Interning at St. Joe's - The Good and the Great
June 5th was like any other summer day; except, it wasn't. This was the first day of my summer internship at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton. For the last three months I have been interning with the Public Affairs Department to get an idea of what corporate communications and marketing looks like in the health care industry. My take away? Incredible.
To provide some context, the Public Affairs department represents and supports all programs and services throughout the organization. Our job is to shape and maintain the image of an organization in the eyes of the client's various "publics." We work internally and externally to showcase the hospital as a whole, during both the best and worst of times. So in the event of a of crisis, we are responsible for communicating to staff, our patients, the local community, and the media.
St. Joe's has afforded me opportunities I never thought possible for an internship, and I feel spoiled with the work I have been able to do. The team is small, but a force to be reckoned with. First I must give thanks to those who made it possible; primarily, my team. I truly appreciate everything that they have enabled me to be a part of, as well as what they have taught me along the way. I would also like to thank those who I met and were able to work with throughout the summer. I was always given plenty of responsibility and respect, traits that aren't always apparent during an internship.
Related Stories About Working At St. Joe's:
- On the Job: Walk in the shoes of St. Joe's Patient Porter
- On the Job: MDR Technicians on what it takes to sanitize surgical devices
- On the Job: Speech Pathologists talk about being a voice for patients
From creating graphics and updating the websites to interviewing the Chief of Staff, I have experienced it all. Though I have worked on a variety of different assignments, I will keep it brief with the projects I am most proud of (in no specific order). The Mental Health Safe Spaces initiative is one of them. For those of you who have not come across this initiative, it is a public campaign created from a joint research initiative called the EXTRA project, led by St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and Mission Services Hamilton. Alex, Maria, and I went out into the Gibson-Landsdale (GALA) community to showcase the work that is being done. I was able to engage with local leaders, film, and create for this project. It stands out because of the direct results I could see from the work I had been a part of. Not only did we receive media attention towards the initiative, but we also received praise from members within our community.
One of the reasons that makes working in this department so special, is that you truly see how even the smallest roles can make a monumental difference. This can be directly seen through the work I did on this next assignment. I was asked to create an On The Job profile of the Medical Device Reprocessing Department. When I arrived I really didn't know much about the department. As a whole they were incredibly welcoming and very open to showcasing what they do and how everything works. Ray and Zeljka are the embodiment of compassionate care. They take pride in their work and showcase that compassion is not just the role of frontline staff, but rather from the hospital as a whole.
Another great initiative that I have been a part of was born out of Prevention of Violence. I was brought in when Public Affairs was first asked to be involved. Safewards is a project that is currently being implemented throughout all mental health and addiction units. Safewards is an internationally recognized program that engages both staff and patients in a positive and proactive way to reduce tension and conflict. It has given me the opportunity to directly work with the client, graphic designers, and the frontline staff implementing this program. Working on this project has given me experience carrying out a project from the beginning, and working on all aspects meaningfully. I have created mock-ups for the client, submitted concepts to graphic design, produced video content, developed website platforms, as well as working on other aspects. Working with our client has been an amazing experience; it has been the most engaging project to date, and by far the one that stands out the most. Safewards officially launches late October so keep your eyes out for more!
Though my time here at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton has been brief, it has given me knowledge and experience which will go far beyond. I am leaving with all expectations exceeded, and looking forward for what's to come, now more than ever!
– Christian Sherk