Will you be the next Quality Academy grad? If you’re excited to lead quality improvement initiatives in your workplace, speak with your supervisor. The BC Patient Safety & Quality Council (BCPSQC) Quality Academy may be for you!

About the Quality Academy

The goal of Quality Academy is to “provide participants with the capability to effectively lead quality and safety initiatives, including teaching and advising others in the process of improving health care quality.” Experienced improvement advisors with the BCPSQC and VCH will guide and support participants through a six month residency program.

Each year VCH supports six clinical staff and physician applicants to attend this professional development program. In 2015, through the generous donation of Mr. Robert H. N. Ho , the Enhancing Patient Care Fund provided additional dollars to send an extra six staff through the Quality Academy. In 2015, projects VCH staff undertook included:

• Developing a COPD Discharge Action Plan for patients admitted with acute exacerbation of COPD
• Decreasing the amount of time for ED patients in the Triage areas to be seen by the physician
• Reducing the pneumonia rate in post-operative thoracic patients by 50%

The application process

Quality and Patient Safety will be accepting applications for the 2016 BC Patient Safety & Quality Council (BCPSQC) ‘Quality Academy’ program from November 2 through November 20, 2015. The 2016 Spring cohort begins in early April and ends in mid September. All applications for Quality Academy must be submitted to your Community of Care Director, Quality and Patient Safety by November 20, 2015. Applications are reviewed by a committee for alignment to VCH’s True North Goals, strategic priorities and to overarching quality and safety initiatives.

Questions may be driected to: EnhancingPatientCareProgram@vch.ca.