Physician advocate says new agreement ‘seeing the value’ in supporting new doctors in Alberta

Resident Physicians of Alberta President, Siavash Zare-Zadeh, discusses taking on the new role with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins

This interview has been edited for clarity and length

Michael Higgins: The immediacy of measles in Alberta, where does that land on the radar of resident physicians taking up their new posts this month?

Siavash Zare-Zadeh: Resident physicians are medical doctors that have completed their medical training, their medical school and are now entering their specialization. So they are deciding if they want to be a heart doctor, family doctor, brain doctor, whatever that may be, and their training is going to take between two and seven years in duration.

Our new cohort of resident doctors has just started in Alberta on July 1. When we’re looking at this, the evolving situation with measles, I think resident physicians feel well supported in the emergency rooms, knowing that they’ll have the adequate protocols in place so that when they suspect a measles case, they’ll be able to support that patient to the best of their abilities.

That’s exactly what we’re being trained to do, to provide the best possible care for Albertans, putting our best foot forward as soon as we get that training, as soon as we’re able to.

MH: The state of health care in Alberta is constantly in the headlines. Leadership with organizations as substantial as the Alberta Medical Association are raising alarm bells on multiple fronts of late: access to emergency care, patients leaving emergency departments without having been seen. How prepared are your members for the realities of residency in Alberta’s health-care system?

SZZ: I like to bring a little bit of a different perspective into the situation. As an organization, PARA (Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta) has been working tremendously hard to make sure that resident physicians are in the best possible position to provide really good care to Albertans.

The most recent win that we’ve had is that we’ve managed to complete a new agreement with our partners, the University of Alberta and University of Calgary, and Alberta Health Services, to have a new competitive pay structure in place to make sure that Alberta resident physicians feel that they’re being fairly compensated for the work that they’re doing, but also helping to attract medical students who are trying to decide where to do their post-graduate and their residency training.

One of the really big wins from this agreement is that we’re going to take a really hard look, with our partners, at the structure and how we go about doing after-hours care in this province. That’s care between 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., care that’s being done over the weekends, because a lot of that work is being done by resident doctors. We want them to be in a really strong position to be able to learn, to be able to put their best foot forward and to really deliver the best care possible.

When the results of that working group and that committee conclude, and we have some recommendations for changes, I’ll be really excited to speak with you again on that piece.

MH: As the new president you obviously have an interest in leadership and advocacy. In this position, you’ll be undoubtedly dealing with government in some capacity.

With that in mind, how well prepared are resident physicians for navigating the increasingly political dynamics that come with the medical profession?

SZZ: I think that’s the role of our organization, to make sure that we try and form the best possible relationships with our partners. That includes Alberta Health Services, and the ministry of health. What resident physicians can rest assured by is that we have a very strong team of dedicated staff members that are really trying their best to make sure that we continue to build and evolve those stakeholder relations.

We have eyes and ears that we can report back to our partners and make sure that our concerns are being heard, and from what I can see over the last year, being involved in this organization in some capacity, we have partners that genuinely care and they want the best for Alberta resident physicians.

They know that when you recruit a resident physician in this province, they settle roots. They’re here for two to seven years, and if they enjoy their experience — they feel that they’re getting a valuable learning opportunity, or that they’re being treated with respect, care, empathy — they’re much more likely to stay in this province.

I think that our partners are seeing the value of that, and we really hope to continue building on this momentum in the years to come.

MH: Your association is marking its 50th anniversary this month. What does that say about the longevity? What’s that say about the role it will be called on to play over the next half century?

SZZ: I think we’re seeing a shift in the culture of medicine, especially over the last one to two decades, where we’re beginning to realize that resident physician wellness is really key to the quality and compassionate care that physicians are able to deliver.

If you’re taken care of as a doctor, if you feel that you’re not burnt out, that you’re able to touch into that compassionate caring side that you have and bring all of your medical knowledge to the patient in front of you, you’re better equipped, and you’re going to deliver better outcomes.

I think the evolution of the work that we do as an organization is making sure that we solidify our gains and continue to grow, especially in the aftercare segment of the work that resident physicians provide in this province.

By doing that, we make sure that all Alberta patients get the best possible care that they can. That’s why we’re in this business. To make sure that folks that come to the emergency department, or come see their doctor, get good care.