Approximately 200,000 people come through the doors of Eastern Health’s emergency departments every year.
There are 12 emergency departments in the eastern region – some rural, some urban, some large, others smaller… but all of which have to be ready to respond to the urgent and emergent needs of their patients. And they all fall under the medical oversight of Dr. Gena Bugden – the Clinical Chief of Emergency Medicine. From rural Newfoundland, and the first woman to hold this position at Eastern Health – Dr. Bugden is entering her third year in the role.
She recently spoke with Communications Manager, Deborah Collins, about the fast-paced world of emergency medicine – its processes, challenges and benefits – how Eastern Health is working to make improvements for its patients, and what drew her to this field in the first place.