Honoured with a Best Collaboration Award, Surrey Memorial Hospital’s General Internal Medicine Team is redefining what innovative interdisciplinary patient care looks like. Their innovative 24/7 clinician model, Clinical Teaching Unit and unwavering commitment to teamwork have transformed patient flow and elevated medical and nursing education for future clinicians.
Photo (from left to right): Top - Asha Nair, manager, Clinical Operations; Karen Strybos, director, Clinical Quality and Patient Safety; Dr. Birinder Mangat, Surrey Memorial Hospital General Internal Medicine Clinical Teaching Unit medical director; Bottom - Dr. Sharry Kahlon, Surrey Memorial Hospital General Internal Medicine Transformation physician lead; Thea Quinones, nursing clinical instructor; and Amandeep Aulakh, patient care coordinator
For Surrey Memorial’s General Internal Medicine Team, collaboration isn’t just a value — it’s the foundation of success. They care for undifferentiated, complex patients with multi-system disorders, often with non-specific concerns and work diligently to piece together the clues to determine the best care for their patients — an effort that requires the expertise and dedication of the entire multidisciplinary team.
“We’re a very collaborative unit. We work very closely with all of the sub-specialists in the hospital. It’s truly an interdisciplinary ward,” explains Dr. Sharry Kahlon, Surrey Memorial Hospital General Internal Medicine Transformation physician lead.
That spirit of collaboration goes beyond daily interactions — it’s rooted in a shared purpose. As Dr. Kahlon explains: “We have a shared vision and goal, and that’s what allows us to be successful.”
This vision brings together physicians, nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals, care coordinators and educators to deliver safe, efficient and compassionate care around the clock. The introduction of the 24/7 clinician role ensures continuous admissions, timely consultations and uninterrupted support for patients and staff alike.
Asha Nair, manager, Clinical Operations, sees this collaboration in action every day: “Collaboration among physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and coordinators is the cornerstone of delivering exceptional care and achieving our success.”
Learn more about the team’s inspiring work:
Their synergistic efforts are their superpower.
“The Surrey Memorial Hospital General Internal Medicine Team has shown how a collaborative model can meet the needs of both patients and the hospital,” says Dr. Marietta Van Den Berg, site medical director. “They admit patients 24/7 — and that’s what we needed.”
This model isn’t just innovative — it’s effective. By addressing Emergency Department congestion, reducing code blue incidents and easing staffing pressures, the team has delivered measurable results.
Code Blues from Internal Medicine dropped from 70 per cent in May 2024 to just 29 per cent by November — nearly a 60 per cent reduction.
“Our 24/7 Internal Medicine clinicians and all experienced critical care nurses, provide real-time bedside mentorship, targeted coaching and expert assessment support. Nurses identify deterioration earlier, before patients reach crisis,” Asha explains.
Interventions are initiated promptly, ensuring physicians and the ICU Team are involved earlier in the process.
“This culture of early detection, collaborative escalation, and high-standard clinical practice has fundamentally reshaped patient safety on Internal Medicine — and stands as a powerful example of what strong clinical leadership, mentorship and education can accomplish,” Asha says.
They didn’t stop there. Passionate about advancing medical education, the team launched the Clinical Teaching Unit (CTU) in July 2024.
The teaching unit immerses students in real-world internal medicine, teaching them that excellence in care is built on collaboration. Here, future physicians learn to lead with compassion and understand the importance of interdisciplinary care.
“Students are immersed in a high-acuity environment where patient care and medical education are paramount,” says Dr. Birinder Mangat, Surrey Memorial Hospital General Internal Medicine Clinical Teaching Unit medical director.
Since its inception, 52 physician trainees have rotated through the unit, gaining hands-on experience in bedside teaching, case-based learning and quality improvement. The CTU also champions innovation through projects like Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS), reducing unnecessary diagnostic imaging outside the unit.
Nursing Clinical Instructor Thea Quinones appreciates how the unit prepares students for complex care.
“I don’t think I will ever want to leave the unit because there’s so much to teach,” she says.
And the students feel the same way.
“I’ve had some students come back here to do their preceptorships — it’s like a full circle,” Thea reflects.
Structured interdisciplinary rounding brings together learners, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, allied health team members and unit coordinators to craft comprehensive care plans — improving communication, reducing errors and shortening hospital stays.
“The CTU’s coordinated approach to daily discharge planning has significantly improved patient flow from the Emergency Department to Internal Medicine beds,” says Dr. Kahlon. “By identifying patients ready for transition early, we’ve streamlined discharges and improved capacity management across the hospital.”
The secret to their success? The people.
“This award speaks to the people that we have here and the people that help us to continue to push the agenda forward with our program,” says Dr. Mangat.
The team is always looking for opportunities for growth and ensuring that patients get the best care possible.
From prioritizing complex care through teamwork to inspiring and training tomorrow’s physicians, this team is not just meeting today’s challenges — they’re shaping a health care system ready for tomorrow.
Congratulations to the Surrey Memorial Hospital General Internal Medicine Team – recipient of a Best Collaboration Award.