Practicum Stories

Where did you complete your practicum? 
I completed my practicum at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, a renowned healthcare organization that provides comprehensive care and advanced medical research. Sunnybrook is recognized for its commitment to patient safety, innovative treatments, and collaboration with various health professionals and agencies.  

Describe your practicum role 
During my practicum, I worked with the Risk Management Team to develop a comprehensive Police/Law Enforcement Interactions Resource Hub on Sunnybrook’s intranet. This hub provides frontline staff with clear guidance on managing complex interactions with law enforcement, streamlining the process and reducing the need for individual consultations with the Risk Management Team. I conducted a thorough review of existing policies and resources, collaborating with various internal stakeholders (e.g., ED, Lab, Security) and external law enforcement partners to address process and knowledge gaps. The goal was to create a well-integrated, user-friendly resource that effectively meets the needs of frontline staff. 

How does the practicum compliment the classroom learning in the MHSc program? 
The practicum experience allows students to contextualize concepts taught in a healthcare setting. By developing the resource hub, I applied theoretical knowledge from the MHSc program to real-world projects. This experience highlighted the intersection of policy, decision-making, partnerships, and strategy in healthcare operations. It also enhanced my project management skills, including planning, coordination, and implementation of complex tasks. Working in a large academic health sciences center provided opportunities to observe robust Risk Management and Quality & Patient Safety processes, including serious safety event investigations using a QI approach. Additionally, if students have other areas of interest, Sunnybrook is most likely able to accommodate and provide exposure to those experiences, further enriching their learning. The practicum solidified my understanding of healthcare management principles by demonstrating their practical application.   

Where did you complete your practicum? 
I completed my practicum at Quinte Health, an organization that provides care to approximately 180,000 people through four hospitals in the Hastings and Prince Edward Counties and the southeast portion of Northumberland County.  

Describe your practicum role 
My main role was to support the implementation of Quinte Health’s newly developed strategic plan by first gaining insights into the role and processes of their Senior Leadership Team and then developing recommendations on how to align the team’s principles and processes with the organizational strategy.  Throughout my practicum, I regularly attended executive meetings and conducted interviews with all the members of the Senior Leadership Team. I also advanced my learning by participating in strategy implementation workshops attended by the Board of Directors and leaders from various levels of the organization. 

How does the practicum compliment the classroom learning in the MHSc program? 
The practicum experience allows students to contextualize the concepts taught in the program within a health care setting. Observing the issues and challenges encountered by senior leadership can highlight how policy, decision-making, partnerships, and strategy intersect to facilitate health care operations. Elements from the program’s courses can not only be observed throughout the practicum, but they can also be applied to various roles and projects assigned to students. To use a metaphor of an orchestra, the MHSc program teaches students how each instrument works – the practicum helps to solidify that learning by showing how an orchestra performs in real time.   

Where did you complete your practicum? 
I am fulfilling my practicum requirements by completing a project with the META:PHI (Mentoring, Education, and clinic Tools for Addiction: Partners in Health Integration) team at Women’s College Hospital. META:PHI consists of a network of interdisciplinary team members that supports and guides the delivery of addictions medicine across Ontario. 

Describe your practicum role 
As a practicum student, I am provided with the opportunity to develop and implement a project that is focused on an environment scan of services that are available for Indigenous people at specific Rapid Access Addictions Medicine Clinics (RAAM) within Ontario. The project aligns with META:PHI’s vision of guiding improvements to care through an equity and inclusivity lens. The goal of the project is to provide a report to Ontario Health highlighting the potential areas for RAAM service improvements for the Indigenous community. My role is to collaborate with various RAAM clinics and Indigenous organizations within the province to develop these recommendations. 

How does the practicum compliment the classroom learning in the MHSc program? 
This MHSc in Health Administration program embeds core leadership competencies in the curriculum to support current and emerging leaders in the evolving health sector. This program facilitates knowledge sharing through collaborative work and learning from expert scholars and leaders. The practicum component provides the opportunity to apply management and leadership skills that students gain through this multidisciplinary program to help combat current health issues. Students are provided with the necessary tools to support better understanding of the health system as well as tools for effective strategic planning, decision making, and change management.

Where did you complete your practicum?
I completed my practicum at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH), a 515-bed community teaching hospital serving the east Toronto region.

Describe your practicum role
As a Strategic Business Analyst intern, I had the opportunity to actively engage with executives, VPs, and department managers through attending executive and board meetings, 1-on-1 sessions, and facilitating the completion of projects that support MGH’s strategic priorities. I was also involved in working on a wide range of projects that were both clinical-focused and corporate-focused aligned with my learning objectives. Some examples of projects that I worked on was evaluating the impact of model of care changes in the Medicine Units and building a business case for a new Interventional Radiology suite. Furthermore, being part of the executive and board meetings has provided me with perspective on the challenges facing healthcare leaders and insights into the decision-making process of successful hospital leaders.

How does the practicum compliment the classroom learning in the MHSc program?
My practicum experience at MGH has allowed me to apply the theories and concepts that I have learnt in a real-world setting. It has also allowed me to gain practical experience in the areas of hospital operations and this has been helpful in giving me a sense of where I want to focus my future career path post this program. My time at MGH has also enabled me to network with healthcare leaders and other professionals which is crucial for someone like me who is new to the Canadian healthcare system.