Dear Department members, the COVID-19 situation continues to develop quickly but I would like to share the following updates:
1. All academic rounds, conferences etc have been suspended until further notice. We will look to develop virtual alternatives in the near future.
2. The KHSC Cancer Program has suspended all in-person MCC’s. Case lists will be circulated in the usual fashion. Pathology questions to be addressed should be more specific than has been the case in the past and communication between the presenting oncologist and the pathologist should take place by email in the first instance and telephone as required. I suspect this process will be subject to fine tuning over the coming days. Virtual alternatives are being explored.
3. There have been changes made to the way in which our resident trainees will perform their clinical work. Further information has been circulated by Dr. Chris Davidson. Faculty and residents should communicate closely to ensure that there is a clear understanding of how cases will be handled and feedback provided.
4. It is expected that many elective clinical procedures will be cancelled in the coming days. Over time this will reduce the number of AP and HP cases. As much as possible the AP/HP staff schedules will be consolidated to reduce the numbers of staff pathologists who need to work on site.
5. All faculty, residents and students whose duties do not require them to be present on site are encouraged to consider working from home. Pathologists who will need to use hospital clinical systems from outside the hospital should check that they can access these through Citrix.
6. As KHSC limits the number of access doors, movement between Richardson Labs and the Douglas wing will be constrained. Anyone needing to access the hospital will need to check in through one of the staff entrances on their first arrival to work.
7. It is anticipated that the Zoom conferencing platform will likely be used to provide virtual alternatives for in person meetings and educational sessions. The Department will have a license to host events. Individuals can install the platform on their devices free of charge.
8. All undergraduate in person classes have been suspended except for health professional programs. Exceptions are being made for 499 students to work in labs but there is no requirement for them to do so. Further information re 499 will be forthcoming today.
9. Grad courses are being handled on a case by case basis. All efforts should be made to move to a virtual option. Graduate students can continue to work in research labs but supervisors are encouraged to arrange work from home options.
Our Department has a strong tradition of collegiality and mutual support which will stand us in good stead going forwards. Many individuals are already facing challenges due to child care needs and requirements for self-isolation. I encourage everyone to continue to be flexible, to help each other however they can and to stay in touch as conditions continue to change. Regards, Sandy -- Dr. Alexander (Sandy) Boag Head and Pathologist in Chief Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine Queen's University and Kingston Health Sciences Centre Kingston, ON K7L 3N6