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Last Chance –Tickets for Top 40 Event on Nov 3

This is a last call to buy tickets to our celebration event for the Top 40 Under 40 in medicine! Tickets must be purchased by Sunday, October 29. The event is Friday, November 3 starting at 7PM.

We have a fun event planned, whether you have a personal connection to one of the winners or you’re looking to connect with colleagues in a fun, social atmosphere. See the full list of winners here.

Details:

WHEN: Friday November 3 at 7PM

WHERE: The Leaf in Assiniboine Park

TICKETS: $50 each – Buy Tickets Here (deadline Sun Oct 29)

The event includes:

  • Hors d’oeuvres and cash bar
  • A short awards program
  • DJ Jamil, the Blue Bombers in-house DJ, presented by Doctors Manitoba.
  • A photobooth, presented by our platinum sponsor Bokhaut CPA
  • A fantasy casino with prizes, organized by our presenting sponsor, MD Financial and Scotiabank

Webinar Tonight with Dr. Roussin and Colleagues

Join us tonight for a special webinar on respiratory season, vaccines, testing, and precautions, as well as an STBBI update. The webinar will include an overview of changes to masking and other precautions (see our overview from last week here).

The webinar will feature Dr. Brent Roussin, Chief Provincial Public Health Officer, and Dr. John Embil, Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control with HSC and WRHA. We will also hear from Medical Officers of Health, including Dr. Carol Kurbis, Dr. Jazz Atwal, and Dr. Davinder Singh.

DATE: Thursday, October 26
TIME: 7:00 PM
REGISTRATION: Register here.

The webinar will include a forecast for the upcoming respiratory virus season, including COVID-19, influenza and RSV. It will also provide updates on related vaccines and testing, as well as masking and precautions. Public Health will also provide an update on STBBI surveillance and treatment. A recording will be available on-demand.

Letter from Premier and Health Minister

Earlier this week, Premier Wab Kinew and Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara sent a letter to all health care workers in Manitoba. They requested Doctors Manitoba to pass on this letter to all physicians and medical learners.

The letter attempts to reset the tone in Manitoba’s health care system, to increase respect for front line physicians and health care workers, showing you are valued. The Premier and Health Minister commit that help is on the way, and that the voice of health care workers is important. They ask those on the front line to continue working while they work to improve the situation in the health care system.

See the full letter here..

We at Doctors Manitoba see this letter as an important step forward, as physicians have largely not felt valued by the system in recent years. In fact, our survey earlier this year found only 10% of physicians felt valued by the government and 17 – 24% felt valued by Shared Health or their RHA. Only 17% saw the health system as responsive to physician concerns, and less than a third described their work culture as positive. Meanwhile, 63% of physicians are distressed, 55% are experiencing high levels of burnout, and 51% are planning on retiring, leaving Manitoba, or reducing their clinical hours if nothing changes.

We have already reached out to the new Premier and Health Minister to offer our support to improve the health care system, by acting on the advice of physicians that will help to reduce burnout, improve satisfaction in your work, and recruit and retain more doctors in our province. 

Help Shape Doctors Manitoba’s Future

Our current strategic plan ends in 2024. The last four years have seen many challenges and changes in our profession, as we confronted a pandemic and under-resourced health system, negotiated a new Physician Services Agreement with government, and then saw a new government elected on a health care mandate. This is the opportune time for us to take a step back and examine who Doctors Manitoba is and how we need to grow to best serve physicians and medical learners in a changing health care environment. 

We need your help to make us the medical association you and your colleagues need today and into the future. 

We have hired an independent consultant to engage a wide range of physicians and stakeholders, to provide us with honest feedback and perspectives. This information will help us understand where we are today and what we need to do to create a focused strategy that meets the need of our membership so that you can thrive and succeed in your role, providing the best possible care to your patients.

We invite you to an engaging research workshop the evening of Thursday, November 23. To accommodate our membership province-wide we are providing the option to join in-person or virtually.

