Hello! I’m Andrea, and I’m excited to be a new student with Collective Results! I’m in my final year of my Master of Health Evaluation through the University of Waterloo, and I will be spending my four-month practicum learning from the Collective Results team. I’m a registered pharmacist with experience in a number of clinical and administrative settings. Most importantly (to me), I am a mom of two young, chaotic children who I enjoy teaching about uncoordinated dance moves and how to bake cookies.
I originally entered the pharmacy field because I loved helping people. Over my time in the field, I began seeing where patients were falling through the figurative cracks of our public and private healthcare systems. It was around this time that I learned about the field of Health Evaluation, and I was immediately drawn to the profession. I felt that getting a stronger foundation in this field would provide me with skills that can help more than just one patient at a time.
As part of my Master of Health Evaluation curriculum, I am required to do a hands-on practicum. I feel lucky to have been given the opportunity to complete this practicum with Collective Results for a number of reasons. At first glance, it was clear that their projects were very meaningful to me and my prior professional experiences. Having worked with the team for a few weeks now, I’m realizing how rich of an experience I will have. There are a few areas that I already know will follow me into my future endeavours:
Culture: The Collective Results Blog has made it clear that the culture here is unique and refreshing. However, it was still surprising to experience the supportive environment and the genuine focus on wellbeing, positivity, and deep thinking. Although the culture is built into their strategic plan, there are a number of mindsets, practices, and icebreakers I plan on taking away with me.
Practical learning: The process of evaluation and the creation of its plans and tools are skills I have already gained appreciable experience with over these past few weeks. I am also being exposed to the team’s strong skills in facilitation and project management, which can be universally applicable.
Personal growth: Returning to school as a mature student requires a mindset shift from being a specialist to a novice. This comes with the need to relearn how to ask questions and to expect less than perfection from yourself for your first drafts. Thanks to the culture here at Collective Results (see above), I am realizing that inquisitiveness and self-compassion are skills that should never be lost to experience.
I am surprised at how much I have already learned in such a short period of time here with Collective Results. I look forward to delving deeper into these areas as the months progress, as well as the other opportunities and experiences that arise along the way!