“Room for improvement” and other takeaways from our Member Value Survey
Organizations benefit from the feedback and guidance of their members. If we don’t ask the tough questions, how can we stay relevant and improve our member value?
With this in mind, late last year we asked Fellows to fill out a Member Value Survey. We were very pleased that more than 4,000 members completed the survey. To minimize fatigue, each respondent was asked a core set of questions before being divided into one of three question streams: continuing professional development (CPD), communications, or needs and perceptions.
Read the Member Value Survey summary report (PDF version)
If you want more detailed information, click here for the full Member Value Survey report (PDF version)
Several themes emerged:
Enduring pride of the Fellowship designation
Members hold a great deal of pride in being recognized for having met the Royal College’s educational standards. Eighty-five per cent of survey respondents said they use the Royal College designation (FRCPC or FRCSC). In fact, 32% stated this is their primary reason for membership. Maintaining and heightening the value of this designation is one of our goals.
Desire for a stronger Fellow voice
Members generally do not believe it is easy to have their voices heard. Survey respondents indicated that they do not feel that they have a significant influence over the organization’s priorities. Only 36% graded the Royal College a five or higher on a scale of seven.
Need for greater transparency, valuable communications and more CPD opportunities
Members generally do not have a strong understanding of the organization’s decision-making processes and how resources, including membership dues, are directed. Related, only 67% of survey respondents awarded the Royal College a 5 or above on a scale of 7 for its communications. Some areas for improvement include volume (i.e. reduce it) and content.
In particular, an overwhelming 86% of respondents are either very or somewhat interested in receiving more information on CPD resources. Topics of greatest interest include clinical knowledge/skills (51%), innovation in medicine/new technology (36%), patient safety (32%) and physician wellness (29%).
Digesting and taking action on survey results
While over half of survey respondents rated their overall satisfaction with the Royal College a five or six on a scale of seven, the benchmark satisfaction score was only 64%. This means there is considerable room for improvement.
These results have sparked a lot of internal discussion and reflection. We are using this feedback to guide our member value initiatives — and the planning is already well under way. For example, we are finalizing a new Member Value Strategy to better align and augment our services, and guide our efforts to increase member value and engagement.
Moving forward, we are committed to reporting back about our progress on the action areas highlighted in the Member Value Survey summary report [PDF version]. We will post and share regular updates here in our Royal College Newsroom and highlight these items in future newsletters. In the meantime, please feel welcome to leave a constructive comment (below) or email me at ceo@royalcollege.ca.
We all share in the pride of Royal College Fellowship and the mark of excellence that the FRCPC and FRCSC designations denote. We look forward to augmenting this value and better supporting you in your provision of quality patient care, moving forward.










