Dr. David Min

I have had the opportunity to serve as MSA President for the past year having been handed the reins by Dr. Martin Lebl who served in 2021. I would like to thank and acknowledge Dr. Jerrod Hendry in his tenure as MSA Treasurer. I would also like to thank the MSA Executives for their patience in working with me in this new role.

There was a successful strategic retreat in March 2022, the MSA Executives and the Health Authority met detailing a strategic three-year plan that will focus on Mentorship, Succession Planning, Physician Wellness, and Quality Improvement. If you have a quality improvement idea, please contact Sooky Moore-Ruiz for project application links or feel free to drop by the monthly Quality Improvement Clinic.

We continue to have Grand Rounds with the plan for a Ground Rounds series with the Therapeutics Initiative UBC next year. Grand Rounds are held monthly on a Wednesday or Thursday with lunch provided.

Journal Club is also taking place on a monthly basis, and we welcome presenters of any mix of articles, guidelines, and or case discussions for presentation. The next

Journal Club presenter will be Dr. Daniel Beegan on August 31st. Recent topics presented were guideline updates for Heart Function Management with prior topics addressing Moral Distress and Debrief Framework. We welcome anyone interested in presenting!

The waves of COVID, staff shortages, has led to increasing physician burnout. Conversation cafes featuring interactive conversations on topics related to well- being at home and work facilitated by professional coach Dr. Elizabeth Froese have been part of the initiative for promoting physician wellness. Sessions are open to all members of the MSA.

We are working with administration in building of the new Physicians Lounge part of the planned renovations for the old Emergency Department. Any input and or desire to participate in the ongoing planning sessions with administration is welcomed.

Thank you all who came out to the Dirty Apron Cooking class in May! It was a blast connecting over individually cooked 3-course plant-based meals.

Dr. Wu and the FE team will be planning for a medical staff barbecue event to be held in early fall. This will be a great opportunity for the medical staff and their families to get together, with games and activities planned, food and beverages provided. More details to come.

Sponsored by Facility Engagement, the Division of WR/SS held a successful event on June 25th, 2022. Since the last Hello Goodbye was in February 2020, this was an especially meaningful celebration of new and retiring physicians in the community.

Last Christmas we partnered with PAH’s Volunteer Services to provide toys, non- perishable food, clothing, and toiletries to families in need through the Surrey Christmas Bureau. The MSA also took part in the 7 days of Christmas by providing Cupcakes to all PAH staff. Volunteer Services shared their thanks on behalf of those who submitted feedback. Specifically, the excitement and appreciation coming from the ER, SDC and Foods & Nutrition staff was off the charts. Many thanks to the physicians who helped to hand them on the units.

MSA Strategic Plan

At the strategic retreat in March 2022, the MSA executive and Health Authority partners met to create a 3-year strategic plan. The priorities were then reviewed by MSA representatives at an open invitation meeting in May 2022. The following strategic priorities have been approved:

Mentorship
Succession Planning
Physician Wellness
Fostering Collaborative Relationships Quality Improvement

Have an idea for a project? Please email sookymoore@gmail.com for the project application links.
Click to view the full strategic plan here

MSA Dues/PAHMSA.org

A friendly reminder to the medical staff to pay their annual dues at PAHMSA.org. If you select the re-occurring payment you will be charged annually on March 29, 2023, for the 2023/24 year. The PAHMSA.org site is being updated to become more user-friendly and meet the needs of our organization. Please email bgrosufe@gmai.com with any feedback and ideas.

Featured Physician on Wellness

I count myself truly blessed that I have not had to face major medical issues for most of my life. As a physician at times this has sometimes left me with a certain degree of guilt. Taking history from patients that are in pain, dyspneic, fearful, in distress, asking to clarify and characterize symptoms that I have not felt. How could I truly emphasize with patients pain, that helpless feeling lying immobile in bed, fear about the outcomes of a health condition or the leap of faith that is required before going under anesthetic for surgery.

That all changed in February of this year. Seeking time away from the hospital and the waves of COVID I sought the mountain air out in Whistler, hoping time spent outdoors snowboarding would provide some time away from the hospital I felt I needed to recharge. What I found instead was a 15 foot ledge. Thankfully I was found by another skier fairly quickly and rushed down to the Whistler Emergency Department. The x-ray of my spine was concerning and I was told I needed a CT. After the CT and the page overhead announcing Spine Neurosurgery at VGH and Patient Transfer Network were holding on the line for the ER Physician who was seeing me, I knew I wasn’t going to be sent home with a 6 pack of hydromorphone and recommendations to take it easy for the next week.

