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Interview with IMG Clerkship Graduates

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Written by: Madeline Kubiseski, Master of Health Administration
Interview with: Linda Hernandez & Ali Yousefi

Linda Hernandez and Ali Yousefi will be graduating from the IMG Clerkship program this spring, both going on to complete their residencies in family medicine at Dalhousie. I had the opportunity to sit down with them to learn more about their experiences in the IMG Clerkship Program, why they chose the program, and their future plans after the program.

Ali Yousefi

Ali Yousefi

Can you tell us how you decided to continue your education with the IMG Clerkship Program at Dalhousie?

Linda: During my fourth year of medical school in Mexico, I did a visiting elective rotation at Dalhousie where I learned about the IMG Clerkship Program. After moving to Canada, I kept this in mind and my desire to increase my medical knowledge and learn about the Canadian healthcare system led me to apply to the IMG Clerkship program.

Ali: I had a friend who went into the IMG clerkship program before me and was really happy with it. He introduced me to it because I wasn’t aware such a program existed before this and was an option for me. It is a good program for many reasons but I really wanted a smooth transition to residency and this program could help me do that by providing me two more years of experience.

How practical was the IMG Clerkship Program and did you have exposure to clinical/hands-on experience?

Linda: Very practical. We had hands-on clinical experience from day one of clerkship year.

Ali: The IMG Clerkship Program is very hands-on and practical. We have the same exposure as any other medical students, with the same high-quality standards as other Canadian students. While it is very practical, it is really up to you how much you want to practice and the staff are supportive in allowing you to do things under their supervision. The program, and in general the medical program at Dalhousie, is very focused on communication skills as well which I enjoyed.

Linda Hernandez

Linda Hernandez

Can you talk about some of your other goals coming in the Clerkship Program, and whether you’ve been able to reach them?

Linda: One of my main objectives coming into the program was to become completely familiar with the Canadian healthcare system, a goal which was achieved during my clerkship years.

Ali: My main goal coming into the program was a smooth transition to residency and I know I will be able to achieve this goal. I now feel much more confident in my abilities and in transitioning to residency.

Did you get involved in any extracurricular activities with your local community?

Linda: Yes, I volunteered at the refugee clinic with Transitional Health Clinic for Refugees (THCR) in the summer of 2017.

Ali: I play intermediate tennis with Halifax tennis rec in my spare time.

 If you could give one piece of advice to prospective IMG applicants from Nova Scotia, what would it be?

Linda: See this as an opportunity for increasing your mastery of medical knowledge, but with new perspectives and insights, and different teaching systems.

Ali: Be open minded, be open to the new information you receive and go with the flow. I really have enjoyed this program and I am so happy I had the opportunity to do this, if I could go back in time I would do it again.

 Where are you currently going after graduating from Dalhousie?

Linda: I have been accepted to DAL Family Medicine Residency Program in PEI.

Ali: I am staying in Halifax for family medicine residency. After that I plan to stay here on the east coast and practice afterwards.

To learn more about the program and outcomes thus far, please find the IMG Clerkship Program report here. 

Simulated Patient Educators Experience with Indigenous Health Program

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Written by: Madeline Kubiseski, Master of Health Administration

Jacquie Thillaye and Emily Armstrong are Simulated Patient Educators in the Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research (C3LR), providing programming support for the faculties of medicine, dentistry and health. They have been heavily involved the Indigenous Health Program through various programs and the health sciences youth summer camps. I had the opportunity to sit down with Jacquie and Emily to learn more about their experience with the Indigenous Health Program.

Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research staff

Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research staff

Can you describe your role in the C3LR as simulated patient educators?

Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research

Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research

As simulated patient educators, we support the simulation side of programming for the Faculties of Medicine, Health and Dentistry. We focus on educational design and implementation for experiential learning to ensure the simulation meets the needs of the faculty and the faculty members designing the program. We assist with the development of the program and the case studies to meet the specific, and often changing, programming needs. We also focus on communication skills and help to create a safe learning environment, where our simulated patients learn how to provide feedback to the student learners. Lastly, we work on design and implementation of assessment using simulated encounters.

