H.H. Angus: ICAT Analyst Intern

Preethi secured an internship at Angus Connect, a division of H.H. Angus, one of Canada’s largest independent consulting engineering firms.

As an Information, Communication, and Automation Technology (ICAT) Analyst Intern, Preethi’s responsibilities included accomplishing project management tasks, conducting current state assessments, and developing market scans, jurisdictional scans, digital strategies, and ICAT roadmaps for numerous hospital clients across Canada. She also assisted with the writing and development of proposals in response to client project bids. Within three years, Preethi progressed into a Senior Consultant role.

Preethi successfully leveraged and translated her clinical skills as a Diagnostic Sonographer (Ultrasound Technologist) into a role that has a wider reach, beyond patients, to assist in the planning, designing, and developing technology recommendations for hospitals. She applies a clinical and operational lens to the planning and implementation of various redevelopment projects, with an overall focus in integration, change management, budgeting, process re-engineering, and project management.

The concepts learned from Intro to eHealth and the Canadian Healthcare System (eHealth 724) and Management Issues in eHealth (eHealth 736), provided a high-level overview of current healthcare technologies and implementation challenges, which helped when it came to understanding client concerns during meetings.

“As I move forward in this career path, I will carry the teachings learnt throughout the eHealth program and build upon it through various training and certification courses such as PMP and LEAN.”

McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences: Research Assistant

Rita completed her eHealth internship as a Research Assistant with the Health Information Research Unit (HIRU) within McMaster’s Faculty of Health Sciences.

Her writing, critical appraisal, and analytical skills were strengthened while working on a federally funded patient oriented clinical trial that evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of an online platform for conducting clinical trials of mobile health apps for patients with cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Rita worked with a diverse group of stakeholders including non-profit charities, patient partners, physicians, and researchers as she helped carry out the major research protocols. She leveraged her organization skills developing and maintaining project plans and documents, drafting manuscripts, conducting literature reviews, and performing usability testing for the web application. She also completed administrative tasks such as leading meetings and managing meeting minutes.

Most importantly, Rita grew her analytical skills during the internship, performing qualitative and quantitative research analyses, analysis of web-based surveys, psychometric scale scoring, and health technology research methods.

Currently, Rita is a PhD student in Faculty of Health Sciences Health Policy program. Her research interests are in policies to support healthy child development, including early identification and interventions.

“My internship opened doors to pursue a PhD. I’m especially grateful for the support of my eHealth academic advisors, Drs. Barr and Lokker. Not only did they help me reduce the learning curve in transitioning to the PhD program, they helped me receive a very competitive SSHRC CGS-D award for my doctoral studies! “

OceanMD: Junior Practice Consultant

Chris entered his internship as a Junior Practice Consultant on the Customer Success team at OceanMD. He guided new users through the processes of setting up, configuring and coordinating training for Ocean products.

Developing his keen eye for detail, Chris transitioned easily into a more independent role taking responsibility for meeting regularly with clients, ensuring that their onboarding experience was as smooth as possible.

During his internship, Chris increased the onboarding resources available to clients and found efficiencies for the team, which improved customer satisfaction and grew the OceanMD client base.

Chris discovered that strong communication skills (being clear, concise, and consistent) are essential when working in a role with diverse stakeholders.

The eHealth 724 course Fundamentals of eHealth and the Canadian Health Care System was instrumental in solidifying his understanding of the Ontario and Canadian healthcare landscapes. All relevant in his day-to-day interactions with clients who were located across the country.

Today, Chris is a Technical Solutions Analyst for OceanMD.