Halfway Point!

Last week at Health was a little less hectic as Session is over until the New Year! As a result, I was able to be involved in the interview process for the Deputy Minister’s new Executive Assistant. I was able to sit in on the interviews and ask questions, which was pretty neat. When I return the new Executive Assistant will already be in place – some change moves pretty fast around here!

As the internship has reached its halfway point, I think this would be a good post to reflect on what I have done and seen so far as an intern.

As a shortlist: I have worked on an evaluative framework for an initiative that is a main priority for the government. I’ve also worked on several policy pieces. I have been pretty interested in the efficiency side of policy decision making and have been involved in a Lean process within the Deputy Minister’s Office.

I am routinely out and about with the Deputy Minister meeting with professional groups and stakeholders. Keeping up good relations with these groups are integral to creating good policy. It’s important to recognize the views and difficulties stakeholders have, and for government to work with them!

In the spirit of creating and maintaining relationships - I’ve also attended Deputy Committee meetings and a meeting with the Premier, which was also pretty cool. Similarly, I’ve also been acquainted with the CEOs of the Regional Health Authorities.

Some of the memorable things I have seen would include Treasury Board, Public Accounts, and Supplemental Estimates. It has been pretty neat to see decision making and process at such a high level. I would say the Finance class at the school was the most practical after viewing parts of the actual budget process, so really pay attention if you are interested in these processes!

Advice time: At this time I would also stress picking the brains of current and past interns if you are interested in the internship yourself. The flexible internship guidelines, as well as the differing personalities of mentors/interns, have allowed for differing experiences to develop amongst the interns. Talk to a few interns, see what they have been doing, and see if what they are doing would be of interest to you.

My experience so far has been excellent and I would recommend the Ministry of Health to any intern who was interested. I have been extremely fortunate to have a mentor who really believes in the internship. As a result I have been afforded a lot of great experiences.

Internship Test

The beginning of my day was quite interesting Friday. It started with a meeting at AEEI with the Saskatchewan Academic Health Sciences Network (SAHSN) board. This board is comprised of CEOs, Deputy Ministers, and Vice-Presidents from the three post-secondary institutions in Saskatchewan. The purpose of the group is to reach across the silos so often found in government, and work collaboratively to improve healthcare.

Being that my internship is almost half over the Deputy Minister mentioned that he was going to call on me more. I didn’t quite know what that meant until Friday. When I got to the meeting the Deputy Minister handed me a briefing note on a topic I was unfamiliar with and asked me to brief the SAHSN board.

I was a little nervous to say the least given the fact I was asked to present to a group of very important people and the topic was new to me. The Deputy Minister’s test however, was very much representative of the types of situations he experiences daily. As shocked as I was when I was asked – I am very grateful to have been able to brief such an important group.

Inaugural Post

This is my inaugural post as a blogger! The intention of this blog is to capture my internship experiences for those interested in the internship. 

Like most people interested in the provincial internship, I did not know what to expect before I walked in the door the first day! Although I had some ideas about the type of work I would be involved in, I had little clue about the intern-mentor dynamic, or the internal workings of executive government outside a textbook.

I decided to apply for the Executive Provincial Internship through the Graduate School because I felt like it would be a good opportunity to get my foot in government’s door. It was also a great opportunity to be mentored by a senior civil servant. The internship seemed like a natural progression from school to the workplace. In my mind this seemed more useful than applying for a government job and hoping for the best with little government experience.

Currently, I am interning at the Ministry of Health with the Deputy Minister, Dan Florizone, as my mentor. Although I am interning with the Deputy Minister, I have had plenty of opportunity to work with, and observe, the Assistant Deputy Ministers, Special Advisor, Executive Directors and even the Minister. Overall, people have been very helpful in welcoming me and making me feel at home. I think it has helped that the Ministry of Health is no stranger to interns - having several in the past who now have successful careers in government.

The Ministry of Health was my first placement choice when applying due to the overwhelming importance of healthcare in people’s lives. Just as death and taxes are certain in life – individuals are certain to utilize the healthcare system. Whether through injury, pregnancy, or a need for long-term care, individuals will rely on the healthcare system at some point in their lives. As a result, it is the job of government to ensure that patients are getting the best care they can possibly receive. For me making a difference, no matter how small, was a motivator to choose Health – luckily they picked me as their intern for 2010-11.

  

In the next couple posts I will attempt to summarize the kinds of activities I have been involved in and working on thus far.