Overall, simulation fills a huge gap between learning and practice, allowing students to practice their skills in a safe space before entering the clinical setting.

What has been your experience working with the Faculty of Medicine’s Indigenous Health Program?

Our experience working with the Faculty of Medicine’s Indigenous Health Program has primarily been through the youth health sciences camps. In our roles we have also reached out to the program to help us find simulated patients from the Indigenous community to meet specific requirements and to build a more diverse, representative group of simulated patients. We also run a specific program called Parent Tot, where parents bring their children in to allow medical and/or nursing students to work with them. We really needed to increase our diversity in that program, and Joe MacEachern, the program manager of the Indigenous Health Program, was a very big help in sending out the message to increase participation. We are continuously working with Joe to increase our diversity of simulated patients, but we still have a long way to go.

What are the benefits of having Indigenous participants participate in your program? What have been some of the challenges and successes of this?

One of the benefits is that we are striving to be reflective of the community as much as possible and offer a presence for the students to recognize the importance. There isn’t a whole lot of programming that is specific to the Indigenous community in terms of simulation, but we are hopeful that will be coming.

Additionally, it has been a great benefit to our staff, faculty and simulated patients themselves who are seeing our pool of participants change and seeing the increased diversity and representation.

Also, from a training perspective, when you are in the room of simulated patients from various backgrounds, it increases the discussion and perspectives of the case.

Some of the challenges we have faced have been around recruiting and retention. We find that those who are keen to join are often people who are being tapped into for many other initiatives and are very busy. They are very engaged in their community and comfortable participating in these situations. Recruiting and retaining more Indigenous simulated patients is something we are working on for the future.

One of the major successes we have seen is the number of Indigenous people in the health profession. In addition to simulated patients we also have standardized health professionals, and we have seen an increased diversity in these health professionals, and we have great representation in that as well. We have received the most feedback from the standardized Indigenous health professionals about how happy they are be part of this program, and to have the students see themselves in these roles.

Medical and health problems present in every community and we need to make sure we have people in roles that reflect every community. We are continuously working towards this.

What changes have you seen over the years of involvement with this program?

Overall the growth of the Indigenous Health program with the number of students, the number of camps, and how far they are reaching has been very impressive. We are also now seeing some students from the camps express interest in becoming simulated patients or students in the university which has been great. The students in the camps are coming each year and are so excited about entering the health professions and see themselves in these roles to give back to their community.

How long have you been participating in the Indigenous Health Sciences Camp programs? As an experienced camp program facilitator, what has been your experience working with the Indigenous youth participants?

We have been working with the Health Sciences Camp since they began. Working with the youth in these camps has been very interesting experience seeing the students grow and come back each year. We often see some of the same students coming back and we are able to see their growth, increased engagement, and strong interest in the health professions. Through the camps we also see the students picturing themselves here at Dalhousie in the health professions one day.

What future changes would you like to implement or see happen? I.e. bigger groups? More indigenous facilitators? More regular camps for this group? Longer camps?

We would love to see increased growth of the program. We want to continue to develop the curriculum for all the different schools to implement more around Indigenous health. Additionally, we also try to highlight the Indigenous research that is ongoing and the various opportunities for Indigenous students to get involved and perhaps lead the research themselves.

I know our role is to expose the students to new opportunities but what have you learned from working with this group?

We have learned so much through the increased contact with people from the Indigenous community and the students themselves. For example, learning what smudging truly is, when it is done, why it is done, and that there are no rooms to do this at the hospital.

Developing awareness goes both ways; the students learn and develop awareness of opportunities in the health professions, and we learn about the communities and the specific needs of the communities.

What is your favourite part of what you do?

