Role and Facility Information
Coverage for the ER required. Friday 6-7pm, Sat and Sun 8am to 7pm in ER. All other time is by phone. Rural ER with average 10-20 visits per day on the weekend. Lab and X-ray on-call, with on site basic analyzer.
Sparwood is a lovely town in the East Kootenays. There are trails right from the hospital to explore during a break in your day! Accommodations across the street, or stay in Fernie and experience the touristic amenities there.
Terms
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Eligible for Enhanced Skills Stipend
Coverage Information
Coverage Dates - Weekend
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Aug 22 2025 to Aug 25 2025
- Regular Scheduled Office Hours
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none
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Yes
Yes
- On-Call Date(s) / Hours
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Friday 6pm to Monday 8am
About the Clinic
Clinic Description
Clinic Composition
4.0 FTE physicians, 1 nurse practitioner, 1 primary care RN plus emerg nurse, home care nursing, public health nursing. Onsite community Respiratory Therapist during the week who has ICU experience managing a ventilator and intubating patients.
Local Resources
Lab, X-ray, mental health RN and psychologists, Physiotherapy both outpatient and exercise physio program, dietician
Emergency Framework
ER dep is open 0800-1900. 2 nurses. Hamilton ventilator, glidescope, portable ultrasound, level 1 emergency dep. Ambulances occasionally. We are a 55 min heli ride from Calgary, 90 min from Cranbrook that has CT, MRI, ultrasound surgeons, ICU, etc
Call Expectations
Call is 1 in 5 evenings from 1600-1900 and weekends 0800-1900. There is a doctors phone that theoretically might ring after 1900 but rarely does
CME Schedule
Elk Valley hospital 25 minutes away does grand rounds by Zoom
Visiting Specialist/Consultant Information
Gastroenterologist, GP surgeon and visiting specialists (neurology, ENT, ob-gyne, general surgery) in Fernie 25 minutes away. On site dietician and it’s easy to walk down the hall to talk to home care nurses if you have a patient who is struggling
EMR Information
EMR System
Profile in clinic. Meditech, ehealth viewer, pharmanet, PACS in emerg.
What training is provided for the EMR System
Onsite training in Profile provided.
Level of Support/Care and Policy
Welcoming Procedures
We have an introduction booklet. You can pick up keys to the locum apartment across the street from the emergency department nurse.
Orientation
The host physician will usually provide a tour on Fridays to weekend locums. All of the physicians are friendly here and happy to ask questions!!
Social Involvement
We usually try to secure a pass at the local recreation centre. We are happy to take our locums skiing or biking if they want a tour locally!!
Clinic Policy
Provided upon arrival.
Accommodation and Transportation
The clinic does provide accommodation.
Accommodation Description
Locum apartment across the street from the health centre. Sometimes a house from Teck Corp is available. If the apartment isn’t available, there are hotels in Fernie ,campground across from the health centre, a motel, and one hotel in Sparwood.
Most Convenient Mode of Transportation
Flight to Cranbrook or Calgary, car rental through rural locum program
Closest Amenities
Grocery Store
Save-on-foods in Sparwood. Fernie- Independent grocer, farmers market on Fri eve in Sparwood, farmers market in Fernie on Sun morn in the summer. Craft distillery/brewery in Fernie. We recommend against checking these out when you are on call.
Community Centre
There is a recreation centre locally with swimming pool, racquet courts, skating arena, full gym.
Other Closest Amenities
Restaurants: Arowanna’s has the best Chinese food. Subway, A+W and Tim Horton’s. Fernie: Indian, Sushi, South American, Vietnamese. Royal Bank and CIBC, Fernie has CIBC, Scotiabank and TD. Both have credit unions, libraries and post offices.