1 / 42

“When the Unexpected Happens: logistical and technical challenges ”

Expect the Unexpected: Are We Clearly Prepared?. “When the Unexpected Happens: logistical and technical challenges ”. Carol O’Byrne Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada Alison Cooper Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators. Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation.

jered
Download Presentation

“When the Unexpected Happens: logistical and technical challenges ”

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Expect the Unexpected: Are We Clearly Prepared? “When the UnexpectedHappens: logistical and technical challenges” Carol O’Byrne Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada Alison Cooper Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation 2006 Annual Conference Alexandria, Virginia

  2. Anatomy of a Disaster Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  3. Stage 1 - Denial “This morning we had a full dress rehearsal of an emergency. The alarm bells all rang for ten seconds, then about 50 doors, all steel, gradually slid down into their places, so that water could not escape from any one section into the next.” "So you see it would be impossible for the ship to sink in collision with another...." Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  4. Stage 2 - Nonlinear Event Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  5. Stage 3 - Chaos Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  6. Stage 4 – A Few Survivors Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  7. Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  8. Threats Fire alarm Picket line around exam venue Bomb threats Pandemics (S.A.R.S., avian flu) Disasters Power failure Hurricane Earthquake Threatened and Actual Disasters Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  9. Distractions and Disturbances • Candidate or personnel with medical emergency • Computer theft alarm • Candidate’s voice resonates thru walls • Administrative errors and interruptions Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  10. Potential Impact on Exam • Venue becomes inaccessible • Questions or materials are lost • Extra-ordinary measures are imposed • Exam climate becomes more stressful • Candidates and exam personnel react • Candidates appeal, questioning validity of results • Exam sitting is cancelled • Income declines and costs escalate Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  11. Chronology Nov02 – ‘unusual’ pneumonia cases in China Feb03 – infected physician at Metropole Hotel in HK Feb03 – tourists in hotel exposed and carry it back home to Canada, Singapore, Vietnam Mar03 – SARS cases diagnosed in Toronto Public health directives Quarantine all exposed parties Isolate patients Strict screening of travellers and hospital visitors Close hospitals to visitors/public The S.A.R.S. Saga Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  12. P.E.B.C.’s Response • Protocol to protect exam personnel and candidates • Screening questionnaire and referral • Infection control • Employ staff for screening and medical consults • Extra security and support by St. John’s Ambulance • Policy to not allow staff to mask or gown • Temporary policy to allow candidates to defer exam Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  13. P.E.B.C.’s Response • Expand pool of assessors • Bring in additional exam personnel and have others on stand-by • Rent and equip alternate venue for Toronto site • Train standardized patients and staff in private homes • Reserve alternate exam venues in all locations Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  14. Extra-ordinary Costs • Alternate venue rental and equipment ~ $18,000 • Personnel and materials ~ $17,000 • Total ~ $35,000 [6-7 % of exam admin costs, not including extra PEBC office staff time, printing and communications] • Candidate withdrawals/refunds and deferred revenue Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  15. Lessons Learned • Maintain information and referral systems • Budget for extraordinary costs/income loss • Create disaster/contingency plan • Reserve funds to cover costs of implementation • Extra-ordinary measures policies (part scores, conditional licensure, etc.) • Trained back-up personnel • Trained exam administrative staff • Communication plan • Enhanced infection control procedures at exam sites Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  16. More Potential Threats and Disasters • Avian flu • Chemicals • Biologicals • Fire • Weather (blizzard) • Angry candidates or family members Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  17. The Parade • Rehearsal • Started after 1 hour • Intermittent for about 30 minutes then • The pipes are calling • Constant cacophony of multiple bands ongoing for about 45 minutes Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  18. Alliance Response – on site • Attempts to move the bands were unsuccessful • All the other rooms were locked… • Paused exam and moved candidates to corridor • Continued exam after pause plus allowed an extra 30 minutes of exam time Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  19. Alliance Response – follow up • Develop a plan, consult, revise and communicate • In consultation with exam experts, Board of Directors, other resources • Communication via email, website • “No standing”, supplemental exam date, free re-write Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  20. Free re-write for 14 candidates Costs of supplemental exam (preparation and administration) Overall ~$8000.00 No candidates missed