A projected shortage of emergency room doctors at Stanton Territorial Hospital has been avoided.
Officials with Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) said on July 24 that all required shifts have been staffed, which the health authority attributes to a "shift bidding" system. That program was implemented at the start of the month, allowing locum doctors to name their price for an emergency shift. The program will continue until Sept. 2, with officials noting a majority of August shifts have been filled.
SA国际影视传媒淚t is a tremendous relief to look at the ED (emergency department) schedule and see that most of the shifts are filled and know that we will be able to provide care in safe and healthy way," said Northwest Territories Medical Association (NWTMA) President Dr. Courtney Howard. "We thank NTHSSA for the shift-bidding initiative which has led to this reassuring result.
"We understand that moving forward the thought is to develop a mechanism whereby similar initiatives can be used during other anticipated high-needs times. We strongly support this as a proactive approach to prevent the stress involved in last-minute staffing crises," Howard added.
Emergency department locum doctors have a starting annual salary of $361,222 and can earn an extra $66,039 through the Northern Living Allowance and retention bonuses. The GNWT also covers all travel, liability and malpractice expenses.
NTHSSA has been dealing with staffing shortages across the board. The emergency room at Stanton was without a doctor earlier in the year and obstetrics units have been closed several times at Inuvik Regional Hospital. Aklavik's Susie Husky Health Centre has been limited to emergency services since July 7 due to a lack of nurses to fill shifts and it's expected to remain that way until July 31.
The health authority noted that the bidding system was a contingency plan to prevent regular staff from getting overworked by having to toil longer hours or back-to-back shifts.
"Physicians are essential members of high-functioning healthcare teams, as front-line workers, as leaders in making the best possible contingency plans, and as advocates for patients and the system," said NTHSSA territorial medical director Dr. Claudia Kraft. "This experience has been valuable, offering a fresh opportunity to connect with both new and familiar locums in meaningful ways. It sparked insightful questions and inspired some innovative ideas within the team.
"WeSA国际影视传媒檙e hopeful that the connections weSA国际影视传媒檝e made, and the lessons weSA国际影视传媒檝e learned from this experience, will help us refine and enhance our approach to future engagement and staffing.SA国际影视传媒�
