VCH cares for employees so they can care for others

Jamie Cramb feels right at home at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), even when working a fast-paced and challenging job.

“Each year for my birthday, my work family fills our breakroom with pies and cookies because they know I don’t like cake. Our team is so close that, when I’m called by my real name and not one of the many nicknames I’ve been given by my colleagues, I assume something needs urgent attention,” says Cramb, a registered nurse in the operating room at Sechelt | shíshálh Hospital.

“This camaraderie exists throughout the hospital. I have worked in four different areas and have never felt like I couldn’t ask questions or ask for help.”

Jo-Ann Tait, vice president, Richmond Community Services, has also seen how this sense of teamwork and collaboration benefits employees and patients. In addition to everyday patient care, Tait has been part of multiple emergency operations teams established to provide support in extraordinary circumstances.

“What I witness is our values in action, with teams and leaders working together to not only care for the people we are about to serve, but caring for each other,” Tait says. “Having been part of multiple health-care-related emergencies, the experience with Vancouver Coastal Health has stood out for me because of the layers of support that surround the staff and medical staff to ensure they are well taken care of during a crisis.”

Tait says this support is apparent not just during critical situations. “Since we serve such diverse communities, we are always working to make Vancouver Coastal Health a culturally safe and inclusive environment for staff, medical staff, patients, clients and residents,” she says. “This year, we added Healthy People to our strategic priorities, which is focused on supporting optimal health and well-being by addressing the social determinants of health. We firmly believe that you must take care of yourself so that you can take great care of others.”

To work toward this goal, VCH benefits include resources to support psychological health and wellness, including confidential counselling that’s available 24/7 and noon-hour yoga sessions. The organization also offers employee discounts for a range of community business partners, including food, wellness and recreation offerings.

VCH also supports career growth. For example, staff have access to personalized career coaching services and workshops to help enhance their resume and prepare for interviews when applying for internal job postings. “In my role as a leader, I have supported many staff along their career journeys with informal mentorship and ensuring formal training and education,” Tait says. “We know that growth opportunities are a key reason people come to Vancouver Coastal Health, and we help staff navigate their passions and areas of interest.”

Cramb has taken advantage of these opportunities. She trained as a perioperative nurse through the Regional Perioperative Education Program, which was funded by VCH. She has done violence prevention training and been mentored to be charge nurse of the operating room when her supervisor is away. She is also learning to fill a new role as emergency department mental health liaison.

“Being able to access these programs has allowed me to explore my interests, increase my adaptability and challenge myself,” Cramb says. “Navigating these responsibilities also allows me to learn and appreciate the workflow, policies and inner functions of different roles. I think being able to apply several lenses to my nursing approach has improved my critical thinking in practice and in everyday life.

“It means a great deal to me that I can spend my career working toward a truly well-rounded nursing practice because VCH facilitates my continued education and training to help me excel.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's BC’s Top Employers winners, published February 11, 2025 in the Vancouver Sun. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Vancouver Coastal Health supports employee career growth

Sally Breen recently saw that a colleague who had started at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) as a student nurse took on a manager role. “I led the Employed Student Nurse program when he was in it and to now see him as a manager, it’s such a swell of pride. I am so happy to see people like him succeed and to know I was a part of their journey,” says Breen, executive director, talent management and strategy deployment.

Breen, who started as a nurse at VCH in 1983, credits the support she received from the organization and her mentors for her successful career. After working in various clinical areas, she became an educator, and eventually director of clinical education, before moving to her current role.

VCH, one of five regional health authorities covering B.C., provides the support needed to help employees find their career paths. “From the start, we’re curious about your trajectory and where you want to work. What is your area of passion? It is more than just filling a vacancy – we want people to be fulfilled and stay with us throughout their career,” Breen says.

VCH assigns an onboarding associate to help guide new staff and medical staff during their first 60 days. The associates provide direct support, answer questions and seek further information on anything related to the employee experience. The onboarding team works in multiple languages to support the diverse workforce. A relocation specialist helps new employees with anything from housing to finding childcare or a new bank.

