Spring 2018

PARAphrase Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alber ta

Volume 39 | Spring 2018

Contact Us #340, 11044 - 82 Avenue NW Edmonton, Alberta T6G 0T2 Edmonton | (780) 432-1749 Calgary | (403) 236-4841 Toll Free | 1 (877) 375-7272 Email | [email protected]

CONTENTS

Chief Executive Officer Rob Key [email protected]

03

Incoming President's Message

05

Negotiations Update

06

PARAdime

07

Resident Physicians in the Legislature

09

PARA Interdisciplinary Teamwork Award

10

2017 Dr. Stache

11

Resident Physicians of the Month

13

On the Blog

15

PARA on Instagram

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PARA Events

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Member Affairs Manager Tara Madden [email protected] Communications Coordinator Kiersten Doblanko [email protected] Member Services Coordinator Robin Raworth [email protected] Member Services Specialist Ravneet Saran [email protected]

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Informed about our patients’ health and innovations in medicine. Empowered to create healthy professional working and learning environments. Involved in shaping the future of health care delivery in Alberta.

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INCOMING PRESIDENT'S

MESSAGE DR. DEEPAK DINAKARAN

CIP, RADIATION ONCOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

I

t was with great honour and gratitude that I accepted the role as your President for the upcoming 20182019 academic year. Some of you will be new resident physicians, some just new to the concept of PARA and some have been resident physicians for a while and are “on your way out.” Regardless of your stage of training, I am really hoping you stick to the end to find out why PARA, especially in the upcoming year, can be very relevant to your life regardless of which of the three stages you are in. I have been a resident physician and involved with PARA for the past four years at various levels. I have had the privilege of watching the Association become one of the most effective provincial house-staff organizations in the country when it comes to making real changes for its membership. This extends beyond our current members to future members who are still in medical school and past members not yet firmly established in their careers. To go further with explaining where PARA is about to go, I strongly feel it is important to visit the idea of leadership for resident physicians. I do not think I am alone when I say that especially during my time as a medical student and junior resident physician, I used to feel that I did not have a place “leading” anything more than a group of medical students or junior resident physicians (and sometimes barely even that). It was not clear to me how the CanMEDS role of leadership was even supposed to manifest during my training and future career. The life and career pathway of a resident physician seemed pretty regimented and plenty of supervisors

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PARAphrase | volume 39 spring 2018

were always on hand to tell me what to do. However, it is important to remember that we exist in the lower rungs of a hierarchical system and we cannot always rely on our supervisors to advocate for our best interests when issues arise. In the past few years, several key issues arose where PARA was quick to respond on behalf of all Albertan resident physicians. A few examples include: Practice ID (Prac ID) restrictions, out-of-province elective restrictions and Physician Resource Planning. As well, PARA has been working hard on Agreement negotiations, transition to practice, Agreement compliance and resident physician wellness, advocacy and leadership initiatives. Passionate PARA members and motivated PARA staff have allowed us to meet the challenges of these issues as they arose and effectively deal with them to protect resident physicians’ interests. We all benefit greatly thanks to the work done by PARA members who see how important becoming a leader is for their profession and their peers. Without the leadership of these individuals, it is likely that none of these issues would have resulted in a positive outcome for resident physicians. As we continue into the next year and beyond, these issues will continue to evolve. In addition, I am very sure new issues will present themselves. Thus, the importance of PARA’s focus on connecting with our membership will only continue to grow. With this goal in mind, we have several new initiatives on the horizon to help with this: funds to support resident physicians interested in wellness, advocacy and community involvement;

continuous evolution of our online presence allowing you to directly connect with you and your colleagues. We have developed a voice with our external partners, but we still need your input to have a message that represents resident physicians. Therefore, focusing on listening to you will be one of my top priorities in the next year. Another important priority on the horizon is a new round of negotiations with Alberta Health Services and the Postgraduate Medical Education offices at the University of Alberta and University of Calgary. Our last round of negotiations ended less than a year ago and the entire endeavour spanned over three years total. Through our determination and serious time and effort invested, we negotiated a stronger agreement even though the Arbitration Award (on the monetary aspects of the Agreement) was not as hoped and improved our relationship with other parties. We are going into the next round of negotiations with a team including several members from the previous negotiations (myself included), many valuable lessons learned, new resident physicians motivated to see improvements and a

