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.