Associate Physician, Correctional Health Services - BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services

Job ID 2421011 pl355 Date posted 07 / 19 / 2024

Associate Physician, Correctional Health Services

BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services

Coquitlam, British Columbia

General Information

BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS), as part of the provincial mental health services continuum, provides a diverse range of specialized, "one-of-a-kind" tertiary mental health and substance use services to adults across the province.

These include services located at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital and six regional clinics, the Red Fish Healing Centre for Mental Health & Addiction, and Heartwood Centre for Women.

In addition to delivering these clinical services, BCMHSUS provides provincial leadership for system-wide improvement through its work in : health promotion and illness prevention;

knowledge exchange; and research and academic teaching.

The Associate Physician, Correctional Health Services, practices under the direction of the Medical Director, with direct reporting to the site physician.

The medical team provides care to patients within one of the province’s correctional facilities, operated by BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services (BCMHSUS), a program of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).

Patients are within the court system, and typically require health care alongside their care for mental health and substance addition issues.

The Associate Physician participates in the delivery of patient care, along with multidisciplinary health providers, both in person and by supervised telehealth.

Scope of patient care includes health assessments for all patients; examination, diagnosis, and treatment of sick / injured patients, providing referrals to other facilities / services as required, and providing care within the segregation unit.

Specific Accountabilities

Patient Care

Participates in patient care at one of ten Correctional facilities in British Columbia under the supervision of a CHS physician or delegate along with other health care providers.

Services may be delivered through supervised telehealth as required, which could include video link.

• Conducts a health assessment of each patient; examines, diagnoses and treats sick or injured patients who are presented for examination, including patients in the segregation unit.
• Examine patients with dental complaints where dental services are not immediately available, administering medication or other relief, and referring to dentistry service as indicated.

Patient Management

• Performs and documents admission history and physical examinations, progress notes, discharge summaries, medication reconciliations as per BC College and organizational standards, policies, and guidelines.
• Arranges for the services of hospitals / medical facilities when the facilities of the Correctional Centre are inadequate for necessary examination, diagnosis or treatment of a patient.
• Manages the day-to-day care of patients, including writing medical orders, on charts and consultations of other services.

Professional Development

• Participate in Medical Staff Meetings, chaired by the Medical Director, to discuss Correctional Health Services. These calls will be up to hours in duration and scheduled in advance.
• Participates in appropriate professional development activities (a minimum of 50 hours per year, 25 hours of which must be accredited training recognized by the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons’ Maintenance of Certification Program for healthcare professionals).

Qualifications

This position requires a medical degree from a school listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools, and at least 2 years’ accredited postgraduate training, verified by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia (CPSBC).

Candidates must have successfully completed Part 1 of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination (MCCQE) or Steps 1 through 3 of the United States Medical Licensing Examinations (USMLEs).

Additionally, candidates must meet the CPSBC’s English language proficiency requirements; be eligible for registration with the CPSBC in the Associate Physician class;

and have Canadian Citizenship, be a permanent resident, or be legally able to live and work in British Columbia. Experience working with mental health and substance use, or in correctional facilities is considered an asset.

The successful candidate will also be committed to upholding the shared responsibility of creating lasting and meaningful reconciliation in Canada as per the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (2015) and BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019).

As a strong asset for consideration, we are looking for our successful candidate to have : Knowledge of social, economic, political and historical realities of settler colonialism on Indigenous Peoples and familiarity with addressing Indigenous-specific anti-racism, anti-racism and Indigenous Cultural Safety and foundational documents and legislative commitments (The Declaration Act, the Declaration Action Plan, TRC, IPS, Remembering Keegan, etc.).

As per the current Public Health Order, full vaccination against COVID-19 is a condition of employment with PHSA as of October 26, 2021.

How to apply :

Applications, accompanied by a cover letter, detailed curriculum vitae, and the name, title, rank and contact information of four references, should be directed to Health Match BC at :

For further questions regarding the application process please direct to :

Heather Finn

Advisor, Talent Acquisition Clinical Services

Email : About Provincial Health Services Authority

The Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) plans, manages and evaluates specialized health services with the BC health authorities to provide equitable and cost-effective health care for people throughout the province.

Our values reflect our commitment to excellence and include : Respect people Be compassionate Dare to innovate Cultivate partnerships Serve with purpose.

Learn more about PHSA and our programs : style "font-family : arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size : 10pt;">

PHSA is committed to employment equity, encouraging all qualified individuals to apply. We recognize that our ability to provide the best care for our diverse patient populations relies on a rich diversity of skills, knowledge, background and experience, and value a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment.

Reconciliation is an ongoing process and a shared responsibility for all of us. The BC Government unanimous passing of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act was a significant step forward in this journey one that all health authorities are expected to support as we work in cooperation with Indigenous Peoples to establish a clear and sustainable path to meaningful and lasting reconciliation.

True reconciliation will take time and ongoing commitment to work with Indigenous Peoples as we move toward self-determination.

Guiding these efforts PHSA must uphold legislative obligations and provincial commitments found in the foundational documents such as including Truth & Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action (2015), In Plain Sight (2020), BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2019), United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Reclaiming Power and Place Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls Calls for Justice (2019), the Declaration Act Action Plan and Remembering Keegan : A First Nations Case Study.