Practicum Stories

Where did you complete your practicum?
I completed my practicum at Oak Valley Health, a growing multi-site organization in Markham and Uxbridge, that cares for 480,000 patients annually.

Describe your practicum role
In my role as a Project Manager, I worked closely with senior leadership, including the Chief of Nursing and the Chief Operating Officer, to advance the clinical services plan in alignment with the organization’s strategic goals. I regularly participated in strategic planning meetings to assess internal and external influencing factors, and I developed proposals to address identified gaps and support decision‑making.

I collaborated with clinical and operational directors to redefine models of care, leverage command centre strategies based on my previous experience, and support funding initiatives focused on improving efficiency and enabling organizational growth.

How does the practicum compliment the classroom learning in the MHSc program?
The MHSc program provided a strong theoretical foundation that directly supported my practicum experience. Through coursework focused on understanding internal and external influencing factors, I developed the analytical skills needed to assess organizational context and apply evidence‑informed approaches in practice.

The program equipped me with practical tools—ranging from change management frameworks to quality improvement methodologies, as well as skills in developing briefing notes and delivering professional presentations—that I used extensively throughout my placement. Additionally, the program’s emphasis on collaboration and networking translated seamlessly into the practicum environment, where building relationships with leaders and stakeholders was essential to advancing project goals.

Overall, the practicum allowed me to apply core MHSc concepts in real organizational settings, reinforcing the link between theory and practice.

Where did you complete your practicum?
I completed my practicum at Mackenzie Health with Andra Duff-Woskosky, Associate Vice President, Continuing Care & Community Integration.

My professional experience has been primarily in community and primary care settings. I wanted to complete my practicum in a hospital environment to gain exposure to a different context of care. The portfolio that Andra leads spans both hospital and community settings, which made it an ideal fit. Additionally, knowing that Andra is an IHPME graduate was a significant draw for me.

Describe your practicum role
I fully embraced my role as a learner during my practicum to maximize exposure to hospital-based leadership and explore the breadth of professional opportunities available in this setting. Each week, I participated in one-on-one meetings with members of senior leadership across both hospital and community environments. The entire Mackenzie Health leadership team was so welcoming. I also attended governance and senior leadership meetings, which provided valuable opportunities for observation, reflection, and inquiry. These opportunities supported my organizational awareness and strategic orientation competencies.

During the latter half of my practicum, I placed greater emphasis on developing action‑focused leadership competencies, specifically achievement orientation, collaboration, and impact and influence. I contributed to the redevelopment of the Western York Region OHT Patient, Family, Advisory Committee. I completed policy analysis, prepared briefing notes, and reviewed performance metrics for a public–private partnership delivering interdisciplinary health care services. I also collaborated on strategic initiatives, including Seniors’ Care.

How does the practicum compliment the classroom learning in the MHSc program?
My practicum provided a meaningful opportunity to apply MHSc leadership and health systems theory within a real‑world hospital context. Throughout the program, coursework emphasized systems thinking, collaborative leadership, governance, and translating strategy into action. The practicum allowed me to observe and actively participate in how these concepts are operationalized in practice.

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.

Where did you complete your practicum, and what drew you to that placement?

I took a bit of a more unconventional path to my practicum, and aimed to get as much exposure to different areas of the health system while leveraging my MHSc class learnings and my collaborative specialization in Global Health. I decided to complete two practicums: one internationally in Nairobi, Kenya through Dalla Lana’s Junior Faculty Development Program, working with Moi University and having the opportunity to develop materials for the Ministry of Health. My second practicum was here in Toronto, at Unity Health Toronto in the Anti-Racism, Equity & Social Accountability Office. I was drawn to both of these placements to challenge myself in leading projects outside my usual wheelhouse and learn leadership skills in different environments.

What was your role, and on what kinds of projects or initiatives did you work?

My ongoing practicum at Unity Health within the Anti-Racism, Equity & Social Accountability (ARESA) Office, working directly with the Director, has allowed me to manage an equity-focused quality improvement initiative focused on perinatal experiences and birthing outcomes across St Michaels and St Joseph’s healthcare. Through identifying disparities across indicators such as pre-eclampsia, hypertensive disorders, low-risk C-sections, and breastfeeding outcomes in provincial BORN data, I am leading the process of prioritizing equitable access and care for racialized patients along these indicators. I designed and facilitated community engagement sessions with past patients, worked with clinical leaders in Women & Children’s programs and clinical partners, and continue to support the translation of equity findings into operationally feasible quality improvement strategies. I have also had the opportunity to contribute to other initiatives including the organization strategic plan, attend SLT meetings and sociodemographic data governance work.

For my practicum in Kenya, I spent one month in Nairobi supporting two initiatives that sat at the intersection of implementation science, digital health, and health systems strengthening. The main project I supported was as an evaluation researcher for the EMMPAWTAC study, which focused on integrating an mHealth adolescent mental health self-screening tool into clinic workflows across six urban facilities for young mothers living with HIV. My role involved supporting implementation planning using the RE-AIM framework, refining workflow integration strategies, and contributing to data capture processes through ODK and REDCap. Beyond the technical components, I worked closely with clinical teams to understand how introducing a digital screening intervention would affect provider workload, patient flow, and acceptability. This required thinking beyond the technology itself and into the behavioural, operational, and leadership dimensions of implementation, as the MHSc program encourages us to do as leaders.

Across both placements, my role consistently involved bridging evidence to implementation: whether integrating a digital tool into clinic workflows in Nairobi or translating stratified perinatal data into equity-informed quality improvement efforts in Toronto.

How did your practicum connect theory to practice in the MHSc program?

Coming from a background in consulting and before that research, I really hoped to stretch and embed myself within health systems and the practicum gave me this opportunity. The MHSc program encourages us to lead with an agile mindset, and stay adaptable in how we get there. Across my practicums, that translated into learning to adjust quickly as context shifted, priorities evolved, and new constraints surfaced. It also strengthened my future thinking: looking beyond the immediate task to anticipate implementation barriers, and what teams would need for an initiative to actually sustain over time.

Most importantly, I experienced the program’s emphasis on the intersection of policy, finance, leadership, and change management in practice. Finally, the practicum made me more comfortable leading through uncertainty, a key emphasis in the program: making progress without perfect information, communicating clearly to various audiences, and choosing the next best step while staying responsive to what emerged.