On Wednesday, February 3, the auditorium of the Michener Institute was full with healthcare, education, and government leaders to mark an historic launch of a new “Made in Ontario” healthcare education model in Canada: The Michener Institute of Education at UHN.
“This is a first of its kind merger in Canada, where two leading institutions have come together to improve our healthcare system. Most importantly, it will help address the biggest problem facing young graduates today, which is to find a job, especially when they have no previous work experience,” said Han Dong, parliamentary assistant to the minister of training, colleges and universities, and MPP, Trinity-Spadina.
The Michener Institute of Education at UHN is a combination of strengths of two leading organizations – the Michener Institute and University Health Network – that will provide groundbreaking education to improve the quality of care and patient safety across Ontario.
“This is a game-changing initiative with a strong focus on our students. It’s about combining research and real-world experience to allow us to produce the best possible students able to deal with the dynamic changes affecting our healthcare system today, and deliver the best possible care,” said Cliff Nordal, chair, UHN board education committee. “Expect innovations!”
Dr. Brian Hodges, executive vice president of education at UHN, adds that the move to merge education with an academic hospital will also empower patients of the healthcare system, bringing everyone together and filling in missing gaps.
“We must not allow students and patients to have passive roles in our healthcare system, especially when we are trying to create the best possible care. This cannot be done without full integration of all players within our healthcare system,” he said.
Dr. Peter Pisters, CEO, UHN and Michener Institution of Education at UHN, delivered the last, inspiring speech of the event, highlighting the importance of moving with the rapid speed of the ever-changing healthcare system and science. His hope is that the merger will help produce well-equipped students, capable of meeting the current needs of specialists.
“The Michener Institute and UHN have a shared vision and mission of bringing tangible results to our society. What this merger accomplishes is adding the missing piece in the puzzle, which has been education,” he said. “By packaging everything together – state of the art care, knowledge translation, and education – we ensure the best, overall care for our society. It’s the dawn of a new era.”
Simulation is no exception to this shared mission and vision. Dr. Pisters added that the merger will also look into how simulation can be optimized at the Michener Institute of Education at UHN and in Ontario, to bring both together.
“The core of this initiative is integration and optimization, and simulation is definitely included in this,” he said.
The journey to deliver the best care to our society has already begun. In Thunder Bay, Ontario, the Michener Institute of Education at UHN has been working to provide cardiovascular teams of specialists to patients, to ensure they receive the overall care they need. Eventually, the Michener Institute of Education at UHN looks forward to taking the brand global.
“This is the heart of what this merger is about, which is to deliver the entire package when it comes to providing the best possible care for our community and patients, not only in Ontario, but across Canada and the rest of the world,” said Dr. Pisters.
About Michener
Established in 1958, The Michener Institute of Education at UHN is Canada’s only post-secondary institution devoted exclusively to health sciences education. Michener offers full-time and continuing education in Imaging, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Medical Radiation Sciences, Primary and Critical Care and other specialized applied health programs. With a robust and responsive curriculum that emphasizes inter-professional collaboration and simulation-based training, graduates are prepared to deliver quality diagnostic and therapeutic services. Michener is publicly funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and further enriched through partnerships with universities, private sector companies and leading healthcare organizations. For more information, visit http://www.michener.ca/” target=”_blank”>www.michener.ca.
About UHN
University Health Network consists of Toronto General and Toronto Western Hospitals, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, The Michener Institute of Education at UHN and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. The scope of research and complexity of cases at University Health Network has made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. University Health Network is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. http://www.uhn.ca” target=”_blank”>www.uhn.ca.