September 1, 1991 A Look at the People of the Royal Columb by Karen Rempel This articlewaswritten by Douglas College Print Futures student Karen Rempel as part ofherco-opsummer employment in the public relations department of the Royal Columbian Hospital (with a few additions she wasn’t allowed to print at the hospital). In today’s technology-driven and profit-oriented world it is sometimes easy to forget what's really important: people. People havecreated structureandinvented technologies in order to better the lives of other people. At the Royal Columbian Hospital there can be no such forgetting. The hospital exists to meet the needs of people— and only people can provide the care to do this. This article is about the people who provide care at the Royal Columbian Hospital (RCH), which is operated by the Fraser-Burrard Hospital Society (FBHS). Now doctorsmay spring immediately to mind in the context of ivers and hospitals, and in fact RCH has 350 doctors with admitting privileges on its medical staff. However, although the doctors at RCH provide outstanding patient care, this articleisnotabout doctors. It is about the many other people who work at a hospital to provide care for patients—the people who may not spring immediately to mind but without whom a hospital could not exist: employees and trainees. An intrinsic part of the FBHS management philosophy at the Royal Columbian Hospital is that employees are the most valued resource a hospital has to offer. -Many employees contribute to so employees can do projects that the employees identify a need for and have interest in. A job enrichment project may allow employees to spend time in a differentdepartment, ordoresearch or solve a job-related problem. The various programs mentioned provideemployeeswith flexibility and opportunities that make their experience of working the Other Press Columbian Hospital, and show it by staying. One indicator of where people want to work is the position vacancy rate. RCH’s Nurse Vacan Rate as of October 91 was 0.9%. At September 30, 1991 only 13 out of 1500 full-time patient care positions in the hospital were vacant. According to Evelyn MacLean, Manager of Recruitment Services, RCH has a very low comparative people to tell us what they want to learn. We try to listen to what the nurses need, as opposed to prescribing what they need.” The Nursing Education program provides in-hospital learning opportunities as an addition to the - financial support and flexible scheduling available forall hospital employees who wish to upgrade theirskills by taking courses outside 7 Life-long hospital employees Betty Archer and Peter Schable stand in front of the new Columbia Tower. They are holding a photograph showing the Royal Columbian Hospital's now-demolished 1912 building and soon-to-be demolished 1950 building. The 1950 building is also reflected in the glass of the tower. - at Royal Columbian rich and rewarding. Some employees devote their lives to the hospital. Betty Archer, Equipment and Supplies Manager, Nursing, has worked at the Royal Columbian sinceshe graduated fromitsnursing turnover in all occupations, a lot of long-term staff, a good return rate (ameasure ofhow many employees who leave decide to return to the: hospital), and a high rate of unsolicited applications. Clearly, the management philosophy at patient care in indirect ways, and school in 1956, and plans to work RCH is more than just words: may not have any contact with for the hospital until she retires. employeesknow theyare valued at patients atall. About three-fifths of RCH’s almost 3,000 employees provide direct patient care. The other two-fifths may not be always visible at the bedside, but they are behind the scenes providing carein areas including housekeeping, laundry, nutrition, laboratory, ' medical imaging, pharmacy, maintenance, clerical, administration, and information services, toname buta few.’ Support staff are crucial to providing care to patients. Because the quality of care a hospital provides is so dependent on the quality of care all the employees can give, RCH has many programs toshow employees they are valued, and to help employees to improve their skills. The Royal Columbian has an Employee Recognition program, a Appreciation committee, and many task forces and committees that ensure the people who do the work make decisions about how the work gets done. The hospital provides interest-free loans to employees who want to pursue a degree or certificate, and grants are available for other courses that up- grade employees’ skills. RCH also provides opportunities for social gatherings such as bowling and softball, so that employees from all levels and departments of the hospital can meet informally. The FBHS is implementing an optional, self-funded deferred salary leave program, involving a voluntary automatic deduction from the employee’s paycheque. After 3-6 years the employee can take6monthstoa year off onalmost fullsalary. This timeoffcan provide employees with rejuvenation, additional education, more time with their family, or time to travel. There is also a job. enrichment program, which provides funding “COME UP, TO SEE WHAT S 0 PeterSchable, Technical Supervisor in Medical Imaging and 21-year employee ofthe hospital, says “RCH is like a home. I came here in 1970 asa student. I planned to complete my training and move back to the interior. During the year of my internship Irealized this wasa very unique place, like a family... I’ve had other job offers over the years, but here at RCH there are always RCH. Perhaps thatis why the Royal Columbian has gained areputation as an appealing place to work. Another important aspect of the management