The best part about this role are all of the different people that we get to work with; not only the simulated patients, but everyone from the community, inside and outside of Dalhousie, the students, and the learners are constantly changing. The job itself is constantly changing and challenging and we are continuously learning from the students and the Indigenous Health Program. We never stop learning and we do feel like we are contributing in a meaningful way!

Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research

Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research

For more information on the Indigenous Health Program.

For more information on the Centre for Collaborative Clinical Learning and Research.

 

Experiences as an IMU: Taha Khan Interview

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Written by: Madeline Kubiseski, Master of Health Administration Student

Taha Khan is a current IMU student graduating in April 2019. She is originally from Chennai, India and I was fortunate to sit down with her and discuss her experience at Dalhousie Medical School and her future career plans.

Looking back, how was your transition from IMU to Dalhousie?

Overall my transition was very smooth, and this was predominately because of the Link Program. When we first came here, we knew the system was very different in terms of how students enter medical school and the academic and life experiences that students in Canada have before entering medicine compared to us. For me, this was quite intimidating but after going through the Link program and  entering classes in September I felt much more prepared and this was a really good feeling. Specifically, the clinical skills of the Link program were very helpful in preparing me.

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What were you most excited about coming to Dalhousie?

Coming to Canada I was most excited about the winter! I had never seen snow before, so this was my first proper winter and I really enjoyed it. Apart from that, I was excited about transitioning to the North American system because of the clinical exposure you receive here. This is very different from the clinical experience you would get in the British or Australian system; the system here is more hands on and you are given much more responsibility which I have found to be true during clerkship. I have loved this!

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In your opinion, which areas of your educational program at Dalhousie were particularly strong?

Overall, the program was very strong. Our hands-on skills were really emphasized throughout clerkship and I never felt like I was behind my classmates. We were supported through our gaps and if I didn’t know something or feel confident, I was always encouraged to go ahead and try it out. I remember my first call shift during clerkship I was terrified of being on call but throughout this experience I have gained more confidence and always felt very supported by the staff, nurses and residents.

Can you talk about some of your other goals coming in the Clerkship Program, and whether you’ve been able to reach them?

When I started clerkship, I found it hard to believe I would be a doctor in two years, and I didn’t think that would be enough time to prepare me for medicine. As I finish clerkship and as I have had the opportunity to visit teaching hospitals in the United States, I feel I am very well prepared even compared to their own students. This was reinforced by the physicians and staff in the U.S. who told me I was working like a first-year resident. I now feel more confident about my skills and my abilities.

Aside from medicine, I have goals for my non-profit, Child Awareness Project, which I started when I was 15. We are predominately youth run and focus on children’s right issues and youth empowerment and advocacy. I want to incorporate my medical training into this and hopefully conduct health awareness camps and health initiatives for children in India. My medical training at Dalhousie has helped me get one step closer to this. I plan to pursue child neurology in my residency which will help to give me enough knowledge about child issues in India.

Where are you currently going after graduating from Dalhousie?

Initially I was planning to do residency in Newfoundland. However, with recent changes in how Newfoundland accepts residents, I decided to change my career plan. I decided to pursue a Master of Public Health at Harvard University in September which is really exciting for me. I have always been interested in public health as a field, particularly because of my not-for-profit and interest in children’s rights. As a result, I have always been interested in expanding my medical training into public policy and other areas where I can work to improve children’s rights. Additionally, I want to expand my expertise in statistics and the ability to critically analyze and examine various papers and studies and I feel that the public health degree will help me to do that. This is a one-year program and then I plan to apply for residency next year. After I finish residency I hope to work in the field and get more experience and then eventually go back to India to work with my non-for-profit.

Can you share more about the Child Awareness Project?

