As a young and developing team, the East Kootenay Regional Hospital Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine recently recognised an opportunity to enhance their workplace culture, strengthen team relations, and improve turnaround times. For their Department Head, Dr. Launny Lowden, Quality Team Coaching for Rural BC provided the ideal framework to bring the team together. This RCCbc coaching program empowers teams to reconnect with their purpose, build their desired team culture, and take actionable steps toward their goals.
The team faced challenges common to many healthcare settings, such as managing staffing shortages, training new members, and addressing workload demands. These factors influenced turnaround times for pathology results and underscored the importance of finding innovative ways to support the team and improve outcomes. Previous attempts at improving turnaround times found little traction, succumbing to limited buy-in, and heavy workloads.
“At the time we began these workshops, our turnaround times averaged nine days,” Dr. Lowden shared. “The benchmark for routine pathology cases is for 85% to be completed within 4 days. The workshops created a space to openly examine challenges in how our team was functioning and explore solutions together.”
In September of 2023, pathologists and operational leads started to engage with Dr. Cecile Andreas through the QTC4RBC program. Focusing on communication and better understanding of roles and responsibilities put real change back on the table. Over the next several months, with regular group sessions and leadership coaching, change took traction. Dr. Lowden saw the QTC4RBC program as key to that change.
“Just making the time to get all the right people in the room, the people who are leaders within our local lab, to talk about some of these issues in a moderated way was definitely helpful. As the department head, I was able to just be a participant and share my experiences while our coach facilitated the conversation. The space for candid dialogue was transformative for our team.”
Working with Dr. Andreas offered a way forward rooted in trust and safety, assuring team members ideas would be met with curiosity and openness instead of skepticism. Team members started to open up, take risks, and identify opportunities for quality improvement, and improvement followed.
“Just making the time to get all the right people in the room, the people who are leaders within our local lab, to talk about some of these issues in a moderated way was definitely helpful. As the department head, I was able to just be a participant and share my experiences while our coach facilitated the conversation. The space for candid dialogue was transformative for our team.”
By July 2024, the team achieved remarkable results, reducing pathology turnaround times from an average of 9.5 days to 2.5 days, the shortest in Interior Health. While workload is still a factor, the improved dynamic has been sustained. The team is able to draw on lessons learned in the coaching sessions and take time considering team wellness and quality improvement. Dr. Lowden describes the change as a shift in the culture, which has been noticed by other departments in the hospital.
“We really wanted to make a change. We wanted people to love coming to work, to have a shared purpose, and to feel supported by their colleagues. Improving collaboration, understanding different leadership styles, and enhancing communication s were central to that vision—and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”
The success of the EKRH pathology team demonstrates the power of teamwork and trust in transforming healthcare systems. Programs like QTC4RBC offer a roadmap for teams looking to foster collaboration and achieve meaningful improvements.
To learn more about the Quality Team Coaching for Rural BC and apply for the next Expression of Interest for the 2025/26 cohort, please visit: https://rccbc.ca/initiatives/qtc4rbc.