philosophy at Royal Columbian Hospital is the belief that education empowers people. Veronica Nickerson, Director of Nursing, Support shares this beliefand puts it into practice with the extensive Blood samples processed per day in Hematology: Chemistry tests performed per month: Meals prepared per day by Nutrition: Volunteers registered at RCH: Members of the RCH Auxiliary: Volunteer hours worked in 1991: Unsolicited job applications (July-Sept/91): Pounds of laundry washed per day: Prescriptions filled in pharmacy each month: Prescriptions filled from ward stocks each month: Pounds of garbage removed by transport each day: new opportunities and challenges, and the people become even more rewarding to work with.” Peter Kafka, Vice President of Employee Relations and Support Services for the FBHS, adds “the people here really care about the patients. We know why we exist. Work has meaning, in every department. Every person and position is im ay Peopleliketo workat theRoyal Nursing Education program. The emphasis of the program is on supporting nurses in their practice at the bedside, both by enabling them to meet current needs and by helping nurses develop their expertise—to cope with changes in medical and nursing practice and changes in technology. The belief in empowering people to help themselves comes through clearly in her statement “staff are the best the hospital. RCHalso puts into practice its belief in education through its role as a teaching hospital. Over 375 students per year come to RCH to work and learn in many different areas of the hospital. (In some programs students spend part of their time at the Eagle Ridge THE LAB AND N THE SLAB. DR. FRANK-N-FURTER Hospital and Health Care Centre, whichisalso operated by the Fraser- Burrard Hospital Society.) Of course one would expecta hospital tohavemedicalinterns,and indeed Royal Columbian trains 20 interns per year, giving them experience in areas including medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetric gynecology, orthopedics,cardiology,neurology, emergency, psychiatry and family Interesting Facts about RCH 350 reReee 2500-3000 275-300 180 63,000 885 9,000 6,200 11,000 4,028 medicine. But the hospital also trains students in many other areas as well. For example, RCH has pharmacist and pharmacy technician training programs, and a post-graduate pharmacist residen Italsoprovides clinical clerkships for the UBC Doctor of Pharmacy degree, which is the only degree program of its kind in Canada. As another example, medical ian Hospital radiography students from BCIT train at RCH for a year before writing thenationalexam tobecome a Registered Technologist of Radiography. Prior to being accepted into the training program students spend three days at the hospital so they will have a better understanding of the realities of their chosen field. (Can you say enema?) RCH also has a Respiratory Therapist training program, which is a new field of specialization. Respiratory therapists are experts in helping people with breathing problems. They are active in the emergency department and intensive care, providing ventilator management and airway care, as wellas performing diagnosticwork suchas lung testing for people with asthma, emphysema or bronchitis. Royal Columbian’s Dietetic Intérnship program is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year. Students for this program are selected from across Canada, and must have completed an undergraduate science degree. The internship is one year and trains students to provide nutritional adviceand guidance tohelp patients recover better. Upon completion graduates are qualified as Registered Dietitians / Nutritionists and find employment in hospitals, in business and industry, and in the community. Readers may remember Dr. Frank-n-furter’simmortallinefrom the Rocky Horror Picture Show: “Come up to the laband see what’s on the slab.” Well, The nine Lab Technologist students don’t learn how to create a Frankenstein-like monster, but they do learn to test for infectious diseases, test blood for cell counts and perform bone marrow analysis, operate complicated chemical analysis machinery, match patient blood samples to donor samples, and prepare tissue to determine cause of death or to determine whether a tumour is benign or malignant. After two years of academic tion and a year of working in the RCH lab (a regional lab that serves community hospitals throughout the Fraser Valley), students writeanationalexam with the Canadian Society of Laboratory Technologists, and are then qualified to work anywhere in Canada. Over 300 nursing students receive clinical placements at RCH during an academic year, doing preparatory work to become Licenced Practical Nurses or Registered Nurses, and some receive training in critical care. Thereisalsoa program for students that prepares them to work in the ' Central Processing Department, which is responsible for sterilizing equipment. This is only a partial list of the many training programs in which RCH participates in conjunction with colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutes. RCH benefits from the diverse knowledge that . students bring to the staff of the hospital; students help staffin many ways, working side by side with them. These are but a few examples of employeesupportprogramsand education programs that help RCH staff to fulfil their commitment to provide the best patient care possible with the resources available. RCH staff are proud of their involvement in health care delivery, and optimistic that their enthusiastic commitment will benefit everyone who needs Royal Columbian’s servicesand care. The people at this hospital know that people are the key.