The value of a good education
Quality of health care tomorrow depends on the quality of student training today in British Columbia
The bedrock of a prosperous society is the health and well- being of its citizens. But people, being people, get sick, and as our population ages, health care will become ever more critical to the foundation of prosperity in our province.
Underpinning the crucial supply of health care services must be a strong commitment to leading- edge, practical education. It’s incumbent on our education system to provide graduates who can deliver the services we’re all going to need. At BCIT, one of the largest suppliers of health care graduates in British Columbia, we are privileged and humbled by what we see health care students accomplish every day.
These are students who navigate the demands of academic studies in classrooms and labs and the complexity of the health care system while learning the ins and outs of a career — be it in a hospital, lab, or other clinical setting.
As graduates and then as health care professionals, students represent the future of our province. A future where innovation, passion, and courage will be necessary to meet the increasing challenges of the health system and the societal expectations placed on it.
The conversation surrounding our system needs to be focused on the opportunities rather than on the challenges we face. Graduates from all health programs across B. C. represent agents of change and reflect continued improvement in our educational processes. To support these future health pioneers, we must ask, “Do we have health care environments where the full potential of our newly minted nurses, sonographers, or biomedical technologists can be realized?”
In order to ensure that high- quality health care is delivered in a sustainable way, we should, as educators, strive toward creating healthy and innovative workplaces that allow grads to thrive and contribute to the health of the province. Health care education provides a critical element in attaining this goal.
Educational institutes must encourage a spirit of inquiry and learning that goes beyond the status quo. The health care curriculum must include integral courses in the nature of leadership, system and design thinking, and teamwork between professions if we wish to enhance our system and meet the looming demand.
The creation of simulated training environments within educational and health care organizations will provide opportunities for students to make important decisions and practise teamwork in a safe environment. We now have a cadre of technologies and growing expertise to support advancing this approach. For example, a virtual radiation therapy environment at BCIT allows students to interface and practise skills on simulated technology systems that are otherwise in full use in hospitals.
With effective implementation, simulators offer the capacity to advance the capabilities of students through complex and realistic patient- care scenarios. The virtual re- creation of the complexity of the health environment allows for a supported and safe learning experience. Simulation learning prepares students without using valuable clinical time, freeing up hospital resources to treat real patients. Simulation allows students hands- on experience without exposing the patient or the student to harm, and provides a low- cost way to learn best practices while reducing costly errors.
We must also remember the student of the future will be very different than today’s student. Technological change predicates educational change. Health care education must also adapt to new technologies and new realities.
The value proposition of high- quality health education is simple: Increasing the quality of education will increase the quality of patient care.
As educational leaders we are committed to this outcome and we will continue to support the development of leading educational programs delivering high- quality health care professionals. With government support, we will do so by utilizing faculty experts, student feedback, technological advancements, and our clinical partners. The standards are set high — we should not strive for anything less.
We are inspired by the students we have the privilege to know and nurture. We see their passion and their absolute commitment and know our future, and the future of B. C., will be in excellent hands.