The Report

The Report: November 2007 vol.28 num.5 Retired lab tech makes national news by fending off bear attack by LAURA BUSHEIKIN uring her 28-year career as a medical technologist, retired HSA member Jane Tillotson was regularly involved in saving lives with her professional skills. But her most celebrated life-saving act came a year after her retirement. This time, it was her...

The Report: September 2007 vol.28 num.4 by REID JOHNSON n my first few months on the job as your president, my priority hasbeen to hear from HSA members about your concerns and aspirations foryour union, your workplaces, and your professions. Since April, I have participated in almost 20 chapter meetings, which have included meeting members from Royal Jubilee Hospital and...

The Report: September 2007 vol.28 num.4 Recently, I missed work due to illness. My supervisor now wants proof.When I provided a note from my doctor attesting to the fact that I wasill, my supervisor said he needs more detailed information. How muchhealth information is my employer entitled to? Employers often want medical certificates, and sometimes they ask for alot of...

The Report: September 2007 vol.28 num.4by CAROLE PEARSON I've never, ever regretted becoming a chie f steward," says Mo Norton,HSA Chief Steward for North Shore Health and Community Services inNorth Vancouver. -I honestly havent had any situations with management that havent been resolved satisfactorily, even under difficult situations," she said. -Its really nice to go in to a meeting, wearing...

The Report: September 2007 vol.28 num.4 r. M eena Sran, the new president of the Physiotherapy Association of BC, chose her profession by accident. Following a motor vehicle accident in 1991, a physiotherapist worked with Sran in her recovery, and the University of BC student found the profession that shed been looking for. -I was drawn to studying physiotherapy because...

The Report: September 2007 vol.28 num.4 by SARAH OLEARY any of WCB appeals we file are based on reports that a member started to experience pain after an extremely difficult day at work. Sound familiar? Often, this is the culmination of months of soreness, stiffness and/or pain but no time lost from work. Then one day ... or one week...

The Report: June / July 2007 vol.28 num.3 I work at a hospital that is subject to flooding if the river risestoo high. My manager has told me that in the event of a flood, I may berelocated for my job. Can my employer do that? The River Forecast Centre of British Columbia has predicted thatspring runoff could be higher...

The Report: June / July 2007 vol.28 num.3 by LAURA BUSHEIKIN s technology alters the shape of health care at an ever-quickeningpace, its not hard to overlook the moment when a skilled health carejob evolves into a fully-fledged health science profession.That moment happened long ago for cardiology technologists, says Jennifer Travers, a cardiology technologist at Powell River General Hospital. Travers...

The Report: June / July 2007 vol.28 num.3by LAURA BUSHEIKIN ngela Bernaldez laughs good-naturedly when shes asked what, exactly,an orthoptist does. Clearly, she is used to meeting people who have noidea what this specialized profession is about.Bernaldez, who works at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, is one of approximately 150 orthoptists in Canada, and one of only two employed by...

The Report: June / July 2007 vol.28 num.3 by LAURA BUSHEIKIN ntonieta Xavier wants to talk about her injured right hand. Not to complain, even though the doctors say it is permanently damaged. Nor to brag, even though she successfully persevered with a challenging WCB claim, eventually winning on an appeal. No, Xavier, a community mental health worker with the...