Network Advisory Committee, British Columbia Emergency Medicine Network

Do you have experience as a patient, family member or caregiver in an emergency department? If so, you can help shape an exciting new initiative: BC’s Emergency Medicine Network. You’ll be invited to help strategize about how to include more patients in the Network too.

Open to: Volunteers across the province

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Lead Organization or Department

BC Emergency Medicine Network

Aim

The Emergency Medicine Network (EMN) exists to connect all emergency practitioners throughout British Columbia so they can share the latest knowledge and support each other, so that no one practitioner is working in isolation. The EMN wants to include patients in their Network Advisory Committee. The Network Advisory Committee is comprised of approximately 12 individuals who provide a wide range of expertise and representation. Patient partners will be invited to draw upon their experience(s) of care at the Emergency Department (ED) as part of the decision-making process. The Advisory Committee will look to the patient partners to help strategize about the best way to bring more patients into the work of the EMN; for example, this could include formation of a larger patient council.

Level of Engagement

This opportunity is at the level of collaborate (at a local community or program level) on the spectrum of engagement (www.iap2.org). The promise to you is that the health care partner will look to you for advice in decision making, developing alternatives, and solutions and include your recommendations into the decision as much as possible.

Eligibility

• Personal experience accessing emergency services in BC, or as a family member, or informal caregiver. Comfortable sharing these experiences in a group for the purposes of quality improvement.
• Volunteer or professional experience as part of an advisory committee, steering committee or council would be an asset.
• Consideration will be given to ensuring representation from both urban and rural areas of the province.
• The placement process for this opportunity may include an informal interview.
• Patients should have previously attended a PVN orientation session and completed the Volunteer Agreement. If you have not attended an orientation session but are interested, please contact Leah directly to see if accommodations may be possible.

Logistics

• Number of vacancies: 2
• Date and Time: Meetings are held every three months and will be 1 to 2 hours long.
• Location: At or near Vancouver General Hospital. Patients living outside the lower mainland may have the option to attend meetings via videoconference. Patients may also be sponsored to attend potential EMN-hosted conferences and meetings in British Columbia.
• Commitment: One-year term, commencing February 2017, with the possibility of extension. Patient partners may spend approximately 2 hours per month responding to email and reviewing other documents.
• Additional training: The EMN will sponsor patients to participate in a 3-day training program called Foundations in Patient-Oriented Research. (Location likely to be in Vancouver; dates to be determined).

Reimbursement

Out-of-pocket expenses such as pre-approved mileage and parking will be reimbursed for travel to meetings, conferences and training.

Background

• The UBC Department of Emergency Medicine (DEM) and its partners are establishing BC’s Emergency Medicine Network (EMN) to improve emergency care in BC. Over 1,000 emergency practitioners manage approximately two million patient visits each year in 95 emergency departments (EDs) 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 EMN has four main programs: 1) Sharing best practices and clinical tools, 2) Creating innovative solutions through research, 2) Education, and 4) Real time support via text, phone or video. Through the four programs, and by increasing communication amongst emergency practitioners in BC, the EMN will ensure consistent, best care for patients across the province.
• The EMN is made up of executive sponsors, a Management Committee, and an Advisory Committee.
• The Emergency Medicine Network is a demonstration project of the BC SUPPORT Unit.

Health Care Partner Contact Information

Leah Smith
Engagement Leader, Patient and Public Engagement | Southern Vancouver Island
778.678.3977
lsmith@bcpsqc.ca

 

Interested?

This opportunity will be open until it is filled.

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