clear goal in mind. I hope the work I and many of my resident physician colleagues have put into PARA will inspire many more members to become involved in the next year and beyond. Leadership in our profession is a crucial quality to develop early on. Physicians are not only front-line workers in patient care, but we are also simultaneously responsible for identifying and calling for the changes that lead to improved patient care. Whether you are destined for a private clinical practice or an academic tertiary care practice, there will be many times in your future career when you will identify deficiencies in the health care system, detrimental practices that hurt patient care and conditions that hurt your own wellbeing in trying to care for patients. You will feel the urge to advocate for your patients, your colleagues and yourself. It is important for you to not ignore this urge, because the most effective way to answer this call to lead is if we all answer it together. I urge you to answer this call with me and the rest of PARA as part of becoming the life-long leader that your profession and your patients need you to be. ◊

Answer this call with me as part of becoming the life-long leader that your profession and your patients need you to be." w w w.para-ab.ca | volume 39 spring 2018

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Negotiations Update "We will dedicate all appropriate resources to achieving our goals in this round of negotiations. "

PARAdime:

Dr. Michael Martyna, President PGY 3, Psychiatry University of Alberta

Reflections on a Successful Campaign

Fellow Resident Physicians, Negotiations for the current Agreement concluded just months ago, resulting in an Agreement arbitrated to a length of three years. The Agreement is set to expire June 30, 2018. As such, PARA has formed a new Negotiations Committee that is already hard at work. A group of resident physicians from a diverse array of specialties and geographic locations sit on the Negotiations Committee. We thank resident physicians for taking the time to complete the negotiations survey, for contacting us to provide feedback and/or for joining the committee. The Negotiations Committee has initiated our review of the survey results, has met

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by teleconference and met in-person for the first time in March. From the survey results, we will form our negotiations objectives and strategy. It is clear that resident physicians in Alberta have significant concerns regarding wellness, how and when we work and proper recognition of the work done to provide Albertans care. We do not expect negotiations to stretch for three years this time around. In fact, we hope to conclude negotiations within a single academic year. This will, of course, depend on how things go at the negotiations table. I want you all to know that the Agreement is a priority and we will dedicate all appropriate resources to

achieving our goals in this round of negotiations. I will provide on-going updates and will continue to engage with resident physicians towards seeking an agreement that benefits us all. Please do not hesitate to reach out with questions, comments or feedback. Cheers,

Dr. Michael Martyna

Dr. Charlene Dinakaran, VP Community & Internal Relations PGY 2, Family Medicine University of Alberta

E

ven though it may not look (or feel!) like it outside, another winter has come and gone and with it another successful PARAdime Campaign! This year was PARAdime’s ninth and it saw resident physicians from all programs across the province collect donations for partner agencies such as Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) in Edmonton, HIV North in Grande Prairie, Safe Harbour in Red Deer, The DI in Calgary, Wood’s Homes in Lethbridge and the Salvation Army in Medicine Hat. Donations were collected in the resident physician lounges in hospitals in these cities and from February 5-9, resident physician volunteers (and our amazing PARA office staff!) assisted in drop-offs of these donations to the well-deserving agencies. Many resident physicians were able to participate in these drop-offs and were able to see first-hand how their donations help the most vulnerable members of our society. I was privileged enough to be part of the drop-off at YESS this year and it was truly remarkable to see the compassion, dedication and commitment that the employees and volunteers had for helping at-risk youth. I was humbled on the tour of their facility, both by how much incredible work they have already done and how much work still needs to be done to help such

a vulnerable part of our society that often falls through the cracks. Resident physicians in other cities have also echoed these sentiments after participating in tours and drop-offs at other agencies. As resident physicians, we see first hand the impact that social determinants of health have on our patients’ abilities to withstand and overcome illness. The partner organizations chosen in this year's PARAdime Campaign effect real change in the lives of people that utilize their services. By reaching out through PARAdime donations, we are able to help them with a very small portion of the vast array of services they provide to people struggling with obtaining the basic necessities like clothing, food, shelter and support. Through our partnerships with these incredible agencies in the PARAdime Campaign, we are able to help people take a small step closer towards health and well-being. We see the medical struggles of these vulnerable populations on a daily basis in clinics, emergency rooms and operating theatres; we want to show our patients that we also see and want to help with those “hidden” struggles that affect their lives. Thank you to everyone that helped make PARAdime 2018 a success! ◊

w w w.para-ab.ca | volume 39 spring 2018

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RIL encourages resident physicians to make a difference to the health of Albertans."

