A safe, respectful, and supportive work environment is essential for BC physicians and their teams to provide the best possible care to their patients.
Doctors of BC and its health care partners are committed to providing physicians with useful tools and resources to prevent workplace violence. One of these resources is the accredited, self-assessed Provincial Violence Prevention Curriculum (PVPC) eLearning course. Refreshed in 2025, the course provides physicians, residents, and medical staff with tailored support and relevant learning scenarios.
The updated curriculum was developed collaboratively by Doctors of BC, the Ministry of Health, health authorities, and SWITCH BC, and was informed by BC-based physicians to ensure it is current and relevant to doctors working today, whether in community or acute care settings.
Physicians, residents, and other health care workers can access the course on the LearningHub. The course meets the certification criteria of the College of Family Physicians of Canada and has been certified by UBC CPD for up to 1.5 Mainpro+® Certified Activity credits and 1.5 Section 3 credits.
Engaging and relevant training for physicians
Physicians throughout the province were instrumental in developing the updated course, including Dr Andrew Perrin, a psychiatrist who supports patients in rural, remote, underserved, and Indigenous communities throughout BC.
“I became involved in refreshing the online PVPC course at the initial call for volunteers. Violence prevention is a core part of health care, especially given the epidemic of violence that all health care workers currently face.”
Dr Perrin says that front-line physician feedback has made the updated training easier to complete and more engaging for learners, helping physicians consider violence prevention an integral part of their daily work. “Making violence prevention a part of every clinical encounter is something that I encourage within my clinical team every day,” he added, noting that the training puts the experience of front-line health care workers at the centre.
For Dr Perrin, completing the training has two benefits: increased confidence in preventing, identifying, and managing violence; and empowerment for physicians and health care teams to apply this knowledge to strengthen their sense of ownership of their safety in these challenging times.
“The first step in maintaining safety in the clinical environment is to develop your own knowledge. Confidence in preventing and managing violence is possible.”—Dr Andrew Perrin
Physician health and safety resources
At Doctors of BC, the safety of our members is of paramount importance. Learn more about our work with SWITCH BC on our Workplace Safety page and access details about our physician health and safety advocacy on your behalf. If you need support, you can reach out to the Physician Health Program (PHP). To learn more about our work to improve physician health and safety, please connect with your Regional Advisor and Advocate.
