CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE 2017
28
PHSA seeks to develop innovative healthcare leaders
A
re you searching for a work environment where you can learn, grow and make a difference – all in one place? B.C.’s Provincial Health Services Authority believes so strongly in that idea that it has updated its mission to reflect it: “Provincial Health – results through caring, leading and learning together.” As an academic health sciences organization, Vancouver-based PHSA stresses knowledge and innovation in all areas of work to provide the best care for patients and families. As a learning organization, with patient care and the patient “experience” as a primary goal, PHSA works to develop patient-centred leaders at all levels of the organization – nearly 25 per cent of PHSA’s workforce is under age 35. MATTHEW PIXTON, REGISTERED NURSE FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH AT THE BC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, AN AGENCY OF THE PROVINCIAL HEALTH SERVICES AUTHORITY
You don’t have to leave PHSA to find a full scope of career opportunities. Judy Clark
Executive Director, Talent and Performance
“Young people today want to know about the big picture and where they fit in it,” says Judy Clark, Executive Director, Talent and Performance. They’re also eager to know their options – and with 22,000 employees and a high priority on promoting from within, PHSA offers plenty. “You don’t have to leave PHSA to find a full scope of career opportunities,” says Clark. PHSA works with British Columbia’s five regional health authorities, the First Nations Health Authority and the B.C. Ministry of Health to plan and coordinate the delivery of highly specialized healthcare services. It does this through a network of agencies, services and pro-
grams, such as the B.C. Cancer Agency, B.C. Emergency Health Services, B.C. Mental Health & Substance Use Services, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, the B.C. Women’s Hospital + Health Centre, and the B.C. Children’s Hospital. PHSA also plays a significant role in health research, developing world-class treatments and technologies for patients, and providing the best evidence for decision-making and effective health care spending. In 2015, 30 per cent of those hired full-time were under 30 and in many cases PHSA had begun to forge relationships with them beforehand. PHSA is affiliated with a number of B.C.’s universities and other post-secondary institutions and works with them to provide students with internships, co-op placements and practicums.
Our mission
Our values
Results through caring, leading and learning together. Our vision
In addition to staff who deal directly with patients, PHSA needs many others behind the scenes to enable the front-line workers to do their jobs. PHSA is unique in having an in-house temporary staffing services department that offers opportunities to those who want to gain administrative, project management, finance, human resources and information technology work experience within a large healthcare environment. One of the most rewarding aspects about the program is that the organization is starting to witness younger employees progressing in their career. “A temporary placement not only lets them test the waters – it can lead to full-time employment,” says Clark. “We want young talent who would never have considered a career in healthcare to realize that healthcare offers them an A to Z of opportunities.”
Registered Nurse Matthew Pixton needed no convincing. He was still in his teens when he decided on the career path that led eventually to his position with the B.C. Children’s Hospital (BCCH) Mental Health Programs. The facility’s inpatient units care for acutely psychiatrically ill children and adolescents who have been referred from throughout B.C. and Yukon. Since joining BCCH in May 2015, Pixton has added to his competencies, including qualifying for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergency unit. CAPE is a short-stay unit that cares for those 16 and under who are in crisis. “You need a sense of compassion and to stay calm under pressure to help and support those who are in such distress,” says Pixton. It’s no surprise he relies on BCCH’s interdisciplinary teams of youth and family counsellors, child psychiatrists and social workers, as well as other nurses, to help care for his young charges. At the same time, he appreciates the role PHSA has in the workplace culture. “PHSA has allocated the resources I need to work in a safe and respectful environment,” he says. Special bonuses for completing courses and accreditations Over 6,000 in-house training programs Formal mentorship program Subsidies for professional accreditations
Respect People Be Compassionate Dare to Innovate Cultivate Partnerships Serve with Purpose
Province-wide solutions for excellence in health, every time.
Kendra Moore, Respiratory Therapist, BC Children’s & Women’s Health Centre
jobs.phsa.ca