Obstetrical Surgical Skills

It has been another productive year for RCCbc within the OSS program. Under the leadership of Dr. Nicole Ebert, RCCbc continued building relationships with various specialists, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, and various other UBC and RCCbc programs and initiatives, which enhanced OSS supports in a number of rural BC communities. Spearheaded by RCCbc, a national network of OSS providers is developing across the country and, with support from other provinces, is collaboratively developing shared resources to support OSS initiatives and sustainable maternity care in rural communities.

Important milestones were also reached in 2020–2021. The first resident graduated from UBC’s OSS enhanced skills residency program at Surrey Memorial Hospital, while a second resident began their training. Following graduation, both residents will live and work in rural BC communities that are very short of physicians with C-section skills.

Given that graduates of the OSS enhanced skills residency program will practice in low-volume rural health centres, it is imperative to provide continuing professional development opportunities to maintain and enhance their skills. With this in mind, RCCbc contributed to the development of an online curriculum for OSS graduates. This work is being led by a small group of specialists, including obstetricians/gynecologists and residents. Once finalized in the next fiscal year, the curriculum will be accessible on an open-source platform.

The OSS team had planned a Surgical Bootcamp for residents and recent graduates to supplement their learnings from the OSS program. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the postponement of this event; therefore, the team developed OSS Virtual Rounds as a replacmenent. These monthly Virtual Rounds connected OSS physicians, general surgeons who provide C-sections, and obstetricians/gynecologists from across Canada, attracting up to 20 participants at each session, and creating amazing networking opportunities for this group.

Throughout the year, OSS made significant progress in coordinating OSS refresher/coaching opportunities in two hospitals in the Lower Mainland: Abbotsford and Surrey Memorial Hospitals. Developing relationships with urban specialists will be critical for supporting continuing professional development with practicing OSS physicians, and these connections will provide invaluable opportunities for rural maternity providers.

In the coming year, the OSS team looks forward to running the Surgical Bootcamp for residents and recent graduates and finalizing the online curriculum website for OSS program graduates.