Child Awareness Project (CAP) is a Chennai-based NGO that grew out of a campaign, that I started, at the age of 15, to help find a 5 year-old who was kidnapped from Marina Beach in Chennai in May 2011. This campaign, Search for Thamana, drew immense media attention and was instrumental in tracing the child. This played a key role in increasing surveillance in public areas. For this work, I received the International Diana Award, in memory of the Late Princess of Wales and a Silver Medallion and the 2012 Pramerica Spirit of Community Awards. Our story was also shortlisted as one of the top 10 stories in India, as part of Our Better World’s Good Story Pitch, to be pitched to filmmakers in Mumbai. Most recently, CAP was just featured on the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust’s Inspiration Page.

Today, CAP is a predominantly female, youth-led nonprofit, that advocates for children’s rights (from the UNCRC framework) and incorporates them with the relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our main initiative in the Campus Ambassador Program, wherein we recruit students across India to conduct various pre-designed workshops in their own schools. We employ means of advocacy both online and on-the-ground. For about 6 months to a year, we select an issue affecting children and formulate a focused campaign. Our first major campaign tackled the issue of Child Abduction & Trafficking. Our upcoming campaign will explore Bullying. In addition to this, we run independent projects across India, such as the Soft Skills project and collaborate with UN Online Volunteers for research and publications. For more information, please visit our website. As our team is placed globally, we are constantly looking for young people passionate about children’s rights, around the world to join our team. Interested applicants can send us a CV and letter of interest at info@thecapro.org. They can also visit http://thecapro.org/careers to learn more.

 

Service Learning Program Reflections

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By: Peri Fenwick, 2nd year Medical Student and Service Learning Program Participant

Located in an office on Cunard Street in Halifax, NS, the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (SSNS) helps a community that is often under-served. Since its establishment, the Schizophrenia Society has been a resource for those living with mental illness, including friends and family members.

As a second-year medical student with an interest in psychiatry, working with the SSNS through the Dalhousie Medicine Service Leaning Program has provided a unique opportunity to learn about mental health resources outside of the hospital. After seeing patients discharged from an inpatient setting to re-integrate into the community, I have found myself wondering “what happens next?”

To answer this question and gain a first-hand perspective on the work the SSNS does, I interviewed Ian Burton. Ian took the time to sit down with me and tell his story, including the role that the SSNS has played in his recovery journey. Sitting across from Ian now, one would not think that this is a man who has lived through difficult times in which he did not know where he would be able to find shelter for the night. His happy demeanour, friendly smile, and positive attitude towards life serve as a testament to his resilience.

Ian’s journey began in the early 2000s when he was first hospitalized for psychosis. After a number of hospitalizations, Ian found himself living on the streets of Halifax. Eventually, he spent a year at Simpson Landing transitional living facility in Dartmouth before being discharged to live independently in the community.

Early on in the course of his illness, Ian’s family encouraged him to utilize the SSNS services in his hometown of Wolfville. Ian was reluctant to do so at the time, which he attributes to his young age and frustration with the healthcare system. Little did he know at the time that the SSNS’s Supportive Housing Program would be the means by which he would transition to independent living. The Supportive Housing Program offers support to people with lived experience in recovery. Ian lives with roommates who are also in recovery, which allows residents to support one another through weekly house meetings, training opportunities, and access to other SSNS programs. For example, the SSNS hosts a weekly peer led education and support group, a family education support group, and one to one peer support to assist individuals upon discharge from the hospital.

Over the past five years in the supportive housing program, Ian has spent his time volunteering, obtaining employment, and working with his healthcare team to optimize his medication regimen. When he is not at work, Ian spends his time playing guitar, watching Netflix, and participating in outings organized through the SSNS.

Looking into the future, Ian’s primary goal is to live independently and graduate from the Supportive Housing Program. He said he would not have been able to reach this point in his recovery without the help of the SSNS: “After my last hospitalization in 2014, there was a long journey back to living independently, SSNS and Caldy Grange were there to assist as a stepping stone towards developing an independence that lasts. It was the perfect balance of help and support to stay on the right track and have a great relationship with roommates, and I am happy to say I am in the process of getting my own place!”

