Occupational Health and Safety for Resident Physicians

By Resident Doctors of BC

Let’s be clear: we know nobody goes through four years of medical school and two to five years of residency to learn all about the joys of Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). And there are so many things to focus on during your residency: there are your clinical duties, calls, academic half days, exams, keeping track of paystubs and seemingly thousands of email addresses, starting families, buying houses, and that whispered rumour you heard someone’s friend’s aunt once had: work-life balance. Plus, it’s not like you work in an environment where you have to wear hard hats and safety boots, and that’s what Occupational Health and Safety is all about, right?

Well, not exactly. Occupational Health and Safety really means keeping the workplace safe for everyone who has to do work –any kind of work – in that space. A safe workplace is one where the employer and the employee take shared responsibility for working in an environment where everyone is protected from physical and psychological hazards, illness, or injury that are caused by that work environment. And although it is a shared responsibility, it’s important to remember that as employees, workplace safety is your right.

So, what kind of safety “threats” are important for you, as resident physicians, to be aware of? Residents can be exposed to things like:

• Overexertion or injury from lifting and/ or repositioning patients

• Falls from slips and trips

• Violence from aggressive patients

• Exposure to radiation, harmful chemicals, or cytotoxic drugs

• Exposure to infectious diseases including (but not limited to) needlestick injuries

• Fatigue

• Psychological trauma

As important as your physical safety is, we also need to create psychologically safe workplaces. And although we know that as residents you are some of the most resilient folks out there, there are many factors which can take a heavy toll on your mental wellbeing.

Fatigue and burnout are words very familiar to residents. With everything you have going on over the next few years, it can seem that getting enough sleep, rest, and downtime is an impossible feat. We strongly recommend taking a moment to familiarize yourselves with the PGME Fatigue Risk Policy and Fatigue Risk Management Guide.

Residents can also be exposed to significantly traumatic events as part of their regular duties. The services below are available to you throughout your residency. Much work has gone into reducing the stigma around psychological health and safety at work. Strides are currently being made to ensure there is a safe way for residents to report a mental health injury at work, and for this to be included within the Occupational Health and Safety framework.

Harassment, bullying, and discrimination in the workplace can also, unfortunately, rear its head from time to time. If you’re experiencing any of these circumstances, please do not stay silent on it. You can contact RDBC , UBC’s Resident Wellness Office, the PGME Office of Respectful Environments, Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion or the Physician’s Health Program.

The following resources are in place to protect you and keep you physically and psychologically safe at work.

1. The Collective Agreement is designed to protect you from working too many consecutive hours without enough sleep and breaks, whilst balancing your academic needs and interests. Programs are ultimately responsible for keeping clinical duty and oncall schedules consistent with the Collective Agreement. If you feel your schedule does not support your workplace safety, it’s important to reach out to PGME, your program, or RDBC to assist you with this. The Collective Agreement:

• Limits the number of call shifts

• Requires post-call days and call rooms

• Mandates vacations and other leave

• Grants call-protected time to study for exams

• Grants 5 months sick leave

• Stipulates maternity and parental leave and regulations depending on health and wellbeing of birthing parent

• Mandates paid full day of training dedicated to OH&S Orientation including violence prevention

2. PGME Policies are in place to safeguard your wellbeing

3. Mental Health Resources

• UBC Wellness Centre

• VCH Employee Wellness

• Physician Health Program

4. RDBC represents you on various OH&S co mmittees and working groups. Including OH&S Society, RDBC and HEABC Safety Committee, Provincial Psychological Health and Safety working group run by MoH, VCH Psych Health and Safety committee

5. Provincial and Regional Workplace Resources

• Provincial Workplace Call Centre, WorkSafe BC, Health Authority OH&S Policies and Safety Advisors (contact RDBC for individual HA contacts if unsure)

These resources are there to serve and protect you. The best way we can all ensure that you are provided with the best assistance, when and how you need it, is to use them and actively engage with them. One of the most effective ways to do this is to report hazards, injuries, or illnesses through the Provincial Workplace Health Call Centre. Of course, first and foremost, reporting is about keeping yourselves safe and holding your workplace accountable for keeping you safe while you work.

You may also find that your preceptors and more senior physicians are unclear on Occupational Health and Safety needs and processes. Systems that have been around for decades for others in the industry have largely been overlooked for physicians and resident physicians until recently. Physicians spend so much time being care providers, that it’s sometimes easy to forget that you can be vulnerable to injury or illness too. In fact, if you Google “injured physician images” you will exclusively find images of doctors helping someone else with an injury. It’s time this culture changed, and by engaging with workplace safety now, you have the opportunity to become leaders and change agents for years to come, long after you have become senior physicians yourselves and are guiding new generations of residents.

If you experience anything at work that seems unsafe, such as a floor spill, an aggressive or even potentially aggressive patient, out of order panic buttons, needlestick injuries, blood splatters, formaldehyde smells, or a traumatic incident, this can and should be reported so that it can be resolved, and everyone can be kept safe. Hazards and near misses can generally be reported directly to a Safety Advisor at the Health Authority where you’re based at the time. Injuries and illnesses should be reported to the Workplace Call Centre so that they can be logged. This process is always treated confidentially.

We know that this is a lot to keep track of on top of everything else you need to prioritize. Don’t forget to check out the RDBC website, where you can find a ton of information on residency, including workplace safety. Resident Doctors of BC is able to provide guidance when it comes to who to contact, when, and how. In some cases, we may be able to advocate on an Occupational Health and Safety issue on your behalf. Reach out to us by phone or email any time if you have questions, comments, or concerns.

There are no unimportant questions, and remember, we love to hear from you and help you resolve problems – it’s why we’re here.