the Clinical Component Better relationship with one academic program Costs and Benefits Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  21. Lessons Learned • You can’t stop a parade • Candidates (mostly) are understanding of random events • Candidates appreciate prompt communication and a concrete plan • Have emergency numbers available to site staff Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  22. More Potential Threats and Disasters Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  23. The Examiner • Inappropriate/disruptive examiner behaviour in clinical stations • Falling asleep • Inappropriate comments • Handing out business cards/recruiting staff • Examiner illness Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  24. Alliance Response – on site • Replace the examiner • Chief Examiner assigned a spare examiner to the station • Incident report • Complete documentation from SP, Chief Examiner, site administrator • Flagged tests sheets of impacted candidates Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  25. Alliance Response – follow up • Investigate, communicate • Talked to SP, Chief Examiner, exam site staff • Remove examiner from roster • Regulator advised of potential competence to practice issue Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  26. Unhappy examiner Numerous letters and meetings to resolved ongoing dispute Reliability of exam maintained Appeals minimized Confidence of other examiners and regulators maintained Costs and Benefits Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  27. Lessons Learned • Competence is an ongoing issue • Practice competence does not ensure exam competence • Training, monitoring and feedback on examiner performance is essential • You need a pool of “spares” Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  28. More Potential Threats and Disasters Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  29. Sage Advice from Long Ago • Don’t put all your eggs in one basket • Store critical information in more than one place • Provide access to information to more than one person • Develop operational teams with overlapping essential skills • Share responsibility for decision-making • Develop contingency plans Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  30. More Sage Advice… • Save for a rainy day • Protect sufficient resources to implements (sometimes costly) contingencies • Be prepared for loss of income Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  31. More Sage Advice… • A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush • Develop collegial working relationships with others who could help in a pinch • Have ready spare people, equipment Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  32. More Sage Advice… • Penny wise is pound foolish • Invest time and resources in contingency and disaster planning • Train back-up personnel Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  33. More Sage Advice… • A stitch in time saves nine • Take action quickly and effectively to minimize later problems • Communicate clearly Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  34. More Sage Advice… • When the going gets tough, the tough get going • Hire resourceful people who take appropriate initiative, and train them well • Develop and implement a communication system for exam day Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  35. More Sage Advice… • It’s always darkest before the dawn • There is a solution, you just haven’t found it yet • Sleep on it, dream about it, play the movie in your mind Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  36. More Sage Advice… • Every cloud has a silver lining • Learn from each situation Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  37. Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  38. Considerations in Disaster Planning • Budget • Staffing, equipment, computers, supplies • Work arrangements • Work from home, alternate office • Refusing work • Communication • Call lists • Emergency response team • Early preparation • First aid training, cross training Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  39. P.E.B.C. Disaster Planning • System and database back-up stored off site • Maintain database of information, contacts and resources • Maintain budget reserves • Plan for alternate office and exam sites • Identify alternate admin space/facilitate work from home • Identify alternate exam venues (not subject to closure) • Train back-up personnel for key roles in office and at exam sites • Train and authorize key decision makers – set parameters • Identify contingency policies to be developed in consultation with stakeholders Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  40. Beyond Katrina: improving disaster response capabilities • Paper by A.M. Howitt, H.B. Leonard of Harvard Center for Public Leadership www.ksg.harvard.edu/leadership Working Papers Spring 2006 Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  41. Speaker Contact Information Carol O’Byrne, Examination Manager Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada 415 Yonge St., Suite 601, Toronto, ON (w)416.979.2431x226; (f)416.260.5013 obyrnec@pebc.ca www.pebc.ca Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

  42. Speaker Contact Information Alison Cooper, Director of Examinations Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators 1243 Islington Ave, Suite 501, Toronto, ON (w)416.234.8800x33; (f)416.234.8820 acooper@alliancept.org www.alliancept.org Presented at the 2006 CLEAR Annual Conference September 14-16 Alexandria, Virginia

More Related