment centres across the province. Almost half of these emergency practitioners are located in small communities where they lack opportunities to connect with or consult trusted colleagues. The ability to provide state of-the-art care is also difficult, as there is constantly new information on how best to care for patients. All emergency departments are working independently to keep up to date.

The BCEMN has four main programs:
• Clinical Resources: sharing best practices and clinical resource tools
• Innovation: creating innovative solutions through research
• Continuing Professional Development: education courses for providers
• Real time support: enabling text, phone or video support between physicians

Through the four programs, and by increasing communication amongst emergency practitioners in BC, the BCEMN will ensure consistent, best care for patients across the province.

The Vision of the BCEMN is Exceptional Emergency Care. Everywhere. Patient Partners are also providing leadership through participation in the Network’s Advisory Council, Management Committee and Clinical Resources Committee.

You can learn more about the BC Emergency Medicine Network on its website:
https://www.bcemergencynetwork.ca (https://www.bcemergencynetwork.ca)

The BCEMN has a patient engagement liaison that will be the main point of contact for patient partners. Throughout the project they will check in with the individuals and be available before and after meetings to debrief. The Chair of the council is also a patient partner and is willing to connect one-to-one with members for additional support.

For the Terms of Reference for the BCEMN Patient Council CLICK HERE

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Cassy Mitchell
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Provincial
250.279.o717
cmitchell@bcpsqc.ca

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