Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) is receiving national accolades as an employer, provider of advanced patient care, and as a research institution, in recently released national and international rankings.
Over the course of the last several months, KHSC has been independently ranked as one of Canada’s best hospitals on Newsweek magazine’s World’s Best Hospitals list, as one of Canada’s top 40 research hospitals by Research InfoSource, and as one of Canada’s best employers by Forbes.
“To be ranked in these three areas shows that KHSC is not only a great place to work and receive high-quality care but is also leading the way in the development of new and innovative treatments to benefit patients in the future,” says President and CEO, Dr. David Pichora. “This is reflective of KHSC’s growing role and reputation in Canada, as well as on the international stage. We’re seeing it firsthand as we recruit health care workers from around the globe, they’re excited to be part of what we are building here in Kingston.”
Newsweek: Global Hospital Ranking
For the sixth consecutive year, KHSC has been recognized as one of Canada’s best hospitals in Newsweek’s annual ranking of more than 1,000 hospitals across 27 countries. This year, KHSC moved up six spots in the Canadian rankings to 34. While there are more than 1,200 hospitals in Canada, only 67 scored high enough to receive a rank. Hospitals were measured by a panel of medical experts, including doctors and health-care administrators, who considered patient satisfaction scores, patient reported outcome measures, key performance indicators and overall reputation.
“Many of the hospitals that rank ahead of us on the list are located in much bigger cities such as Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton or Vancouver,” says Dr. Renate Ilse, KHSC’s Chief Operating Officer. “This means that KHSC is achieving outstanding results, better and sooner, than one would have expected just seven years after integration of Kingston General and Hotel Dieu Hospitals, and providing the types of highly specialized care that are typically only offered in bigger cities. It proves that we mean it when we say our goal is to provide high-quality care, closer to home, for the people of southeastern Ontario.”
Forbes: Canada’s Best Employers
For the first time, KHSC has cracked Forbes’ annual ranking of Canada’s best employers. Each year Forbes selects the top 300 employers in the country across all sectors and industries. KHSC joins the list this year at 284 overall.
The ranking is based primarily on a survey of more than 40,000 people working for Canadian companies and institutions with more than 500 employees. Individuals were asked to rate their employer based on a range of criteria, including salary, gender pay-equity, work flexibility, opportunities for promotion and on-the-job training. Participants were also asked if they would recommend their employer to others.
“To me, what is particularly interesting is that only 30 employers in the healthcare sector made the list this year, which I think is reflective of the pressure our industry is facing as we continue to navigate the lasting impact of the pandemic,” says Sandra Carlton, KHSC’s Executive Vice-President and Chief Human Resources Officer. “Given that context, this achievement is particularly impressive because it comes from direct feedback provided by our staff on their experiences working at KHSC.”
Research Infosource: Top 40 Canadian Research Hospitals
For the twelfth consecutive year, KHSC and its research institute, the Kingston General Health Research Institute (KGHRI), has been named one of the Top 40 research hospitals in Canada, landing at the 25th spot on this year’s list. As the research arm of KHSC, KGHRI cultivates patient-oriented research, builds innovative partnerships, and pursues excellence in research through collaboration, including with our partners at Queen’s University, particularly in the Faculty of Health Sciences. Each hospital’s ranking is determined by total research funding for each institute. Investments come primarily from donors, government and industry investments, and support research activities at each organization.
This ranking will help us to continue to attract and retain top tier researchers and keep us on the leading edge of research development. We are grateful to our funding partners who continue to provide us with support for the work we do,” says Dr. Steven Smith, President and CEO of the KGHRI and Vice-President of Health Sciences Research at KHSC. “Kingston has become nationally recognized for our research in the areas of cancer and allergy clinical trials, gastrointestinal diseases and cardiovascular disorders. This research work is critical as we look to bring new and innovative treatments to patients in southeastern Ontario.”
