Teaching and Learning
This past year was one of significant achievement and progress for our education programs. UHN is one of the largest teaching hospitals in the country, and we are proud to be the teaching site of choice for 85 percent of medical trainees. Our trainee satisfaction has also continued to grow, with, for example, student satisfaction reaching 85 percent for nursing placements.
Two UHN physicians—Dr. Christopher Wallace and Dr. Lori Albert—were honoured with the W.T. Aikins Faculty Teaching Awards, the most prestigious teaching award offered by the Faculty of Medicine. The award reflects the calibre of our staff and our strong emphasis on excellence in teaching.
Interprofessional Education
In 2008, we saw a dramatic increase in the number of UHN staff who completed training offered by the Office of Interprofessional Education (IPE). This training has been instrumental in helping further establish collaborative models of interprofessional care throughout UHN. Interprofessional care is an important means by which to address shortages of health care professionals across Canada, and UHN is proud to play a role in enhancing patient care through IPE.
IPE is also branching out into less traditional areas. John Vincent, Spiritual Care Manager at TGH, initiated a pilot IPE program in Spirituality this year—a first in Canada. The pilot is an opportunity for physicians and staff from all areas to engage in a reflection model of education focusing on the use of spirituality.
Over the coming year, we will also continue our work in the creation of an IPE Centre, a collaborative effort between UHN, Toronto Rehab and the University of Toronto.
Wilson Centre
The Wilson Centre, now in its tenth year, successfully completed an external review, with the resulting re-appointment of its Director, Dr. Brian Hodges, for another five-year term. Our education scientists, clinician educators and graduate students had an extremely productive year, capturing a total of $5.3 million in funding, and a publishing 66 papers in peer-reviewed journals.
Telesimulation
Simulation continues to thrive at UHN. We made further progress in our fundraising efforts to establish a full telesimulation program at TWH, building on the existing work of Dr. Allan Okrainec in this field. We look forward to bolstering the strength of the program through our involvement in the newly established Network of Excellence in Simulation for Clinical Teaching and Learning. The steering committee that established the Network was chaired by Dr. Richard Reznick, Vice President, Education, UHN, and UHN’s Dr. Vicki LeBlanc has been appointed its first Director. The Network is a joint endeavour to help further telesimulation practice and education by linking simulation facilities and resources at multiple sites across Toronto.
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