Nurse sees the bigger picture

 

Carol Hyland is graduating in the Graduate Diploma in Administration (DIA), John Molson School of Business, Health Care Administration option.

She said that after the “big buyouts” of nursing staff several years ago, she felt that people who were making decisions in the health care sector lacked the perspective of clinicians like herself. Besides, she added, “I wanted to have a say.”

Her courses in administration gave her a much broader picture of health care across Canada than she had as an employee. “I have more understanding of how the system works — for example, the difference between a capital and an operating budget.”

Carol came to the DIA with a Bachelor of Nursing from McGill and a Certificate in Health and Social Services Management, also from McGill. From 1992 to 1999, she was the charge nurse in community nursing at St. Mary’s Hospital and held positions on task forces and committees in nursing education and hospital administration.

For her research project in the DIA, Carol conducted a survey of the learning needs for the nursing department of Mount Sinai Hospital Centre, where she currently works as a hospital educator.

The results of her research, in conjunction with data from other sources at Mount Sinai, will be used to prioritize professional development activities in the nursing department.

In 2000, Carol received a scholarship from the Quebec Board of Black Educators. She has been nominated for membership in the Beta Gamma Sigma honour society.