MUHC faces recruitment challenge with Quebec demand to cut 1 in 10 specialists
Quebec government's plan to move specialists off-island doesn't consider teaching hospital's needs
The McGill University Health Centre is grappling with how to hire new doctors that the hospital believes it needs, months after the Quebec government ordered it to cut specialists from its ranks.
- MUHC superhospital to cut 10 per cent of specialist staff
- Quebec to cut neonatal specialists at new superhospital from 14 to 11
When the MUHC moved into the superhospital site last spring, the government said it would have to reduce by about ten per cent the number of specialists practising there.
Under that "clinical divestment" plan, the goal is to have those specialists work off-island instead of being centralized at the MUHC.
Seeking innovators, researchers
There have been some compromises since: In cardiology, for instance, the government ordered the MUHC to cut six positions. Eventually, they agreed on cutting four, through attrition and retirement.
That means cardiology is one of about a dozen specialties where the hospital is, technically, "over count," so bringing in new doctors is difficult if there isn't an open slot.
Despite that, the hospital is still actively recruiting new specialists, Ewa Sidorowicz, the MUHC's associate director general of medical affairs, says. It is working with McGill University to find ways to get recruits approved.
One route would be to recruit physicians who can bring a level of innovation and research to the hospital, Sidorowicz said.
The MUHC is a teaching hospital, so a leading researcher would not count against the hospital's allotment in a certain specialty, such as cardiology.
Pressing need for certain expertise
The second route is to demonstrate that there's a pressing clinical reason to hire a particular specialist within a patient population.
That may mean, for instance, seeking a physician who has expertise in cardiac interventions such as unblocking coronary arteries, Sidorowicz explained.
"We need to document that with great detail for the ministry to justify bringing in someone over count," said Sidorowicz.
Desire to keep 'cherished teachers'
Another challenge is managing physicians who are nearing retirement. Some physicians may be teaching more than they are practicing medicine, but the government still considers them full-time physicians.
"We're not able to have those physicians recognized as perhaps being part-time or not occupying a full position, therefore being counted in a different group," said Sidorowicz.
"They are saying we should be managing the retirements in a more proactive way. But a lot of these physicians are cherished teachers and have a lot of experience to pass (on)."
The MUHC said it has applied to hire a number of recruits and hopes to hear back from the provincial government in the next few weeks. So far, it is only trying to meet the most urgent needs.
The government has given the MUHC five years to decrease the number of specialists it has on staff.
The Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) is due to open next year, and it's expected to face the same type of recruiting challenges.