Medical Lead/division Head, Psychiatry Cowichan

Island Health has an exciting Medical Leadership opportunity in the Department of Psychiatry. This position encompasses two roles: Division Head, General Psychiatry Geography 3 and Medical Lead for MHSU Cowichan Valley and Cowichan District Hospital (CDH). There is also an expectation of continued clinical practice components to this position.

Reporting to and working collaboratively with the Department Head of Psychiatry, the **Division Head** works to achieve the highest possible quality of General Psychiatry in the Cowichan Valley and at CDH, within the scope of the division’s clinical services and in context of existing teams and resources.

**Division Head Main Responsibilities - Departmental Leadership**

***Medical Workforce Planning**: Monitors and assesses workforce needs within Division; works with Department Head to address needs.**
- ** Practice Standards**: Works with Department Head to develop medical practice standards for General Psychiatry.
- **Research and Education**: Encourages division members to conduct research and provide medical education.
- Supports Chief of Staff and Department Head with matters of physician governance, including professional medical practice issues of section members.
- Conducts following particularly related to:
- Credentialing and privileging and recruitment activities, including in-depth reviews of the site, including:
- Being a contact for recruitment team and participating recruitment activities, including conducting reference checks when delegated by the Department Head.
- Continuing professional development (CPD) activities, including implementing the annual departmental CPD plan for division members
- Practitioner performance enhancement activities, in collaboration with Enhanced Medical Staff Support (EMSS) team, occur within the department
- Recruitment of medical staff members and development of strategies for retention of members
- Expected meeting attendance- Site Departmental meetings
- Regional Division Head meetings led by the Department Head

Reporting to and working collaboratively with the Department Head of Psychiatry and MHSU Medical Director, the **Medical Lead** role works in co-leadership with operational decision makers, to optimize the quality and operations of the MHSU service in the Cowichan Valley and at CDH. In collaborative partnerships, the Medical Lead works proactively with others to enhance teamwork and to facilitate continuous quality improvement of MHSU services within the Geography.

Main responsibilities of this position:

- ** Leadership**: Co-leads activities to ensure physicians and staff work as a team to monitor and improve service delivery; Links with appropriate Division Heads and Chiefs of Staff to address matters of physician governance, including professional medical practice issues.
- **Operations & Quality**:Implements processes and structures to engage physicians and staff in continuous quality improvement of service delivery; Monitors team budget and performance jointly with Co-Leader, and makes course corrections when necessary; Initiates investigations of team-related PSLS and PCQO events.
- **Change Management**:Acts as change management ‘champion’ to engage and support physicians and staff through change.
- **Informatics**: Leads team activities that advance technology and data use to improve service delivery using the electronic health records (EHR) in collaboration with the Quality Systems team.
- **Planning**:Assesses, monitors and anticipates team resource needs and works with medical leaders and administrative leaders to prioritize these needs within available resources.