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Strategies for recruiting and retaining forensic pathologists at OCME
3:53:35
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104 sec
Dr. Jason Graham outlines the Office of Chief Medical Examiner's (OCME) strategies for recruiting and retaining forensic pathologists. He describes a multi-pronged approach to address staffing challenges.
- Recent settlement providing wage increases and bonuses to make OCME more competitive
- Implementation of internal mechanisms to better support medical examiners in their daily work
- Operational realignment for improved staffing efficiencies
- Incorporation of locum tenens pathologists to relieve staffing burden
- Continued focus on training new medical examiners through the forensic pathology training program
Lynn Schulman
3:53:35
What steps are you taking to retain employees in this position and to recruit new ones?
Jason Graham
3:53:41
Well, I'm pleased to echo the settlement that you alluded to that occurred in the fall of last year between the doctor's council and the city.
3:53:52
I think this was a measure that provided wage increases and bonuses for our medical examiners that make us far more competitive and will increase our ability to recruit and retain not only trainees, but also senior staff medical examiners.
3:54:10
And in addition to the pay increases, we have implemented various mechanisms internally at the OCME to better support our medical examiners in doing their work every day.
3:54:25
An operational realignment that provides additional staffing efficiencies that allow them to more directly focus on their work as physicians.
3:54:35
Also, the incorporation of support in the form of locum attendance pathologists who are going to be able to relieve some of that staffing burden.
3:54:44
In the process of continuing to train a significant number of new medical examiners in our forensic pathology training program, which has been the pipeline of medical examiners for the city historically.
3:55:00
And so we're anticipating a continued number of trainees that will hopefully be able to be retained on senior staff after their training period.
3:55:10
And so there we are incorporating a multi pronged approach at this staffing situation that has been challenging to say the least.