Sunnybrook Education Conference: Friday, November 26, 2021
Internationally educated health-care professionals have the potential to help mitigate the health human resource crisis in Canada. This year’s Sunnybrook Education Conference aims to deepen the discussion, as well as inspire authentic action through a broad range of world-class speakers, presentations and interactive workshops.
This unique virtual conference is designed for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) health-care community and external partners in education.
Friday, December 2, 2022
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Keynote talk
The Role of Internationally Educated Health-care Professionals in North America
Internationally educated health-care professionals (IEHPs) comprise a large segment of the health-care workforce in North America. Depending on the profession, they can exceed 25% of the labour force. IEHPs fill many gaps, often practicing in areas with shortage of health-care professionals and providing care to underserved populations. Their contribution to diversity of the health-care workforce is well-documented. Over the last few years, two distinct groups have emerged: a segment of the internationally educated workforce who are citizens of the United States or Canada when studying abroad and non-citizen (immigrant) IEHPS. These non-citizen health-care workers face many additional challenges emigrating from their home countries, including those associated with language and culture, certification and licensure, and learning the nuances of a different health-care environment.
In this presentation, we will provide a broad overview of the contribution of IEHPs to the Canadian and American workforces.Trends and practice characteristics for some groups will be provided. The challenges faced by internationally educated health-care workers wishing to practice in Canada or the United States will be summarized and discussed. Finally, some ideas on how IEHPs can more easily navigate entry barriers, meet licensure requirements, and better serve the needs of patients will be forwarded.
Objectives
- Describe the changing landscape of Internationally Educated Healthcare Professionals (IEHPs)
- Discuss perception about IEHPs
- Identify the challenges and opportunities as perceived by IEHPs, faculty, and other stakeholders.
Presented by Dr. Jack Boulet
Special Advisor,
Medical Council of Canada
John (Jack) R. Boulet, PhD, FSSH
Dr. Boulet is a Senior Research Consultant for the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) and a Senior Advisor for the Medical Council of Canada (MCC). Dr. Boulet recently retired from the positions of Vice President, Research and Data Resources, for both the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG®) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER®). Dr. Boulet holds a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Western Ontario and both a MA and PhD in Education, specializing in measurement and evaluation, from the University of Ottawa. He is a Senior Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine, an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, and a Fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.
Over the past 27 years, Dr. Boulet has worked on the development of performance-based credentialing assessments in medicine. He has published extensively in the field of medical education, focusing specifically on measurement issues pertaining to performance-based assessments, including objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) and various mannequin-based evaluation methodologies.In his role with FAIMER, he has also investigated workforce issues, concentrating on the characteristics of international medical education programs, the structure and value of accreditation systems, the international migration of health care workers, the contribution of international medical graduates (IMGs) to the labor force in the United States, and the quality of care provided by IMGs. Dr. Boulet currently serves on the editorial boards for Advances in Health Sciences Education: Theory and Practice, Education for Health, and Simulation in Healthcare. He is a Deputy Editor for Medical Education. In 2021, Dr. Boulet received the Hubbard award from the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) for his outstanding contributions to the pursuit of excellence in the assessment of medical education.
Presented by Dr. Umberin Najeeb
Associate Professor of Medicine, Faculty Lead Equity
Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Umberin Najeeb is an Associate Professor of Medicine and a staff internist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. She is the Faculty Lead, Equity for the Department of Medicine and the Co-Director of the Department of Medicine’s Master Teacher Program at the University of Toronto. She developed and implemented a unique research based longitudinal collaborative mentorship program for international medical graduates (IMGs) physicians and is the Faculty Lead for IMGs/IFTs Mentorship program.
Agenda
- 12:00 p.m. Opening Keynote and Q & A with Dr. Jack Boulet and Umberin Najeeb
- 12:50 p.m. Panel Discussion
- 1:20 p.m. Break
- 1:30 p.m. Workshops
Panel Discussion
Wesam Abuzaiter, BScPhm, MSc.Phm, RPh, GEMBA-HLS
Pharmacy Stores & Clinical Informatics Manager, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Wesam Abuzaiter is the Pharmacy Stores & Clinical Informatics Manager at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and a holder of the Executive Global MBA Health Care & Life Science at the University of Toronto. She is a Six Sigma Lean Black Belt. Wesam completed her Critical Care Traineeship at the American Society of Hospital Pharmacist – University of Pittsburg and her Master of Science at the University of Rennes I-France. She is passionate about changing delivery of health care in Canada and leveraging skills in innovation, service design, and building up our community.
Chandra Kafle Ghimire, RN, MN
Patient Care Manager (Interim), CICU, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Chandra is an internationally educated nurse (IEN) from Nepal. She completed her BScN degree from York University and her Master of Nursing from Toronto Metropolitan University. She has experience as a critical care nurse, advanced practice nurse, and most recently as an interim patient care manager in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Sunnybrook.
Ruth Lee, BScN, MScN, PhD
Executive Director, CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses
Ruth Lee is Executive Director of CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses; Associate Clinical Professor, McMaster University. She has held direct-care and leadership roles in academic healthcare and non-profit organizations, engaged in education, publication and research activities on diversity and IEN human resources.
