Recruiting for Saskatchewan
Meeting in person
As someone who chose to build a career in healthcare in Saskatchewan, Dr. Givelichian has a keen sense of what appeals to his peers.
“I had to do things that nobody else did to recruit these top specialists in the country and in North America.
“I traveled myself to speak to them in person.”
Dr. Gregory Hansen recalls how Dr. Givelichian recruited him to come to Saskatoon from Winnipeg where he and his wife, Dr. Kerri Lynn Schellenberg, a neuromuscular neurologist, were established.
“We were comfortable in Manitoba and never really explored opportunities. This one just kind of came to us,” said Hansen.
It started with a phone call with Dr. Givelichian calling to say Saskatchewan was looking for another pediatric intensivist and he would like Dr. Hansen to come to Saskatoon.
“Out of the blue that I received this call. We had a quick conversation and I said I’ll talk to my wife about it,” said Hansen.
“He called me back again two weeks later and a few weeks after that he was sitting in my living room in our newly built house in Winnipeg.”
Dr. Givelichian not only created an opportunity for Dr. Hansen, but Dr. Schellenberg as well so their family could seriously consider their professional futures in Saskatchewan.
“He opened the door for my wife and the Division of Neurology opened a position for her,” said Hansen. She is a neuromuscular neurologist who is now the medical director of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Motor Neuron Disease (ALS/MND) clinic and the Royal University Hospital’s electromyogram (EMG) lab.
Visiting Dr. Hansen’s home was just one of many trips Dr. Givelichian made to show up in person to meet with fellow physicians. He would travel to hockey rinks and shopping malls to have those conversations face to face.
“With the new generation of physicians, you don't only talk about money. It's not necessarily just compensation that is of interest to them. It is also the environment where they will work. What will their lifestyle look like?”
“They are looking for a place to work that is nice, warm and welcoming to them. What I had to offer was a family-like environment in the Department of Pediatrics in a newly built children’s hospital.”
Appealing to aspirations
A significant part of Dr. Givelichian’s pitch was about what was possible for them in Saskatchewan -- as specialists who do research.
“He said that people tend to view Saskatchewan as very ‘small’ but reinforced that here we can be as ‘large’ as we want to be ,” said Hansen.
“Basically, there's no limitations to any sort of dreams or aspirations that I would have or things that I would want to pursue here.
“That’s the nice thing about going to a medium-sized program, like Saskatchewan’s. In big-sized program, you're often hired to fill in a well prescribed slot.
“I have a background in neurocritical care and I'm one of few Canadian intensivists that has that background.
“But even with that background, oftentimes in the much bigger centers, they have a very prescribed role that they want you to assume.”
It was more than what he said. It was what Dr. Givelichian did that stood out to Hansen.
“When you're recruiting somebody, part of it is the intent,” said Hansen.
“But the other part is the action, and him being there and being able to meet him as both a potential colleague and department head definitely meant a lot.
“The action of recruitment is something that's often missed.”
His work to secure these professionals was mentioned more than once in Saskatchewan’s legislative assembly by the Minister of Health at the time.