Unfortunately, obtaining funding as a non-for-profit organization is challenging. This challenge is augmented by the societal stigma surrounding mental illness, in addition to the lack of services available in rural regions throughout the province. The SSNS has a network of education and support groups for those affected by schizophrenia, psychosis, bipolar and related mental health disorders. These groups are led by dedicated volunteers, and the Schizophrenia Society hopes to make their services more readily available in other regions.

The SSNS has yearly fundraising initiatives, such as the annual Road to Recovery Walk, which directly supports their programs and services. Their annual “Living and Learning” conference hosts inspiring speakers working in the field and engages mental healthcare clinicians, community organizations, and people with lived experience. Through these fundraising and education initiatives, the SSNS is able to support more people like Ian in their progression to independent living and integration within the community. Moreover, serving as a testament that with the support of services like the SSNS, the community, and healthcare professionals, recovery is possible.

Annual Road to Recovery Walk

Annual Road to Recovery Walk

For more information on the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, go to: www.ssns.ca

For more information on the Service Learning Program, click here.

 

Winning Project for the World’s Challenge Challenge 2019/2020

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This week we have chosen to highlight the amazing work of 3 Dalhousie students, 2 of which are Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Scholars through the Global Health Office.

On March 14, Faculty of Health PhD students Justine Dol (Health), Brianna Richardson (Nursing), and Rachel Ollivier (Nursing) made a compelling case for their health innovation: Essential Coaching for Every Mother at the local Dalhousie competition of the World’s Challenge Challenge (WCC). The students won the round and were chosen to represent Dal at Western University in June 2019.

Brianna, Rachel and Justine.

Brianna, Rachel and Justine.

The goal of Essential Coaching for Every Mother is to share knowledge with mothers and improve their confidence in caring for themselves and their baby. The innovation will send daily text messages to moms in Canada and Tanzania containing information related to caring for themselves and their baby during the first six weeks after birth, when and where they need it the most: right at home. The one-way messages will be based on the best up-to-date evidence, existing World Health Organization guidelines, and local standards of postnatal care.

The full Dal News Story can be found here.

PLANS Professional Profile: Korede Akindoju

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Written by: Nnamdi Chiekwe, Therapeutic Recreation Student
Interview with: Korede Akindoju, Physiotherapist
Korede Akindoju

Korede Akindoju

What do you do?

Currently I have two jobs, I work primarily as a Wellness Facilitator a Community Health team and I also work as a traditional physiotherapist in a private clinic with Zoomers Health.

 What is your role in your Health Profession?

As mentioned above my primary work is as a Wellness Facilitator (physiotherapy) with Community Health teams. Community Health teams offer free health and wellness programs that focus on physical health, emotional health, and diet and nutrition. In our practice we also facilitate wellness navigation, which involves helping individuals find and discover resources within their community to help improve their physical activity, housing, parenting, financial needs, and other social determinants of health.

Secondly, I work as your traditional physiotherapist with Zoomers health, which is a private practice. In this role I assist patients improve their functional ability from a physical perspective. Some things that I do in my role as physiotherapist are to perform manual therapy, demonstrate and assist with resistance exercises, and educate on functional management.

Can you share your experience(s) as a Black Health professional in your field?

One thing I’d like to share is the lack of Black faces in the room. I truly enjoy my work and I work with wonderful people, however, there is some essence of finding and having that connection with another Black person in the field. Discussions around shared experiences become significantly easier to have and relate to one another. Having a discussion with a face similar to yours allows that sense of confidence and validation in your experiences.

Secondly, being a minority in the field, allows for the opportunity to share new ideas, perspectives, and experiences of overlooked populations with coworkers. These ideas range from ideas on how to improve access for minority groups to insight on cultural competence and intelligence ideas.