Dr. Mireille Norris, MD, FRCPC, MHSc
Internist, Geriatrician & Education Director for the Hospitalist Training Program, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Faculty Lead for Black and Indigenous Medical Learners, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Dr. Mireille Norris is a Black, female francophone, internist and geriatrician who is the faculty lead for Black and Indigenous learners at the DOM of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. She has a MHSc hospital administration from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a certificate in quality improvement and patient safety. She is the site lead for postgraduate learners in geriatrics and the education director for the Hospitalist training program. She offers consultative services at the Centre Francophone du Grand-Toronto to Francophone Afro-Caribbean population.
She is a member of the Black Physician Association of Canada as well as the Black Physician Association of Ontario, and the Network for the Advancement of Black Learners.
Workshops: Supporting the Internationally Educated Learner
Workshops are available 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.*
Managing Microaggression: Simulation Workshop to Enhance Assertiveness Skills »
Shaunteque Harris, Dr. Ari Zaretsky, Agnes Ryzynski, Christopher Townsend, Shari Thompson-Ricci
Workshop time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
*This is the only workshop that goes to 3:30 p.m.
- Define and recognize microaggression
- Reflect on the different models of allyship that exist
- Develop more flexible and confident repertoires to address microaggression
Facilitators
Shaunteque Harris, BEd - Adult Education (ADED)
Supervisor, Organizational Development & Leadership,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Agnes Ryzynski, BHSc, MHSc, RRT, CTDP
Director, Simulation Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Ari Zaretsky, MD, FRCPC
Psychiatrist-in-Chief and Vice President, Education,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Christopher Townsend
Director, Social Accountability, Organizational Development & Leadership, Department of Equity & Social Accountability,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Shari Thompson-Ricci, BA, BEd, MA
EDI Program Coordinator and Educator, University of Toronto -
Temerty Faculty of Medicine - Office of Inclusion and Diversity
Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Workplace Environment
for Internationally Educated Nurses »
Kathryn Boyd, Tracey DasGupta, Kim Lawrence
Workshop time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Participants will engage in self-reflection by immersing themselves in the lived experiences of Internationally Educated Nurse (IEN) learners. Through dialogue, participants will exchange perspectives and discuss opportunities on how to welcome an IEN learner. Upon completion of the workshop, participants will have tangible strategies to incorporate principles related to equity, diversity, and inclusion within their interprofessional teams.
Objectives:
- Gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of workplace integration for Internationally Educated Nurses, working in the Canadian healthcare context.
- Identify opportunities to create equitable, inclusive, and welcoming work environments.
- Construct a personal change statement that acknowledges power imbalances and privilege in the workplace setting, while incorporating principles of diversity and allyship.
Facilitators
Kathryn Boyd, RN, MN (student)
Extern Mentor Coordinator, Nursing Education, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Kimberly Lawrence MN, BSc, RN
Interim Advanced Practice Nurse, Interprofessional Practice, Special Projects, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Tracey DasGupta, RN, MN
Director, Interprofessional Practice,
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Intercultural Communication: The Relationship Between Intercultural Communication and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Practices »
Dr. Tannaz Zargarian
Workshop time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
This 90-minute interactive workshop will enable the participants to develop a critical understanding of the role culture plays in communication given the rapid globalization of the health care system. Focusing on intercultural communication and incorporating personal experiences, the participants will advance skills and understanding that fosters diversity, inclusion, and equity in the workplace.
Objectives:
- How to foster inclusion and equity at work via intercultural communication
- How to develop verbal and non-verbal skills to perform culturally appropriate communication
- How to communicate effectively in stressful and unfamiliar situations
- Reflect on how personal cultural backgrounds influence and affect communication styles
- Critical self-reflection to increase your intercultural understanding and communication skills through self-awareness
Facilitator
Dr. Tannaz Zargarian
Course Director, Faculty of Education at York University and Brock University
The Challenges Surrounding International Medical Graduates' (IMGs') Education:
The Good, The Bad and Not so Simple »
Dr. Umberin Najeeb
Workshop time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The broad goal of this workshop is to create a space for IMGs and their educators to enhance their understanding around the changing landscape of IMGs and also to identify the challenges faced by faculty in this new context. The workshop will provide an overview of the diversity of IMG learners and share common approaches to help prepare faculty members to critically observe, effectively question, and appropriately assess this unique group of learners.
Objectives:
- Define various terminologies associated with the term IMGs
- Enhance understanding of the challenges faced by IMGs in certification and credentialing process in Canada
- Develop an approach to support IMG learners with different levels of success
Facilitator
Dr. Umberin Najeeb
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto, Internist, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
She is an Educator with scholarly focus on the 1) transition and integration of Internationally Educated Health Professionals into their training and working environments and 2) health professions education with specific focus on curriculum design, program development, faculty development and mentorship. She uses her voice and lived experiences to be an ally in her many roles. Dr. Najeeb teaches around the constructs of equity, diversity, inclusion, and allyship at undergraduate, postgraduate, and faculty development levels and contributes to committee and policy work related to social justice and EDI. She has won numerous teaching, education, and mentorship awards at the local, provincial and national level with Professional Association of Residents in Ontario (PARO) Excellence in Clinical Teaching award in 2021 and Certificate of Merit award, from Canadian Association for Medical Education (CAME) in 2019.
