'Interesting' Times

It's true; I've accepted a position as a PA at Kelowna General Hospital. I'm in my 2nd week. There are PAs in Vernon and Penticton as well.
Anyone who is interested in helping out, please contact me ASAP (william.stinson@interiorhealth.ca).

We're surviving without the use of the slide digitizer and without the use of the web cam. Pathologists are providing frozen section service, at least for the time-being. A temporary Medical Director is in place. Replacement Pathologists are being sought (including an offer to the out-going Docs to accept a revised contract which stipulated, among other things, the use of PAs).

Since I have arrived, I have been interested (but not surprised) to learn that Cytotechnologists have not been utilized in this region for screening to the extent that they are everywhere else. FNAs are accessioned as surgicals and the slides [used to] go directly to the Pathologist. The utilization of Cytotechs for screening will likely be a permanent change for the future, much like the use of PAs.

There are other, more far-reaching changes that will be put into place as a result of the recent failed negotiations; affecting the other clinical labs.

There was a rumour that the PAs at Interior Health were not being paid within the union grid. This is not true. They are being paid at the level III.

I am glad that slowly-but-surely, I am being accepted among the group. The emotion built up as a result of this issue is not surprising at all. I'm pleased to see that I have not been specifically targetted by the Technologists (although I'd be lying if I told you that I'm immune to the obvious feelings surrounding me each day).

Please contact me if you are an experienced PA who would like to help us out for a few weeks or more and would like to find out what the Okanagan is like; possibly on a more permanent basis.