November 2025

The monthly E-News shares provincial program information and updates about the Facility Engagement program. This information will interest Medical Staff Association (MSA) support teams, but please feel free to forward the newsletter to your MSA executives as well. 

Peer to Peer Virtual Learning Sessions 2026

Facility Engagement (FE) is excited to offer several peer-to-peer learning opportunities for 2026 for medical staff, MSA administrators, and health authority partners. 

Feel free to share the information here with your MSA executives and include it in any communications you send out to the medical staff at your facilities. 

Quick Wins Workshop - Demonstrating Impact - Part 1

Wednesday, January 21, 2026   |   6–7 P.M. PST

Part 1: Peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and applied learning  

The first session of this two-part workshop will include peer-to-peer knowledge sharing and guided activities for evaluating your project idea. By developing time-efficient ways to measure and demonstrate outcomes, we can strengthen the validity and value of these projects, ensuring continued support for FE.

These results can also inform MSA’s SEAT submissions and annual review submissions, which are due at the end of April.  Sessionals are provided for medical staff attendance.

Quick Wins Workshop - Demonstrating Impact - Part 2

Thursday, January 22, 2026   |   12-1 P.M. PST

Part 2: Workshop and customize your evaluation approach   

The second session will build off Part 1 by further developing an evaluation strategy for your specific project using methods for quick and easy data collection. 

We will also share strategies for communicating outcomes to further engage medical staff and health authority partners by leveraging a framework to demonstrate impact. Sessionals provided for medical staff attendance. 

To check out last year’s FE quick wins workshop and resources, including a list of FE projects that are short on time and easy on budget, see here. 

Facility Engagement Virtual Year-End Showcase

Wednesday, June 10, 2026    |   6-8 PM PDT

The year-end virtual showcase will provide an opportunity to share successes highlighted in MSA's annual review submissions from across the province. The evening will include engagement and connection, lightning talk presentations, recognition, and appreciation. 

MSAs, MSA administrators, and their HA partners are encouraged to host their own in-person viewings and join us virtually to celebrate another year of Facility Engagement! 

For past FE peer-to-peer webinars and articles about recruitment and retention, planetary health, physician leadership, hospital overcapacity, patient transport, and more, see here.

Should you have any questions, reach out to engagement@doctorsofbc.ca. 

REMINDER: 2025-26 Annual Review Provincial Webinar This Month 

The Annual Review (AR) notice and information packages were sent to each MSA during the week of October 27, with resources, links, and unique login credentials to complete the online form and submission. Please email your Engagement Partner if you haven’t received your information package.

A provincial webinar will be held for MSA administrators to discuss the Annual Review process and address any questions. The webinar is optional and will be recorded for future reference and shared on our FE website. The optional webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, November 26, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. If you would like to join, please register here. 

A reminder that the deadline to complete the AR form and submit your packages has been extended to an intake period between March 31 and April 30, 2026.

We look forward to hearing about your work, achievements, and future plans. Thank you sincerely for your dedication to supporting MSA and HA-MSA engagement.

Should you have any questions, reach out to engagement@doctorsofbc.ca.

FEMS Tip of the Month

This month, we would like to share with MSA administrators the importance of alerting the FEMS support team when any deposits are made to the MSA bank account. Periodically, MSAs may receive reimbursements for items that have been returned or for a cost-sharing event. Additionally, physician societies may also receive deposits on behalf of the society in the form of GST reimbursements or other society-related items.

To recognize these returns to the MSA, the FEMS support team must make an entry to return the money to the MSA's budget. To facilitate this, please email us with the reimbursement date, the full dollar amount, and the purpose for which the reimbursement is being made. 

One caveat is that any non-FE-related funding (e.g., MSA dues, grant money) should not be deposited into the FE bank account at any time. This money must be managed separately from FEMS and the FE bank account. Please see below for helpful tips on managing these funds.

