On April 9 and 10, 2025, Providence Health Care’s Physician Health & Safety Regional Working Group participated in the Doctors of BC (DoBC) Summit, showcasing its Virtual Reality-Based Violence Prevention Training Pilot Project – a new initiative aimed at equipping physicians and medical staff with de-escalation and violence prevention skills through immersive simulation. A live VR demo was presented during the summit, drawing strong interest from attendees and demonstrating the potential of experiential learning in building safety competencies. The project team includes representatives from the Simulation Team, Violence Prevention, mPOSH, Physician Representatives, and Med Staff OSH.
In addition to the VR training, Dr. Dan Kalla and Lynn Kennedy presented an overview of PHC’s broader safety and wellness initiatives currently underway:
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Live-monitoring of security cameras at St. Paul’s Hospital (SPH)
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Tiered violence alerts built into Cerner
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Relaunch of confidential mPOSH support services for medical staff
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PHC-specific updates to the Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum
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Establishment of the Medical Staff Safety & Violence Prevention Committee
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A proactive Critical Incident Response Team for complex behavioral and substance use challenges
These initiatives are grounded in recent data from the 2024 Medical Staff Workplace and Wellness Survey and reflect PHC’s ongoing commitment to creating a safe and supportive workplace for all medical staff.
PHC remains committed to embedding wellness, psychological safety, and practical safety tools into its health system. The DoBC Summit offered a valuable opportunity to share progress and collaborate with partners across the province.