I got urgently shipped down to VGH. It was surreal being in an acute bed in the VGH ER where I had done so many of my night shifts as an internal medicine resident. I was assessed by the Spine Neurosurgery and Trauma team and the next day I was being put under for my surgery.

I am glad and to report that the surgery went well and nearly 6 months out I am nearly back to my former self. I am filled with gratitude that the injury was not more severe, it was certainly a close call with the possibility of spinal cord injury. I don’t know whether I will ever be getting back on the ski hill any time soon. I certainly will not be trying to do any backflips.

Looking back on my journey as a patient I am filled with gratitude for all the help that I received. The most incredible thing from that day is knowing the capacity of complete strangers to demonstrate their care, love and attention towards my unfortunate situation. From the Samaritan calling ski patrol, to the Ski patrol on duty who assessed me after my fall and checked my pulse every 5 minutes the ride down on the gondola. The EHS crew that loaded me up and rushed me to Whistler hospital. The nurses and ER physician in the Whistler Emergency Department quickly responding and assessing my injuries, providing me the necessary medications to ease my pain. The EHS crew that transported me down from Whistler to Vancouver, the paramedic that sat with me in the back and asked if I needed an extra blanket. The students, residents, fellows, staff physicians working at all hours of the night with the trauma and neurosurgery team at VGH. I am forever grateful.

I have been working in health care for the better part of a decade. As a student, resident and more recently as a staff.

Some days I have wondered, am I doing something that’s making a difference. My recent experience has shown myself in reflection in many forms.

The medical student practicing their neurological exam. The nervous resident just trying to get the words out right when discussing code status. The overworked fellow rushed for time having to answer the phone doing a quick 5 second hi-bye in the morning. The decisive doctor that makes the calls necessary to transfer a patient to a higher level of care. The physician that comes in to say you are going to be alright, we will get through this.

I could see myself in each of the physicians I had a chance to interact with. And what this experience has increased my faith in is the meaning of what we all having doing as Physician and what we will continue to do in in our daily roles. That we have the ability to make a patient feel less fearful when they do not know what is going on, to reassure them that everything will be okay. To instill confidence. To check in to see how they are doing. To provide a warm blanket. To diffuse a stressful situation. To hold a patients hand and say we will get you through this.

I didn’t know how much those things could mean, the power that words of comfort could have. The impact that love, care, and attention can have.

I thought of the physicians, nurses, and staff at Peace Arch and the meaningful work that they are doing.

Through my experience as a patient, it made me realize how invaluable the care that physicians, nursing and allied health care staff are providing for the patients at Peace Arch Hospital. The ER Physicians and their decisive decision making, Hospitalist taking the time to explain test results to patients and communicating with families, Radiologists up late into the night providing crucial information, psychiatrists caring for patients with mental health crisis’, general surgeons, urologists, orthopedics surgeons, obstetricians day and night responding to emergencies, using their skillful hands in treating patients, and to my fellow internists providing ICU and Medicine coverage. Thank you for your service, thank you for giving your time to care for patients.

Dr. David Min

President of MSA PAH

Dr. Martin Lebl

I would like to thank everyone who has worked over the pandemic; we appreciate your hard work and dedication. Thank you to the MSA for continuing to engage and participate in our committees and activities.

Our next medical staff meeting is scheduled for October 4th, 2021. I would encourage all medical staff members to attend. 

We would like to welcome Melissa Wanasinghe as the society’s new Administrative Assistant. A thank you to Dr. David Min, who volunteered to take on the responsibilities of chairing the FE meetings over the past year as his role as Vice-President Elect.

Our Facility Engagement (FE) executive team continues to meet quarterly to discuss project submissions and the society’s strategic direction. We are actively recruiting new members to join the team and take on leadership positions. There is lots of support available to those interested. Please get in touch with me or Sooky (sookymoore@gmail.com) to learn more. You may find the names of the current executive team at the bottom of this letter.

A huge thank you to to the project leads who were able to pivot their projects to an online format due to the pandemic. Most events will continue to be online or a hybrid model as we go into Fall 2021. We also will be resuming our QI clinic, Grand Rounds, and Wellness-focused events in Fall 2021.  A special shout out to the Journal Club project and its speakers; we’ve seen a record number of participants join us online. The engagement lunch committee will be meeting in early September to plan our next outdoor medical staff BBQ. The Hello Goodbye event, which is under the banner of FE, will be hosted this year on November 27, 2021. This event is a meaningful celebration of new and retiring physicians in the community, hosted in partnership with the Division. 

