Medical Staff Onboarding & Orientation

The Welcome Package provides a high-level overview of IH. It equips you with basic knowledge about our region, resources, policies, key contacts, etc. 

The Welcome Package is part of the email sent by the Medical Administration upon receipt of your signed offer letter. This document and additional resources are also available on the MSOO Extranet site (requires IH mnemonic and password).

Alternately, you may email a request to MedicalStaffOnboarding@interiorhealth.ca

Each physician, midwife, dentist and nurse practitioner must receive an appointment to the IH medical staff before practicing in our facilities. 

You can submit your online appointment or reappointment application through AppCentral. Contact your medical administrative assistant (MAA) or site’s Credentialing & Privileging contact for any assistance. 

Learn more about the Credentialing & Privileging application process

The Welcome Sessions for Medical Staff are semi-annual virtual events that aim to provide new medical staff with an overview of IH and its medical community. By joining the event, you can connect with your health authority medical leaders, site medical leaders and peers through interactive activities and Q&A sessions. 

These one-hour sessions are held in March and September via Zoom. Medical staff new to Interior Health should receive an email notification and an Outlook invitation. 

If you would like to participate, but do not receive an invitation in July (for September) or November (for March), please contact MedicalStaffOnboarding@interiorhealth.ca

Your mnemonic and password are essential to access the IH computer network and applications. 

You will need to contact the Service Desk (1-855-242-1300) to set up your password. An agent will verify your identity with your Medical Service Plan (MSP) number and a second piece of identification. 

If your MSP number is not yet available, don't hesitate to contact your site Medical Administrative Assistant (MAA) for assistance.

The e-Access page guides you through technology programs that are essential for your day-to-day practice at IH, such as Physician Invoice Portal (PIP), Meditech, MicrobloggingMD, etc. 

In addition, you may need to use the technology resources below:   

• Pathways: An online resource that provides physicians and their office staff/teams quick access to current and accurate referral information, including wait times and areas of expertise of specialists and specialty clinics

The following technology resources require IH network access: 

• B.C. Patient Safety & Learning System (PSLS): The provincial reporting system for patient safety events
• Dictation Instruction: Scroll to the bottom of the page to access dictation instruction documents
• PharmaNet Access Request Form: Instruction on requesting PharmaNet access
• Medication Reconciliation Toolkit: Policy, support resources, and education
• Profile EMR: A quick Profile Electronic Medical Record (EMR) reference guide for new users

If you are interested in external access to IH Webmail, i-Learn (our online learning hub) or IH Anywhere (our remote access solution) (i.e., via a home computer, tablet, or smartphone), please register for two-factor authentication (2FA) while logged into the Interior Health Network. 

Learn how to register for 2FA (requires Interior Health network access)

Outlook User Guide (requires Interior Health network access)

Submit an access request through the Access Management Portal: 

1. Go to Access Management Portal while logged into the Interior Health Network
2. Select "New Request" (top right of page) / Existing User
3. Search and select your mnemonic/username
4. Select "I would like to request additional access"
5. Select “Smartphone Agreement” from Access Type dropdown and complete the form by following the remaining prompts

Microsoft Authenticator (MA) is needed for external access to cloud-based applications, including Microsoft Teams, the COVID Hub, and the ACE Hub. 

Learn how to set up MA (requires Interior Health network access)

Microsoft Teams User Guide (requires Interior Health network access)

UpToDate is a clinical decision support tool covering more than 11,800 topics in 25 specialties and containing over 6,500 drug monographs endorsed by Interior Health Pharmacy.

UpToDate is available without registration while logged in on the Interior Health network. If you register with UpToDate while on the IH network, you can use your login information (user ID and password) to access UpToDate on your personal device(s), including the use of the mobile app.

UpToDate access and registration information are available on the recently upgraded IH Library Services website: 

• Visit the Mobile Apps Information Guide page
• Click on the "UptoDate" tab
• Scroll to the bottom of the page for account set-up instruction 

Please note: Physicians can collect CME credits by using their own login/registration information whether on IH network or outside of IH network.
 

At IH, we are committed to strengthening health services and improving health outcomes for all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. 

Visit our Aboriginal Health & Wellness page to learn more about how IH works with Aboriginal partners and communities and builds on existing knowledge and experience.

Interior Health is an employer partner with Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI). Anyone working for IH can attend CCDI webinars for free. CCDI’s webinars provide invaluable insight into the latest thinking about diversity and inclusion in Canada. Content is appropriate for a wide variety of professionals.

Due to the geographical and cultural diversity of the Interior region, each IH site is uniquely different. The following Site-level Orientation Resources were developed to help you navigate your specific workplace and community. 

Site-level Orientation Resources have been posted for the following sites (please note that these hyperlinks require IH mnemonic and password): 

• Barriere Health Centre
• Boundary District Hospital
• Chase & District Health Centre
• Castlegar and District Community Health Centre
• Creston Valley Hospital & Health Centre
• Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital
• East Kootenay Regional Hospital
• Golden & District General Hospital
• Kelowna General Hospital
• Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital
• Kootenay Lake Hospital
• Princeton General Hospital
• Shuswap Lake Hospital
• South Okanagan General Hospital
• Victorian Community Health Centre

If the information for your site is not listed, please contact the Medical Administrative Assistant (MAA) at your site. 

It is important to note that the policies and procedures of Interior Health apply to both staff and medical staff (i.e., physicians, dentists, midwives, and nurse practitioners). Please take some time to become familiar with the expectations related to working within our IH facilities.

• Policies: Comprehensive list of IH operational policies
• Credentialing & Privileging (C&P): Introduction to the C&P process, Medical Staff Rules, Medical Staff Bylaws 

The following resources require Interior Health network access: 

• Medical Documentation & Transcription (IH InsideNet): Scroll to the bottom of the page to access dictation instructions and standard
• Pharmacy (IH InsideNet): Pharmacy guidelines, policies, and clinical practice standard
• Health Records Management (IH InsideNet): Guidelines for medical staff documentation and additional resources