RESIDENT PHYSICIANS

IN THE LEGISLATURE

Dr. Michele Foster VP Leadership & Education PGY 2, Psychiatry University of Alberta

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In early April, a group of resident physicians from various programs across Alberta united for the 11th Resident Physicians in Legislature (RIL) advocacy event. RIL encourages resident physicians to make a difference to the health of Albertans’ by advocating on behalf of our patients. As we are often the frontline clinicians who interact with patients, we are able to identify health care issues from a distinct perspective. Through small group meetings, we share these issues and our perspectives with MLAs and other government officials. It also affords us the opportunity to provide an identity to the resident physician body and explain our role in providing services to Albertans.

This year’s theme for RIL was pharmacare. Many Albertans struggle to afford their medications, negatively impacting patient health and optimal use of health care resources. Through these meetings, we started a conversation to encourage the Alberta government to explore a comprehensive provincial pharmacare plan to ensure all Albertans have access to appropriate medications. This year resident physicians were fortunate to meet with

MLAs from each political party and the Honourable Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health. We shared personal stories of adverse patient outcomes and stories of our some patients having to return to hospital as a result of lack of affordable of medications. Our message was well received and something MLAs from all parties agreed was an issue that directly and indirectly impacts Albertans regardless of demographics. This was the first step in bringing valuable

attention to the issue. It is our hope that resident physicians will continue to be involved in the conversations as they evolve and we were excited that all officials were so engaged. If you are interested in patient advocacy, please consider becoming involved in RIL next year – we would love to have you on our team! ◊


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PARA INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMWORK AWARD 2017 - 2018 RECIPIENTS

This award was established to recognize our allied health colleagues who value and exemplify a positive team-based approach and who advocate for healthy and caring work environments for all members of the team and our patients.

Carolyn Gratton Nurse Practitioner Foothills Medical Centre

Hazal Babadagli Clinical Pharmacist Mazankowski Heart Institute

One of Carolyn's resident physician colleagues had this to say:

One of Hazal's resident physician colleagues had this to say:

"Carolyn has a truly remarkable ability to build

"Hazal routinely goes out of her way to welcome

relationships and cultivate an environment in

rotating resident physicians to the cardiology

which all members of the team are able to function

ward. She is professional, friendly and always keen

at their highest level. She is attentive, inclusive and

to answer questions, without making the learner

insightful. One of Carolyn’s simplest actions, a

feel foolish. She facilitates an excellent learning

daily ice breaker, quickly transitions a new resident

environment. She is also very knowledgeable

physician team from a group of strangers to a close-

in her field and shares this knowledge with the

knit family. Birthdays never go unnoticed; even if

whole team, participating actively in patient

they’re celebrated six months off cycle. Carolyn is

treatment decisions. She advocates for patients

also the first person to follow up on an important

using evidence-based medicine, to ensure that

task for a post-call resident physician or to guide

they get the best possible care. In doing so, she is

them through a challenging problem unique to the

unafraid to challenge decisions when she thinks

trauma service.

the patient's care could be improved.

In isolation, each of these simple actions can

Hazal also contributes to resident physician

easily go unnoticed. In reality, these represent a

wellness by helping to create a collegial, friendly

very intentional effort by Carolyn to build a caring

work atmosphere on the cardiology ward team.

work environment for a strong and effective team.

She gets to know everyone on the team and takes

This has evolved into a group of team alumni that

a genuine interest in resident physicians wellness.

continue to enrich the strength of the team and the quality of the care the team is able to provide."