The wellness committee has put together a Wellness Infographic based on the online survey administered between December 2, 2020, and March 10, 2021.  The survey results showed that 73% of respondents felt burned out from their work during the past month, and 51% indicated they were worried that work was affecting their sense of empathy. Still, 75% reported feeling satisfied with their work over the same period. Nearly all, 98% of physicians rated their pre-COVID-19 physical health as good to great but that dropped to 64% who rated their current physical health as good to great. To read the full report or learn about the different resources available, scan the QR code on the infographic. 

At the next MSA meeting, we will be reviewing the project submission process map to ensure that all physicians are aware of the opportunity to act on those ideas that could strengthen relationships, communication, and collaboration between Fraser Health and the MSA, and improve their work environment and the delivery of patient care. To all department heads, typed reports for the medical staff meeting in September are to be submitted to Kelly Marra. A notice will be sent in advance reminding you of the required reports for the Medical Staff meeting. 

To maintain hospital privileges, dues must be paid according to Fraser Health bylaw section 8.6.1. If you have not already paid your annual dues through the MSA website (www.pahmsa.org). If you require assistance during the payment process, please reach out to Sooky. 

Dr.Martin Lebl

President of MSA PAH

Dr. Arnold Sikhakhane

• Acknowledgment:

  Thank you to Bob Cheyne, our past President for his tireless, exemplary and insightful leadership. He set the foundation and structure for future MSA presidents. I hope to continue building and working diligently as a team with all of our fellow colleagues.

• MSA Executive:
  I have taken on the role of MSA President for the year 2020. Dr. Martin Lebl is the President-Elect and also the Chair of the Facility Engagement for the year 2020. Dr. Sean Rose is in line to be President-Elect and Facilities Engagement Chair in 2021. Dr. Jerrod Hendry is the treasurer and Dr. Jane Wu is responsible for membership and running of the PAH medical staff website.

• Facilities Engagement:
  The purpose of Facility Engagement at Peace Arch Hospital is to strengthen the relationships between the health authority and the physicians. In all, to improve our MSA work environment and improve patient care. During 2019, Dr. Cheyne helped to establish a reference, application structure and much more for Facility Engagement – all available on the PAHMSA website under the FE tab. The working group used to meet periodically to approve projects. However, due to poor attendance, it was decided to dissolve this and expand the executive body. The current executive body includes MSA executives plus Dr. Mildred Chang, Dr. Sonia Singh, Dr. Ashdin Tavaria. There is an open invitation to any physician who is interested in joining the FE executive team to please contact FE manager Sooky Moore: sookymoore@gmail.com. The meetings for this coming year will be March 30, June 29 and September 28, 2020.

• Medical Rounds:
  Under the Facilities Engagement banner, we have successfully hosted our first evening formal multidisciplinary rounds on February 13, 2020. Thank you to Dr. Herman Kwan, Dr. Mark Turner and Dr. Mildred Chang for their excellent presentations. The buffet was delicious. The cherry on top was that in the end, you have the option of claiming either CME points or reimbursement from Facility Engagement for your attendance. The next medicalroundswilltakeplaceonMay14attheRotaryFieldHouse.Wehopetoseeyouallthere.Please note that all departments are expected to prepare one presentation annually.

  • Hello-Goodbye:
    Also under the banner of Facility Engagement was a successful event held February 22, 2020. This is a meaningful celebration of new and retiring physicians in the community.

• MSA Dues: Dr. Jane Wu is responsible for our membership, particularly those with active privileges at Peace Arch Hospital. As per our bylaws, all active members are required to pay their dues annually. It’snowmucheasierasyoucan pay directly at the website: http://pahmsa.org. You can also select recurring payments where you will be charged annually on March 29. Currently, medical dues are $200 by April 1st.

• MSA Social Update:
  An update on two families that were sponsored through the MSA funds that were allocated during the C h r i s t m a s s e a s o n . A s i n g l e m o m a n d h e r f o u r - y e a r - o l d a n d a f a m i l y o f f i v e . D r . R u m m y D o s a n j h w a s i n c o n ta c t through the school board. We supported them with gift cards for groceries, toys and stocking stuffers for each child. They were extremely appreciative and grateful for MSA kindness.

• MSA Presidents’ Council Meeting:
  MSA Presidents Council met on January 22, 2020, at Meadow Gardens Golf Course in Pitt Meadows. This is a meeting of all of the MSA Presidents in the Fraser Health Authority. The meeting was co-chaired by Dr. Raymond Dong and Dr. Dayan Muthayan. One of the topics raised was that of physician wellbeing. Physician wellbeing is becoming an increasingly vital aspect of health care delivery in the Fraser Health Authority. The Charter for Physician Wellbeing was published in April 2018 (JAMA Vol 319, Issue 15, pp 1541-2). It outlines four guiding principles and seven commitments. The commitments are divided into those that are societal, organizational and personal. We hope FHA will become a signatory organization to this important document.