Funding Sources for Resident Wellness Initiatives

Plan Your Own Social : Programs are only eligible to apply for one of the following: $750/year for a single program event; $1,700/year for a joint program event; $25 per resident; or $30 per resident for a joint program event (whichever is less). To apply, please visit our website for all the forms.

Plan Your Own Sports: RDBC Health & Wellness committee will sponsor Group Sports activities planned and executed by Residents, to a maximum of $750 per Group Sport, per year. Submit a written proposal to RDBC by email at (events@residentdoctorsbc.ca). Include your idea, estimated budget, and contact information for the event. Forms are found on our Plan Your Own Sports page.

Resident Innovation Fund: The aim of the Resident Innovation Fund (fund) is to provide funding for a broad range of resident-led initiatives to improve and enrich the resident experience in areas of patient care, technology/innovation, resident activities, and scholarly pursuit. The goal of the RIF is to highlight and support residents working to benefit the healthcare system, the lives of patients and healthcare providers.

The fund is awarded by Resident Doctors of BC to invest in resident projects, with up to four (4) awards annually with a maximum of $2500 per award with one (1) award per category. To apply, please visit our Resident Innovation Fund page.

The Resident Activity Fund (RAF) is funding that enables educational support to residents during their training at UBC. This funding could be used for residents to attend program-wide courses and conferences, purchase educational materials, or used for Program Orientations or Academic events that are not already reimbursable via any other funding source. The primary intent of the funding is to supplement the education experience of the residents.

Educational Research Grant for Residents: Two research grants are available to UBC residents to recognize original education research work and raise awareness and interest in the field of Continuing Professional Development/Continuing Medical Education (CPD/CME) research.

Vancouver Physician Staff Association: The VPSA is offering funding for Small Steps, Big Idea projects. Selected projects will receive between $1,000 and $5,000 in funding. Proposals should engage physicians and their nursing and allied health colleagues, improve patient care, develop better communication, and/or build relationships across specialties, departments and with community members. This funding must be applied for by attending physicians that incorporate engagement or wellness between attendings and residents. Application deadlines are January 31, March 31, May 30, July 31, September 30, and November 30^th of each year.

Medical Staff Association of Children’s and Women’s Hospital: Funding for projects that address one or more of the following areas: Strengthen relationships/collaboration/communication among facility-based medical staff, enhance engagement between physicians and health authority administration, improve the medical staff’s experience of the workplace environment, improve delivery of patient care. In 2017 the projects approved are expected to be smaller in scope, achievable within 1-3 years, with a total budget of $5,000 to $50,000. In 2018, a second cycle of applications will include the option for larger scale projects. This funding must be applied for by attending physicians that incorporate engagement or wellness between attendings and residents.

Kelowna General Hospital Physicians Society: Funding to identify challenges that impact physicians and/or patient care, and opportunities to work on solutions. Initiatives do not necessarily have to be large in scope and can range from no-cost proposals to changing how some work is done, to larger issues that have significant impacts. This funding must be applied for by attending physicians that incorporate engagement or wellness between attendings and residents.

Facility Engagement (province-wide): As part of the Physician Master Agreement, a first of its kind in Canada initiative that supports engagement between physicians working in a facility and who are members of the medical staff, and Health Authorities. The aim of the initiative is to improve the working environment and ultimately patient care. Each Health Authority CEO has committed through a Memorandum of Understanding to support greater engagement and collaboration with doctors. Funds may be distributed to facility-based physicians through local Physician Societies (created from Medical Staff Associations) for the purpose of improving physician involvement in addressing matters affecting patient care and their work environment. The initiative is actively growing, with new sites being approved regularly across the province. There are 75 sites now involved in various stages of development and 47 of them have been approved for full funding to carry out activities.