In-person

  • Location: Masonic Memorial Centre, 420 Corydon Avenue (free parking available)
  • Doors open and Light dinner: 5:00pm
  • Workshop: 6:00 – 9:00pm

Virtual:

  • Location: via Zoom
  • Workshop: 6:00 – 9:00pm

Access link to be provided after registration.

You will be joined by other physicians, residents, medical students, Doctors Manitoba staff, and leadership. Your commitment to attending is very important to us. Participants will be working in small groups and discussing provocative questions that explore the Doctor’s Manitoba strategy from many angles and identify different paths to move forward. All information gathered will be kept confidential and anonymous. 

Registration:

Please RSVP by clicking here and registering for the event:

National Report on MD Shortage

A new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information shows the physician shortage in Manitoba is growing. Manitoba has the second lowest number of doctors on a per capita basis in the country, and the lowest for family physicians. Doctors Manitoba released a summary of the independent national report along with other local data to assist with health human resource planning.

“Manitoba’s physician shortage is getting bigger every year, making it harder for Manitobans to find a family doctor or to access specialist care,” said Dr. Michael Boroditsky, President of Doctors Manitoba.

The CIHI Report, with data up to 2022, finds:

  1. Manitoba has 215 physicians per 100,000 residents, the second lowest in Canada and well below the national average of 247.
  2. There has been a steady decline in Manitoba’s ranking on physicians per capita from 4th highest in 2002 to second lowest in 2022.
  3. It would now take 445 more physicians for Manitoba to reach the national per capita average, up from 405 last year.

Supplementary data compiled by Doctors Manitoba shows that on top of a serious shortage of physicians, Manitoba has a significant retention risk as 51% of existing physicians plan on retiring, leaving Manitoba, or reducing their clinical hours in the next three years. The top issues contributing to these plans include feeling burned out, frustration with system issues, excessive administrative burden, and not feeling valued by the health system.

Dr. Boroditsky offered some reassurance, however. ​“While these statistics are alarming, there is reason to be optimistic,” he added. ​“The province has initiated multiple actions over the last several months that directly respond to advice from physicians about how to reverse our physician shortage.”

These recent actions include expanding physician training, expanding resources for physician services, and increasing retention by reducing burnout and improving satisfaction, such as: 

  1. Expanding medical school by 15 spaces this year, with plans to add an additional 25 spaces over the next two years.
  2. A new Physician Services Agreement with historic funding increases for physician services including new competitive models of remuneration.
  3. Actions to reduce administrative burdens on physicians, and improve physician health.
  4. An attempt to reset the tone in health care with more respect for and engagement with front line physicians.
  5. A robust health plan from the new government including new recruitment incentives, a significant expansion of team-based care, and a commitment to recruit at least 400 more doctors.

You can access our annual summary of physician resources in Manitoba here.

Health System Updates

CMPA Survey

The Canadian Medical Protection Association wants to hear your thoughts on what the future of governance could look like for them. You have until October 31 to participate in the governance review survey. Learn more about the existing governance structure here, then access their survey to share your views (member number and password required).

Pulse Check: Changes to colorectal cancer screening

Join ColonCheck Medical Lead, Dr. Ross Stimpson, General Surgeon, Dr. Ali Khan, and CancerCare Manitoba Screening Program Manager, Laura Coulter to learn more about how the changes to colorectal cancer screening are impacting primary care. There will be an opportunity to ask your questions.

  • Tuesday, December 5, 2023
  • 12:00 — 1:00pm
  • Registration is required.

Click here to learn more, download a poster for your site, and register.

How is your musculoskeletal (MSK) knowledge?

The College of Medicine is looking for your participation in a brief 20 minute survey designed to examine MSK learning and knowledge retention in postgraduate physicians from the University of Manitoba Class of 2018 to 2023. Results are expected to help guide the development of enhanced MSK learning opportunities for physicians in the province of Manitoba. All responses are anonymous, and your participation is greatly appreciated. Your feedback is important in ensuring the University of Manitoba is providing students with an adequate level of education to prepare future physicians for the clinical world. Test your musculoskeletal (MSK) knowledge.