Can you explain your experiences and ability to access health services? What went well?

Personally, I haven’t had many issues with accessing the health care system. However, I’ve been recently involved with community organizations that are improving access for minorities. When patients that come share their experiences and stories it is very discouraging. They discuss how the health care system has failed to provide proper care for them. Especially, it is more troubling when patients suggest they were judged by their health care provider based on sex, race, ethnicity, and disability. As health care providers, it is our duty to provide the best quality of care for people seeking our services, thus, we honestly have to do better. This experience being involved with these organizations has helped me understand the importance and necessity of providing great healthcare to our community.

What could go better?

With the community health team, one of our main focuses is discussing and introducing behaviour change. Changing your behaviour is key to improving your lifestyle. I think that with any form of medical intervention, when approaching your patient, you always want to make sure you practice non-judgmental curiosity. You’ll find that you will build rapport with your patients and provide well rounded and improved health care.

How have you found/finding community in your profession?

In the physiotherapy profession, there are a lot of opportunities to take part in different disciplines. Prior to physiotherapy school, I thought physiotherapists only worked in clinics and provide care for physical ailments. I would never have imagined I would be where I am today, working with a community health team, which provides treatment that is not necessarily considered traditional physiotherapy work (i.e. manual therapy), but more educational and physical activity-based treatment. So, there are lots of opportunities to learn and jobs that will help enhance and expand your skillset!

Social media handles:

IG: rederehab

For more information on this and other African Nova Scotian initiatives please visit the PLANS section of our website.

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Dr. Rebecca Tiessen: Ethical Considerations for International Interns and Volunteers

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Written by: Madeline Kubiseski, Master of Health Administration Student

Rebecca Tiessen is the University Chair in Teaching, and Professor in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa. Her research explores gender equality and development, foreign aid and the role and impact of international aid workers in partner countries.

On January 23rd, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the IWK, International Development Studies and the Global Health Office partnered together to host Dr. Rebecca Tiessen for a public lecture. She presented on her research as it relates to the ethical considerations of international interns and volunteers which she began while working as a faculty member in the IDS Department at Dalhousie in 2005.

She began with a takeaway message for the audience: international volunteering can be highly valuable and contribute to skill development, capacity building, and change the lives on individuals, within the parameters of good ethical practice.

Shawna O'Hearn of the Global Health Office and Rebecca Tiessen.

Shawna O’Hearn of the Global Health Office and Rebecca Tiessen.

Throughout the lecture she addressed the mainstream privatization of international volunteering, and the associated headlines about “international volunteers do more harm than good”, “volunteers unleashed”, and “voluntourism”. Rebecca emphasized the importance of research required to move past a single narrative of international volunteering. This requires a collaborative research process to capture the perspectives of the host organizations, local volunteers, the volunteer sending organizations, and the international volunteers themselves.

Her research has examined effective practices of international volunteering and the contributions of volunteering in their home country upon return. Her most recent work examines the role of international volunteers in promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, social innovation and youth employment.

Her work on gender equality seeks to understand how and if international volunteers are serving as role models and assess the impact that international volunteers have on gender equality. Her findings support the hypothesis that international volunteers have significant gender equality impacts including: creating opportunities for women to take on leadership roles, establishing advocacy groups that address gender inequalities, motivating local women to go back to school, inspiring local girls and women to break societal and gender boundaries, and supporting local leaders to model positive change. She also noted that male international volunteers were found to have a positive impact on breaking gender roles, supporting women and promoting feminism. This research is ongoing as they continue to collaborate with host organizations and local volunteers to understand the impact of international volunteers on gender equality.

The full discussion can be found on the Dalhousie YouTube channel.  The Global Health Office, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and International Development Studies would like to thank Rebecca for coming back home to Halifax to share her research and insights on the ethical considerations of international volunteering.

