Health Science Professionals

Update on Contract Talks for BC's Health Science Professionals The first two weeks of bargaining for a new collective agreement for the province’s 18,000 health science professionals working in hospitals and communities around the province concluded last week after a series of meetings between unions, represented by the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and employers represented by the Health...

Bargaining for a new collective agreement for BC’s 18,000 health science professionals working in hospitals and communities throughout the province gets underway this week as bargaining representatives for the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and Health Employers’ Association of BC (HEABC) are set to begin contract negotiations tomorrow in Vancouver. Led by the Health Sciences Association of BC (HSA)...

The Health Sciences Association of BC is pleased to announce a new $3-million professional development fund aimed at supporting members of the health care team to undertake professional development to increase specialization, improve health care service to rural and remote areas of BC, and meet ongoing requirements for professional development. The fund is available to health science professionals who work...

Health Emergency Management BC has activated the provincial Emergency Health Provider Registry to assist in the coordination of relief staffing for health care providers in areas impacted by the hundreds of wildfires burning across BC. Any Health Authority is able to access the registry when local emergencies create additional staffing needs. HSA was consulted in the development of the registry...

After several years of advocacy efforts by HSA, British Columbians will see the launch of the College of New Caledonia (CNC)’s Northern Diagnostic Medical Sonography program, scheduled to begin in Prince George in January 2019. Sonographers form a critical part of the public health team through producing sonographic images to assist medical practitioners in the diagnosis of a variety of...

Are you an HSA member with a passion for disability management and rehabilitation? Do you have strong organizational, multi-tasking, and problem-solving skills? Are you employed with the Pro vincial Health Services Authority? If so, consider applying to be an Enhanced Disability Management Program (EDMP) regional representative. Under the direction of designated HSA staff, the HSA EDMP Regional Representative works as...

Research demonstrates that 62 per cent of working-age individuals return to work within the first year of receiving a cancer diagnosis. Yet navigating the return to work process can be challenging for cancer survivors, employers, and heath care practitioners, who all play a vital role facilitating a patient’s smooth transition back to work, to new employment, or to modified work...

Are you an HSA member with a passion for disability management and rehabilitation? Do you have strong organizational, multi-tasking, and problem-solving skills? Are you employed with the Vancouver Island Health Authority? If so, consider applying to be an Enhanced Disability Management Program (EDMP) regional representative. Under the direction of designated HSA staff, the HSA EDMP Regional Representative works as part...

HSA welcomes today’s announcement that government will fund 37,000 more MRI scans in the public system during the coming year, compared to last year. BC has had the longest wait times for MRI in the country for several years, resulting in many patients paying for medically necessary scans at private clinics. Some of these patients then use these scans to...

New Island Health travel reimbursement policy violates HSPBA contract Policy raises barriers to reimbursement of work-related expenses HSA has filed a policy grievance with Island Health Authority for introducing a policy related to travel expenses that violates the collective agreement. IHA has updated its 2006 Travel policy for staff who are required to travel and/or use personal vehicles for work...