What We Heard – Member engagement results

At Doctors of BC, feedback from members helps us advocate more effectively for doctors across the province. With your input, we are better able to work on your behalf to create solutions and positive change with government, health authorities, and other stakeholders.

As part of our ongoing advocacy efforts, in March of this year, Doctors of BC asked our members for their thoughts on three topics relevant to their work, and the profession as a whole. You shared your opinions with us on our Bang The Table member engagement site, and we appreciate the time you took to join the conversation.

These three topics have been on the minds of many of our members, and your responses will help inform our next steps with regard to each:

Illicit drug Overdose crisis

The illicit drug overdose crisis in BC is an issue that affects countless families and doctors across the province. The engagement results show strong support for advocating for the provincial and federal governments to work together to decriminalize simple possession of small amounts of illicit drugs, but the complexity of the situation shows there are some concerns among the members who took part. Doctors of BC’s Working Group on Decriminalization, Safe Supply, and Addiction Care will use these findings to advocate for urgent change, and inform actionable policy commitments and recommendations to government and stakeholders.

Read the full What We Heard Report

Diversity and inclusion

Doctors of BC is committed to making our governance bodies more diverse and inclusive of all our members. To help guide the work we are doing, the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Working Group developed a  high-level vision statement and wanted to hear members’ thoughts on it as we continue to implement recommendations from the Barrier Assessment Report. Members provided constructive feedback, highlighting a need to speak to historical marginalization of some groups that exists in BC and its impact on the profession, as well as ensuring all members feel safe and respected. The vision statement is a valuable element of our ongoing diversity and inclusion work, and it will help guide the implementation of the Barrier Assessment Report recommendations, and inform how we share our progress with members.

Read the full What We Heard Report

Working in non-physician owned clinics

A number of corporate and other privately-owned clinics are offering BC doctors the chance to become clinic employees, thereby removing the burden of clinic management and ownership. The contracts these clinics are offering have different terms, with a number of elements doctors should consider. Doctors of BC wanted to make sure the focus areas in the guidance document we are developing will be useful to doctors – that they will provide clarity when doctors are considering a contract with one of these clinics. Our results showed that more than 70% of respondents said the areas of focus are very much or somewhat on track, which is helpful as we move forward in creating this guidance document.

Read the full What We Heard Report

If you have any queries about engagement opportunities or topics, please email: View Email Addresspolicyandplanning@doctorsofbc.ca. You can find all previous What We Heard Reports on our website.