More information about her research and findings on international volunteering can also be found in her books:

  • Learning and Volunteering Abroad for Development (Routledge, 2018)
  • Insights on International Volunteering: Perspectives from the Global South (co-edited with Kate Grantham and Benjamin Lough, Voluntaris, 2018)
  • Obligations and Omissions: Canada’s Ambiguous Actions on Gender Equality (co-edited with Stephen Baranyi, McGill-Queen`s, 2017).

Meet the Global Health Office – Part 2

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Written by Madeline Kubiseski, Master of Health Administration Student

With a new school year now well underway, the Global Health Office has been busy with its various programs and events. Many new faces have joined our team over the past few months, and it is time to introduce the office staff and the programs they manage. One of our recent posts highlighted our International Education, International Recruitment and Outreach. Today we introduce you to staff managing Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians, Indigenous Health in Medicine, and Service Learning.

Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians (PLANS)

Stephanie Bizzeth

Stephanie Bizzeth

Nnamdi Chiekwe

Nnamdi Chiekwe

Stephanie Bizzeth is the acting program manager of the PLANS program. PLANS seeks to increase representation of African Nova Scotians in the health professions through recruitment and retention, community collaborations and partnerships to improve health outcomes within the African Nova Scotian community. PLANS offers programming, resources, and attends community and school events to provide health career support and preparation.

Nnamdi Chiekwe is the program assistant for PLANS. Nnamdi is in his third year of Therapeutic Recreation.

Indigenous Health in Medicine

Joe MacEachern

Joe MacEachern

Joe MacEachern is the program manager of the Indigenous Health in Medicine (IHIM) program.
The Indigenous program seeks to increase representation of Indigenous students in medicine through recruitment, community collaboration and partnerships. It also advises the dean of medicine, to fulfill the social accountability mandate to the maritime Indigenous community. IHIM is preparing for the upcoming Kiptu Wise Health Science Camp where Indigenous youth spend their March Break learning about professions in the Faculties of Health, Dentistry and Medicine. To learn more about last years Kiptu Wise Health Science camp, click here.

Service Learning

Sarah Peddle

Sarah Peddle

Sarah Peddle is the program manager of the Service Learning Program. The Service Learning program is available to pre-clerkship Undergraduate Medical students in both Halifax and DMNB campuses. The Service Learning Program includes preparation, orientation, community-based service learning experiences, student assessment and program evaluation. To read about student experiences in the Service Learning Program you can read more here. To learn more about the programs partnership with 211 Nova Scotia, a recent blog post by Mike Myette, 211 director, can be found here.

 

211 Nova Scotia’s “Service Learning” Experience – Great students and Amazing Outcomes

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Written by: Mike Myette, Masters of Public Administration, Dalhousie University, Class of ‘08

Our community organization, 211 Nova Scotia was involved with Service Learning participants from Dalhousie’s Med 2 class in 2016 and 2017. 211 Nova Scotia exists to connect people in need with the human and social services that can help them. Supported with funding from the Province of Nova Scotia and the United Way, we maintain a province-wide database of thousands of services delivered by community groups, non-profits and government departments.  We invite inquiries by phone (just dial 2-1-1), by email (help@ns.211.ca) through webchat (www.ns.211.ca) and by text (21167).

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The novel thing about our database is that everything is organized by need, not by who offers the service. This makes it much easier to search and to find services. For those who prefer self-service, we offer a search portal on our website. During 2017, more than 200,000 Nova Scotians reached out to 211 for help through our various channels.

Our introduction to the Service Learning program took a somewhat circuitous route. In 2014 we worked with the college of family physicians in Nova Scotia to create an awareness program for practicing family doctors.  The college recognized the fact that medical outcomes are improved when patients have access to social supports dealing with issues like poverty, housing, affordable medications etc. 211 helps both patients and their doctors access a broad range of support services with a single phone call or a few clicks of a mouse.