• If an MSA collects member dues, a separate bank account in the name of the MSA (not the physician society) must be opened from the one used for FE funding and held in the MSA’s name.  Two designated physicians should be the signatories on the account.
• While MSA dues can supplement Facility Engagement funding, they must not be added to FEMS or the FE bank account. They must be held completely separately and accounted for outside of the MSA’s FE accounting systems and financial statements.
• MSA dues should be budgeted annually and managed through a spreadsheet that outlines the approved budget amounts and the allocation of funds (e.g., CME education, physician lounge costs, etc.). Receipts/invoices should be kept as backup via an electronic management system (e.g., Google Drive).
• Any outside funding that comes to the MSA (i.e. money from hospital foundations, outside partners, etc.) that is not part of FE funding or activities should be managed via the MSA dues account.  It should not be mixed with FE funding or bank accounts.
• If the MSA wishes to use its corporate credit card to make a purchase, it can only be for FE-approved activities, not for anything solely managed by MSA dues or outside partners.
• If an outside partner reimburses the MSA, the funds can only be deposited into the FE bank account if there is an approved cost-sharing engagement activity in FEMS. Otherwise, it must be managed via the dues account.
• Example – The MSA and local division are hosting a shared BBQ.  It is determined that the MSA will cover all associated costs and notify the division when the event is completed, specifying their share of the costs.  The division can then send the MSA its portion to be deposited into the FE account.  However, if the division and MSA are each paying for their own bills (i.e. the MSA is paying the venue, insurance, and setup costs, and the division is paying the food, decorations, and teardown costs), then just the amount that the MSA is paying for should be entered in FEMS as an engagement activity.

Should you have any questions, reach out to femssupport@doctorsofbc.ca. 

Knowledge-Sharing Highlights

A new addition has been added to the FE knowledge sharing portal: 

Physician Retention through Child Care:

• For medical staff with busy families, finding childcare can be the difference between working locally and moving away.

• Thanks to a novel partnership between Northern Health, University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (UHNBC) MSA and Prince George YMCA, 11 new priority spaces became a reality and gave health care providers a reason to stay

Knowledge Sharing Highlights: Health Authority Engagement:

Northern Health (regional) Hospital Overcapacity Project.

• A collaborative regional table on hospital overcapacity that includes MSAs, physicians, and health authority leaders. Its findings have validated the impacts of long-stay patients on Northern BC hospitals. Northern Health is implementing several improvements while utilizing the data for future planning.

BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC): Making the workplace more attractive for physician recruitment and retention.

• Engagement with existing and past physicians providing Tuberculosis services has identified opportunities for changes that can make the workplace more attractive to new recruits, and reduce the departure of existing physicians. Phase two of the project includes discussions with BCCDC’s Chief Operating Officer, operational leaders, and MSA executives on taking specific steps towards implementing recommendations, leading to meaningful changes and a more attractive workplace.
• An emergency room physician and the health authority have engaged multidisciplinary emergency room (ER) providers, and First Nations elders and community members in dialogue sessions to build culturally safe care in the ER. The sessions are building understanding, relationships, and trust as a foundation for tangible action, which includes creating and filling an Indigenous Patient Liaison position.

Prince George: Engaging First Nations community members and interdisciplinary members for culturally safe care.

• An emergency room physician and the health authority have engaged multidisciplinary emergency room (ER) providers, and First Nations elders and community members in dialogue sessions to build culturally safe care in the ER. The sessions are building understanding, relationships, and trust as a foundation for tangible action, which includes creating and filling an Indigenous Patient Liaison position

Here’s the Activity Round-ups on HA engagement for more great stories.

Should you have any questions, reach out to engagement@doctorsofbc.ca. 

PM Helpdesk Lunch and Learn Library

We’re excited that the FE provincial office and PM Helpdesk Consultant Erica Kjekstad have developed a comprehensive library document featuring all MSA Lunch and Learn sessions from 2022 through 2025. The links are on the provincial webinars tab on the FE website.

The calendar invite for November's session should now be in your inboxes!

Should you have any inquiries, please don’t hesitate to contact engagement@doctorsofbc.ca.

In Case You Missed It - October

In case you might have missed it, the Facility Engagement provincial office released the following information to MSAs in October 2025:

• AR Information packages were sent to each MSA on October 30.

Additionally, Doctors of BC offices will be closed on Tuesday, November 11, in recognition of Remembrance Day.

Should you have any questions, reach out to engagement@doctorsofbc.ca.