Hazal contributes to interdisciplinary collegiality as well. She is part of a interdisciplinary soccer team that includes resident physicians, pharmacists and nursing staff and Hazal is always introducing and

Honourable Mentions Meyyappan Arunachalam Perfusionist Mazankowski Heart Institute Margaret Batz Clinical Pharmacist Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital Jessica Jenkins Nurse Practitioner Foothills Medical Centre Safiya Nanji Medical Oncology Nurse Tom Baker Cancer Centre

2017 DR. STACHE D R. PA R A S SATIJA PARA is committed to supporting community outreach initiatives directly related to health. In addition to sponsoring resident physicians in the Run for the Cure (October) and the Mother’s Day/Teddy Bear Fun Run (May), PARA supports the Movember Foundation through the Dr. Stache photo contest. During the month of November, we encourage resident physicians to participate in the Movember awareness campaign. For every photo submitted to the PARA office, PARA donates $10 to Movember, with an additional $100 donation made on behalf of the Dr. Stache winner. This year, Dr. Paras Satija was selected by the Community & Wellness Committee as PARA's 2017 Dr. Stache.

Bobby Spady Bed Manager Stollery Children's Hospital Christie Tieh Registered Nurse Foothills Medical Centre Mary Wittenberg Academic Site Administrator Grey Nuns Hospital

welcoming new members to the team."

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RESIDENT PHYSICIANS

OF THE MONTH

Nominate a colleague for Resident Physician of the Month today! Nomination forms can be found at para-ab.ca/resident-physician-of-the-month

AUGUST 2017

SEPTEMBER 2017

OCTOBER 2017

NOVEMBER 2017

DECEMBER 2017

"SCHRAMD": Dr. Hector Aguilar, Dr. Ankur Goel, Dr. Stephane Doucette Preville, Dr. Chris McIntosh, Dr. Medica Sam, Dr. Rohan Parab & Dr. Darshan Patel PGY 5, Diagnostic Radiology/ Nuclear Medicine University of Alberta "We have two months where the PGY 5s transition the PGY 2s into radiology. “SCHRAMD” took it upon themselves to restructure the two months into an “Intro to Radiology” course where they systematically covered topics that junior resident physicians commonly see on their early rotations. In order to achieve this, they had to create a software that would mass search our Picture Archiving System, which helped new resident physicians digest the content in a more meaningful way. The entire process undoubtedly took multiple hours for each individual lecture. Having had the opportunity to see how the course had been set up prior to this project, versus how it is presented now, I am blown away with how well presented the course is. They did it to benefit us, not themselves."

Dr. Cassandra Hirt-Walsh PGY 5, Obstetrics & Gynecology University of Alberta “Cassandra is the type of outstanding resident physician that we should all aspire to be like. She is an advocate for the junior resident physicians in our program and is keen to teach technical skills and involve us in the operating room. As a leader in our program, she represents our resident physicians on various committees. She created an online drive of resources for resident physicians, which has been extremely useful. Cassandra genuinely cares about her patients and takes time to interact and clearly explain concepts to patients and their families. She is friendly, approachable and treats all students, resident physicians, staff and allied health professionals with kindness and respect. In addition, Cassandra is also the type of person who cares about her fellow resident physicians and will go out of her way to help a colleague in need. I know that Cassandra is always there if you need to laugh, cry or just to watch a video of her adorable cat.”

Dr. Malika Ladha PGY 2, Dermatology University of Calgary “Malika is unfailingly kind, patient and friendly. During my extension of clerkship, Malika reached out to me through the university and offered help, experience and advice. She mentored and supported me, called me regularly, met up for coffee and quite frankly, was the single most helpful and useful resource I had throughout the extension process. I felt as if I was actually able to talk to someone who understood the emotional roller coaster I was experiencing. Because of this, I am beyond grateful to her. Happily, I matched to my first choice this year and I have no doubt that Malika helped me get there. I feel privileged to know Malika and I can think of no one more deserving than her for recognition as Resident Physician of the Month."

Dr. Christopher White PGY 6, Cardiac Surgery University of Alberta "Chris is an outstanding senior resident physician; he is the kind of person who staff and junior resident physicians look forward to working with. When you think of Chris, you think of someone who is an excellent and caring member of the team. Chris exemplifies great medical knowledge and goes above and beyond to ensure that the juniors he works with understand everything that is happening. He goes out of his way to teach students and motivates them to further expand their knowledge. He is proactive, sensitive to the needs of his colleagues and is always volunteering to solve problems. He has an impressive research portfolio, having championed ex vivo lung and heart work. Additionally he has a lovely wife and a new baby!”