The college agreed to an outreach program to educate family physicians about the benefits of 211. Recognizing however that practicing physicians are a challenging group to educate simply because of how busy they are, it occurred to us that it might be more effective for us to reach out to medical students during their training. In early 2015, in my role as 211’s Executive Director, I contacted the Dean of Medicine at Dalhousie to pitch the idea of integrating awareness of 211 into the medical school curriculum and “voila” I was introduced to Sarah Peddle and the Service Learning class at Dalhousie Medical School.

The first Service Learning project in the fall of 2016 involved the creation of a 211 “webinar” that students could access through their e-learning platform. At the end of the term, students presented their projects and it was at this point that another twist of fate entered to assist us in our ultimate goal of integrating 211 into the medical school curriculum. The Service Learning student was unable to do his presentation so I was asked to present.  By way of background to the   presentation, I mentioned my initial pitch to the dean to get 211 awareness into the curriculum. Fortunately, faculty in attendance realized the benefits of 211 to medical training and they approached me afterwards to discuss this and this conversation put some wheels in motion.

The second Service Learning project, commenced in the fall of 2017, sought to extend awareness of 211 further into the medical community as the student eventually published an article in the Doctor’s Nova Scotia Magazine titled “ Is 211 included in your Prescription Regimen?”

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For me, the true “icing on the cake” from service learning occurred prior to the article being published when in mid-2017; the student notified me that 211 awareness was now included in a Med2 lecture in a class titled “Professional Competencies”.

Our partnership with Dalhousie Medical School has truly generated significant returns by way of increased awareness of 211 service. It is our hope that in some small way, we will have contributed to enhancing both the lives of future physicians and their patients through the Service Learning experience.

 

 

Meet the Global Health Office

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Written by Madeline Kubiseski, Master of Health Administration Student

With a new school year now well underway, the Global Health Office has been busy with its various programs and events. Many new faces have joined our team over the past few months, and it is time to introduce the office staff and the programs they manage.

Global Health Office staff

Global Health Office staff

International Education

Said Msabaha is the program manager of the international education experiences offered through the Global Health Office. These include course electives, internships, clinical placements, and research placements for students in the faculties of Medicine, Health and Dentistry at Dalhousie. The Global Health Office has a comprehensive list of strong partner institutions, which seeks to offer students with a unique opportunity to experience first-hand how the social determinants of health play a key role in patient health particularly in under-served or resource-constrained populations. Said is also acting director of the office until January 2019, while Shawna O’Hearn pursues her PhD in Ontario.

Hala Nader is the program assistant for International Education. Hala is in her first year of the Master of Public Administration program at Dalhousie.

To learn more about opportunities for students please visit the global health education section of our website. To learn more about Dalhousie’s partner institutions please visit the locations page on our website.

Insta_Info Session

Students in the faculties of Health, Dentistry and Medicine are invited to an info session to learn more about global health education opportunities on Nov 7th. The info session will discuss practicum placements, institutes, internships and clinical elective opportunities. The session will be held in Tupper 2L7 (DMNB: Room 218) from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. Students are encouraged to RSVP to gho@dal.ca by November 1st.

International Recruitment  

Michele Pignol is the program coordinator of international recruitment. She coordinates initiatives to recruit and retain international students to Dalhousie’s Medical School. The Global Health Office maintains collaborative agreements to build strong educational capacity for International students and contribute to improving healthcare needs worldwide. Students have the opportunity to learn in a safe, positive environment with one on one support from the team while graduating from an accredited Canadian Medical program.

Outreach

Jen LeBlanc is the Program Coordinator of Outreach at the Global Health Office. Jen manages the communication and social media networks of the office. She also coordinates the global health awards, the annual photo contest, the bi-weekly bulletin and blog, speakers, Global Health Day, and other collaborative events.

Madeline Kubiseski is the Outreach program assistant and is a student in the Master of Health Administration program.

To learn more about our outreach please visit the News & Events page on our website.

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