The organization has also increased its number of clinical mentor roles to help the transition into the organization and clinical practice. Other programs include career coaching and sponsored education opportunities, such as operating room or home health nursing programs, which provide full tuition and full salary and benefits while trainees pursue education for specialized clinical roles.

Doris Wu, a registered nurse with Richmond’s Home Health team, completed the Regional Home Health Education Program to help her transition from nursing school to home health nursing. She became interested in home health nursing after doing a rotation on the Richmond team prior to graduation.

“I was so drawn in by the culture. My mentors are very approachable, and I always feel comfortable asking questions,” she says. “My colleagues are the best and are always willing to help me. As a new grad, having these role models makes me realize this is how I want to show up as a nurse as I grow in my career.”

Wu also appreciates that VCH offers benefits and programs to promote wellness, such as yoga classes and coverage for massage therapy. The organization also offers a robust employee and family assistance program, injury rehabilitation program, an on-site gym and a transit subsidy of up to 75 per cent. “Nurses emphasize taking care of our own bodies and our own mental health so we can provide the best and safest care possible to our patients. I really appreciate having these programs at VCH to help us do that,” Wu says.

Breen says another area of focus for VCH is employee recognition programs, which celebrate exceptional staff, medical staff, volunteers and teams that go above and beyond to make a meaningful impact. “It goes a long way when someone appreciates your contributions and says, ‘You’re doing a great job,’” she says. “Recognition is something we work hard on. We like to share stories about our health care workers and the impact they are making. It creates pride in the organization and helps people feel a part of something special.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Top Employers for Young People winners, published January 21, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

Vancouver Coastal Health creates safe spaces for all

When Yasmin Jetha joined Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) as a program manager in 2005, the organization’s chief operating officer (COO) asked her to meet for coffee.

“I remember being amazed that the COO wanted to meet with me,” says Jetha, vice-president, regional community services. “We walked through the hospital, and he knew nurses and staff members by name. During our conversation, he wanted to know about my career, but he also wanted to know about me as a person. I remember thinking, this is the kind of leader I want to be.”

“And I have had many mentors and allies along my journey since and it really does feel like you’re part of a family here.”

Part of that sense of family comes from VCH’s focus on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), says Sally Phung-Ip, a pediatric social worker. “It creates a sense of psychological safety for the staff, knowing that you're working for an organization that values your experience. I feel like I have a safe space where I can speak up. I can be honest about my experience, and I feel that my opinions are valued.”

On a formal level, this includes programs such as ongoing Indigenous cultural safety training and anti-racism training for staff and medical staff, as well as investing in Indigenous patient navigators who work with patients and their families to help ensure their experience is culturally safe.

“The training I have done helps me and my colleagues unpack unconscious bias and helps us relearn a lot of things,” Phung-Ip says. “Those sessions and conversations aren't always easy — it’s uncomfortable to look at yourself that way — but they’re necessary.”

“I work with a lot of families that are refugees, newcomers to Canada or Indigenous, and their child may have physical and developmental challenges. So, having that EDI background is key to providing the best possible care. And on a personal note, I came to Canada as a refugee. I’m a woman of colour. So, it’s so important to me to be working for an organization whose values align with mine and an organization where I feel like my lived experience is respected and valued.”

Jetha says EDI is woven throughout VCH’s health care delivery strategy to ensure accessible and equitable care across the region. For example, clinicians and leaders look at all clinical services through a population health lens. “Using stroke services as an example, we look at our population and geography to understand access and wait times across our region. We look to understand how we can better align our services to meet the diverse community needs,” Jetha says.

It’s VCH’s clinicians, staff and leaders who identify challenges and inequities that they see as barriers to providing care and come up with ideas to address them. To serve rural and remote patients, VCH clinicians developed a model to offer telestroke, which uses technology to provide expert stroke care in smaller communities. Paired with artificial intelligence, physicians can decide which patients they need to transfer for immediate, specialized care.

“Services like this are really important in helping our teams know they can provide equitable access to care, and improve outcomes for patients,” Jetha says.

“We are on a journey and are all learning together. Education is only part of it; organizational culture change is too. It’s about how we are creating a safer, more equitable and inclusive health care system together.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada’s Best Diversity Employers winners, published February 25, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.