Dr. Danya Traboulsi PGY 3, Dermatology University of Calgary “Everyone – patients, medical students, fellow resident physicians, attendings and allied health professionals – attests to Danya’s professional and personal excellence. Wherever and whenever there is a gap, Danya is always the first to step up: whether it’s to teach junior resident physicians or to coordinate an event for our program, Danya is the glue that holds everyone together. Danya is a role model to all of us for achieving balance in residency. She has successfully maintained her commitment to daily physical activity, ranging from boxing to skiing. She also places high emphasis on her family and friends. Danya’s warm personality enables her to form genuine connections. On off-service rotations, I met patients who fondly remember Danya’s holistic patient care. As a resident physician mentor, she always makes herself available to provide guidance and support to junior residents physicians.”

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JANUARY 2018 Dr. Anas Alrohimi PGY 3, Neurology University of Alberta "Dr. Alrohimi is the personification of what it means to be a wellrounded resident physician. He is an exemplary clinician, mentor and colleague. Staff will attest to the fact that, even as a junior resident physician, he functions as a senior on the wards. Despite his advanced clinical acumen, he is easily one of the most amicable individuals in our program, due to his easy-going nature and sense of humility. He will often volunteer to take on extra work when unforeseen circumstances arise for colleagues and spends additional time teaching other juniors. Anas is highly active in the Neurology program. He consistently volunteers to present at academic half days and takes on multiple roles during CaRMS season. It is a testament to Dr. Alrohimi's leadership capabilities that he has been chosen as the Chief Resident for the upcoming year. Suffice it to say, Anas is an extraordinarily dedicated individual and an incredible asset for the program." w w w.para-ab.ca | volume 39 spring 2018

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"In residency, you learn to expect the unexpected. You will encounter situations that you couldn’t have readied yourself for and are wholly uncertain of how to respond to." - Dr. Bethany Ostrowerka PGY 3, Psychiatry University of Alberta A D AY I N T H E C O U N T RY L I F E “There’s not much difference between rural residency and urban residency.” - Dr. Adam Mildenberger PGY 2, Rural Family Medicine University of Alberta

FROM JUNIOR CLERK TO JUNIOR RESIDENT "As the most junior of junior residents, only having completed two and a half blocks so far, my residency experience would be best characterized as a series of firsts." - Dr. Nabeela Nathoo PGY 1, Neurology University of Alberta

"People always ask how do I balance three kids, residency, being a Chief Resident and PARA?" - Dr. Joy Adekanmbi PGY 4, Lab Medicine & Pathology University of Alberta

HUMAN CONNECTION: THE VALUE OF LISTENING "Make an attempt at the human connection that is innate in us all." - Dr. Mim Fatmi PGY 2, Psychiatry University of Calgary 13


LOOKING BACK AND MOVING FORWARD "Medicine attracts those who welcome a challenge, those willing to sacrifice a part of themselves for the betterment of others and those whose passion lies in the complex being that is a human – physically or mentally." - Dr. Kwadwo Mponponsuo PGY 2, Internal Medicine University of Calgary

FIVE MINUTES TO A BETTER ME "A preceptor once told me: you can do anything for five minutes.” - Dr. Kendra Houston PGY 2, Family Medicine University of Alberta

OPEN LET TER TO A PATIENT "We are doctors, but also learners... And although you may not see it, a lot of us also work around the clock to provide care for you behind the scenes.” - Dr. Casey Chan PGY 2, Internal Medicine University of Calgary

BLOG

LIFE AS A PHYSICIAN/MOM

ON THE

SURVIVING MY FIRST CALL SHIFT

REFLECTING ON MY CARMS EXPERIENCE "My CaRMS experience was not a typical one, as I couples matched with my partner. During the CaRMS process, it certainly was full of emotion and anxiety." - Dr. Kiran Dhillon PGY 2, Family Medicine University of Alberta IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO FOLLOW YOUR PASSION "What on earth caused me to quit my job that day? Moreover, what would cause anyone to quit their secure, well-paid job without having a semblance of a plan in place?” - Dr. Alex Ragan PGY 2, Ophthalmology University of Calgary w w w.para-ab.ca | volume 39 spring 2018

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Murder Mystery

Salsa Dancing

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#PARAspring

EVENTS

PARA ON

#PARAtravel

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PARA

Hack-A-Thon

02 Jubilations

04 Halloween PARAlyzer w w w.para-ab.ca | volume 39 spring 2018

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