Come work as a Regional Department Head with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH)!

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) invites applications for the Regional Department Head (RDH), Orthopedics. This position will be 0.2 FTE (1 day/week) for a three (3) year term, with possibility of renewal, as per the VCH Medical Staff Rules and Bylaws, subject to satisfactory review.

This is an internal opportunity to be filled by a candidate who holds active specialty certification in Orthopedic Surgery with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or an equivalent certification body and holds active medical staff privileges with the VCH or Providence Health Care (PHC) Department of Orthopedics.

Position Summary

The Regional Department Head, Orthopedics, provides strategic, clinical and academic leadership for the regional department across VCH and PHC. The RDH is accountable for the quality of medical care, human resource planning, and alignment with organizational priorities across urban, rural and remote sites in the health region, reporting jointly to the Vice President Medicine and Academic Affairs at VCH, Vice President Medical Affairs at PHC, and their respective Boards through the Health Authority Medical Advisory Council (HAMAC) at VCH and the Providence Health Care Medical Advisory Council (PHC MAC), as outlined in the VCH Medical Staff Bylaws and Rules.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall medical leadership to all Department of Orthopedics (Department) members at VCH and PHC sites, including urban, rural and remote sites in the health region, in collaboration with the Site Department Heads.
• Monitor and evaluate the quality of care provided by Department members, ensuring compliance with professional standards and organizational policies.
• Establish and maintain departmental terms of reference, policies, and procedures in consultation with Department members.
• Develop and implement a strategic plan and annual service delivery/volume plan, aligned with the B.C. Ministry of Health, VCH, PHC, and Community of Care (CoC) strategies.
• Oversee regional medical human resource planning and quality assessment in the Department of Orthopedics, including urban, rural and remote sites in the health region, such as credentialing, peer review, and physician practice enhancement.
• Lead and support local departmental leadership and staff through periods of transition.
• Chair combined VCH/PHC regional Department meetings and executive councils.
• Represent the Department on relevant regional programs/councils and at HAMAC, PHC MAC, and subcommittees.
• Participate in the search process and appointment of CoC/Site departmental leadership.
• Report regularly to the Vice President Medicine and Academic Affairs at VCH, Vice President Medical Affairs at PHC, HAMAC, PHC MAC on departmental activities, quality metrics, and human resource planning.
• Ensure departmental participation in education and research, in collaboration with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Department of Orthopedics and partner health authorities.
• Support the achievement of academic objectives and renewal.
• Develop and implement quality improvement programs and reporting systems.
• Foster a culture of professionalism, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Address complaints, concerns, and disciplinary matters in accordance with VCH Medical Staff Bylaws and Rules.
• Provide joint accountability and oversight of site/local departmental leaders along with the CoC Senior Medical Director, as defined in the VCH Medical Staff Bylaws and Rules.

Accountability

Reports jointly to the Vice President, Medicine and Academic Affairs at VCH Vice President Medical Affairs at PHC, and their respective Boards through HAMAC and PHC MAC. Accountable for the activities of the regional Department, including annual reporting on quality metrics and human resource planning.

Education, Licensing, & Experience:

• Medical degree and current active licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C.
• Active specialty certification in Orthopedic Surgery with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or an equivalent certification body.
• Active medical staff privileges within the VCH or Providence Health Care (PHC) Department of Orthopedics.
• Minimum five (5) years of successful clinical practice experience.
• Demonstrated medical leadership experience within a hospital setting.
• Eligibility for a faculty appointment with the UBC Faculty of Medicine is strongly recommended.

Key Competencies

• Uses sound business acumen to develop and foster collaboration and effective working relationships with stakeholders that promote cooperative goals and contribute to an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect.
• Applies superior conflict management skills and expertise to persuade and negotiate effective resolution of issues / disputes.
• Inspires a shared vision and aligns performance goals and objectives for medical staff to ensure match with service delivery strategy while maintaining group cohesiveness, motivation, commitment and effectiveness.
• Provides timely and appropriate advice and consultation utilizing effective targeted communication strategies to gain acceptance of recommendations and to facilitate effective decision making and operations within the intent of the medical by-laws
• Builds credibility, understanding and trust in the external community to assist the Communities of Care, VCH and PHC to meet their strategic objectives.

At Vancouver Coastal Health, our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices, diverse teams and inclusive environments, which are vital to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups, people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation.

Interested applicants please submit a resume and covering letter by October 27, 2025 to:

Olivia Todd

Manager, Talent Acquisition, Executive & Medical Staff

medstaffcareers@vch.ca

As per Ministry of Health policy, all health care workers working in publicly-funded health care facilities are required to report their past receipt of certain vaccines or history of certain infections. Collecting these records will allow for offering of any missing vaccines, and for appropriate actions to be taken in the event of any future exposure to a communicable disease or during outbreaks. For all new hires and appointments to Vancouver Coastal Health, you will be asked to provide this information as part of the onboarding process.

WHY JOIN VANCOUVER COASTAL HEALTH?

VCH is a world class innovator in medical care, research and teaching, delivering service to more than one million BC residents. At VCH, we embrace thinking boldly, taking smart risks, and "going first" when we believe it will lead to the best possible outcomes for patients and their families. We invite you to join us in creating healthy lives in healthy communities by showcasing our passion for care, connection to the communities we serve and our culture of teamwork that makes VCH a great place to work.

• Grow your career with employer-paid training and leadership development opportunities
• Wellness supports, including counselling, critical incident and innovative wellness services are available to employees and their immediate families
• Award-winning recognition programs to honour staff, medical staff and volunteers
• Access to exclusive discount offers and deals for VCH staff

At Vancouver Coastal Health, our vision of healthy lives in healthy communities inspires us and our values and pillars guide us. We support equitable practices, diverse teams and inclusive environments, which are vital to creating welcoming spaces where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and feel supported. We encourage applications from equity-deserving communities, including Indigenous Peoples and members of racialized groups, people with disabilities and people of all gender identities and expressions and sexual orientation.

Vancouver Coastal Health is proud to be recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers in 2024.