The need to digitize patient health records has southwestern Ontario's largest hospital network on a hiring blitz.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) announced Thursday it is looking to fill nearly 100 new positions over the next several months. Sixty-eight of those posts are open immediately, hospital officials noted.
The bulk of the new jobs are permanent full-time positions with remote and hybrid working options. They offer competitive wages, paid vacation, benefits, and a pension plan.
While there is a significant information technology (IT) component to the new jobs, there are many being offered where clinical experience will be an asset.
“We are looking for a variety of healthcare workers including members of a health discipline or technologists; people who have both an educational background in clinical care delivery and real-life experience, ideally working in a hospital environment,” said Andrew Mes, the hospital's digital health executive and corporate information officer. “We will train them on the technology.”
Non-clinical positions being offered range from entry-level, such as support analysts, to senior positions such as solutions architects. The hospital is also looking to fill several project management roles.
The hiring spree comes as the hospital makes the switch from the combination of electronic and paper files to a fully digitized electronic health record system. Called OneChart, this new system will increase patient safety, the quality of documentation, communication between internal teams and those at the participating hospitals, and speed up the transfer of information.
LHSC and 11 regional hospitals are making the switch to full digitalization. The digital transformation was outlined as a priority in LHSC’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
"Once OneChart is fully implemented, if a patient is transferred to LHSC from Woodstock Hospital, as an example, we would be able to access their complete record before they even arrive,” said Mes. “A pen and a piece of paper is not enough. We need digital information so that we can use it first and foremost for quality patient care but also for research, education and system planning.”
People interested in applying for the new positions can find more information on the LHSC's website by searching for "OneChart".