Dear members,

I hope everyone enjoyed the summer and that you were able to take some time to rest and rejuvenate. Summer is my favourite season, and I love the feel of warm sunshine.

We are looking forward to sharing ongoing work with you on member wellness, EDI, planetary health, Indigenous cultural safety, CST, quality improvement, and substance use initiatives.

With respect to wellness, a big thank you to the over 600 VA and VC physicians who took time to complete our recent wellness survey, and we anticipate being able to share our findings in the fall.  Another big factor affecting wellness is recruitment and retention. VPSA is currently accepting applications from departments and divisions for recruitment and retention projects. We have sent applications to all department/division heads, and funding (up to $3,000) can be used for projects meeting specific criteria.

We also know from our preliminary analysis of our survey results that CST continues to be a challenge for many, and CST will again be a topic at our next VMDAS quarterly meeting on September 23rd, from 5 to 7 pm. We are continuing discussions with senior leadership and hope in the coming months to establish structures for members to provide input and improve experience.

If you are looking to get involved in a task group or committee, please look out for openings posted in our regular Sunday e-newsletters.  We know that our members are what make our organization strong.  Thank you for your ongoing dedication and commitment to our patients and to each other.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ka Wai Cheung
President, VPSA/VMDAS