Physician of the Week

Dr. Joel Nkosi is a hospital-based internal medicine physician with a passion for teaching medical learners. He values being able to a difference in the lives of people when they need help the most and is always thankful when he can help patients recuperate or heal.
Even when having difficult conversations with terminally ill
patients, he values these transitional situations to provide patients
and their families with emotional support and comfort. Most importantly, Dr. Nkosi says he wants patients to​“feel like they matter” and works to maintain the highest level of humanity in those final stages. While the results for some patients are not always ideal, he has learned to be proud when he has given all he can for his patients.

→ Suggest a colleague as Physician of the Week here.

→ Read more about Dr. Nkosi and other Physician of the Week feature stories.

DRMB Book Club!

The Doctors Manitoba Physician Health and Wellness committee is excited to invite you to an opportunity for building connection and community in medicine. Join us for the third virtual meeting of the Doctors Manitoba Book Club on Monday, November 20th from 7:00pm – 8:30pm. We will be reading the Barnes & Noble Exclusive Edition ​“Yellowface” by R.F Kuang. There will also be a chance for the group to discuss the book and share thoughts. Register Here!

Uprooting Medical Violence: Building Leadership Through Equity, Solidarity and Collective Self-Determination

In Session 7 of our Leadership for Equity: Expanding Inclusive Medical Culture series Participants will leave with a better understanding of why leaders within health care should understand the historical foundations of medical violence, how power and oppression continues to inform health inequities, and the importance of anti-oppressive practice in building medical education, clinical practice and research that is rooted in health equity and positive social change.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the relationship between power, oppression, health inequities and our healthcare system
2. Discuss how our healthcare system has historically and continues to enact harm and discrimination against structurally marginalized communities
3. Describe the basic principles of anti-oppressive practice
4. Discuss how anti-oppressive practice is foundational to leadership skills that promote health equity and positive social change

Debrief to follow led by Valerie Williams, CPHR, CCIP, Director Office of Equity, Access & Participation, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

Learn more here and register here.

Opportunity at Doctors Manitoba

In our ongoing efforts to better serve our members, we are expanding our team! We are currently recruiting for a new position, Practice Advisor, to a rewarding role that will work closely with physicians to support their professional and economic well-being. Please help us by sharing this opportunity with your contacts, including those with experience managing a physician practice or clinic, meeting and educating physicians, or those with expertise in medical remuneration and fee-for-service claims. The Practice Advisor will be responsible for developing and delivering resources for physicians. A key focus will include engagement and education for physicians about remuneration and billing as well as making it easier to fulfill other professional obligations and responsibilities including the business side of medicine, such as successfully running a physician practice and clinic management. 

Click here for the full job description, which you can share with contacts who may be interested. The deadline to apply is November 3, 2023.

Dr. Kent Saylor Bursary for Indigenous Medical Students

The Dr. Kent Saylor Bursary for Indigenous Medical Students is awarded each year to encourage First Nations, Inuit and Métis medical students to consider a career in paediatrics. Established in 2023, the $2,500 bursary is named in honour of Dr. Kent Saylor, the first Indigenous paediatrician in Canada and a former chair of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health Committee. Dr. Saylor has been instrumental in promoting culturally safe health care for Indigenous children and youth. More information about the bursary and the application form can be found here. Deadline to apply is October 31. Please contact healthygenerations@​cps.​ca with any questions.

This bursary is funded by Healthy Generations, the charitable foundation of the Canadian Paediatric Society

In Case You Missed It

Here’s our most popular recent posts, in case you missed them:

Upcoming Events

Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge, increase your awareness, or build leadership skills, we have many sessions planned!

Women in Medicine Retreat (Nov 3 – 5, Gimli) — This retreat, focusing on wellness and professional development, is open to practicing women physicians and residents. An initiative led by Dr. Astrid Guenther, the agenda includes Cultivating Self-Compassion to Heal from Shame (3.5 CME), yoga, mindfulness, networking, and is fully catered. For more information, contact astridsantin@​gmail.​com by October 13 (limited spots available).

Other Events

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