Category: Baycrest

2023 Virtual Interprofessional Internship in Innovation & Aging in Long-Term Care

Applications to the 2023 cohort are now closed.

 

The Ontario CLRI at Baycrest is excited to announce that we are once again offering our Virtual Interprofessional Internship in Innovation & Aging in Long-Term Care to students and recent graduates of health professional post-secondary programs! This year, we will be offering a 4-week, temporary paid position to twelve selected interns from Monday, May 29 to Friday, June 23 2023. Interns will be paid an hourly minimum wage for 32.5 hours per week.

Eligible applicants are students and recent graduates (within 12-months of graduation) from degree programs relating to healthcare professions, and diploma programs for practical nursing or therapeutic recreation. Student applicants must have completed at least half of their program length by the start of the Internship, or have been accepted into an eligible degree program.

This entirely virtual fellowship program offers interns the knowledge, skills and experience to excel as a healthcare practitioner and leader in the fields of gerontology, aging and long-term care. Don’t miss out on this specialized and immersive experience!

 

For more information on applying to the 2023 cohort, please visit the 2023 Virtual Interprofessional Internship in Innovation & Aging in Long-Term Care Event page here.

For more information on the program, and to watch a testimonial video from our alumni, please visit the Interprofessional Internship in Innovation & Aging in Long-Term Care Resource page here.

Hear from students about their virtual interprofessional internships!

 

For the past two summers, the Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care (CLRI) at Baycrest has hosted several cohorts of the Interprofessional Student Internships in Innovation and Aging.

In response to the pandemic, this virtual 4-week summer program was adapted from an in-person format. Two cohorts per year, each comprising up to 10 students are selected through a competitive application process. Interns are immersed in a variety of online programming to enhance their knowledge of geriatrics and to develop valuable communication skills for future careers in long-term care (LTC).

“This was a great internship and I appreciate the hard work that went into creating this online format and ensuring a high level of education and efficient execution. Thank you for this experience!” —Intern, 2022

The interns apply principles of empathy, problem framing and ideation to internship activities while collaborating with peers, subject matter experts, persons with lived experience and residents in LTC. By engaging with an Interprofessional Team, students expand their network of healthcare professionals, experience mentorship, and witness the value of collaboration between each role in LTC.

Experiential activities provide an engaging environment during the internship. Some of these activities include facilitated sessions and a meta-simulation game world that combines simulated cases, eLearning, the SOS Seniors Care Game and other online activities through the Learning Inter-Professionally Healthcare Accelerator (LIPHA). 

As a capstone project, interns develop an innovative solution that promotes social connectedness in LTC. By learning and applying innovative design thinking strategies, the project facilitates learning in the analysis of a practical issue and ideation of sustainable solutions. A resident-to-resident pen pal program, personalized sensory experiences, intergenerational activities, and a cultural showcase are just some of the solutions our interns have developed.

Interns prepare and present their solutions to an expert panel of Baycrest executives, educators and resident caregivers in the form of a concise and persuasive storyboard. By sharing and receiving feedback from this panel, collaborative relationships and implementation opportunities beyond the internship are formed. 

“I think this internship is an amazing opportunity for students to gain professional skills and knowledge that is applicable to any setting in health care. I hope to use these skills to be a health advocate for the geriatric population in my future career.” —Intern, 2022

Check out this video to hear from students about their experience in the Interprofessional Student Internship in Innovation and Aging.

 

LTC homes can now use LIPHA to boost retention & team competency

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you looking for innovative, interactive, and effective ways to train team members in your long-term care (LTC) home?

Do you want to improve the capacity and competency, and inspire the relational care of your LTC team?

If so – we’d like to introduce you to LIPHA– a free virtual learning platform designed by LTC for LTC. The Learning Inter-Professionally Healthcare Accelerator (LIPHA) is a simulation, coaching and community platform that provides a virtual space with simulated cases and a serious educational game for teams and individuals to practice caring for virtual residents.

“[The game] helps me [in] my study, both the practical and the theory. It gives me those theoretical answers or theoretical knowledge and basis on the older adults. And then it also gives me the edge of learning the skills that I need in my placement or in my practicum.”  – Student

We want to support LTC homes to incorporate LIPHA into their orientation and training at no cost. Supports include some backfill funding (first-come, first served) and access to technical, implementation, education support to assist the rollout of LIPHA.

Interested? Learn more and fill out our intake form, and stay tuned for more educational offerings.

 

Now Hiring Multiple Positions for PREP LTC

A group of people site with laptops and paper at a table. "We're Hiring Regional Engagement Liaisons"

All hosts centres of the Ontario CLRI  are hiring key positions for the Preceptor Resource and Education Program in Long-Term Care  (PREP LTC). The Regional Engagement Liaison will be responsible for planning and implementing strategies to engage LTC homes, academic institutions, students and preceptors within an assigned provincial region. These positions will be part of an Ontario-wide team of Regional Engagement Liaisons.

Come work with a collaborative and innovative team dedicated to making an impact where it’s needed most!

 

We are also hiring a communications officer and knowledge broker to support PREP LTC:

Sign Up by March 31 to Use LIPHA for Innovative Training

Use LIPHA to train team members and support workforce retention: Available for Ontario-based LTC homes at no cost until March 31, 2022. 

LIPHA is a virtual training solution that helps LTC homes with their onboarding and training processes for newly hired staff. Learners are rapidly trained and oriented to LTC through real-world game-based simulations that focus on best practices, safety, and teamwork to support person-centred and relational care.

LIPHA has been an excellent way to put students’ knowledge to the test and provides a unique way of learning. Since there is a storyline and the game is set in Ancient Carthage, which is different than the modern-day we are used to, I find that I am able to remember information quicker and easier. I’m looking forward to completing future missions and experiencing what LIPHA has to offer.    – RPN student

CABHI and Ontario CLRI will support Ontario-based LTC homes to incorporate LIPHA into their existing training initiatives at no cost.

Sign up today to access LIPHA until March 31, 2022, and join other LTC homes in delivering innovative training!

Details for access beyond March 31, 2022, are still in development.

Government awards funding to scale LIPHA program into LTC homes, schools

The Ontario CLRI at Baycrest is excited to share the official announcement of funding from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to help LTC homes and schools incorporate LIPHA into their training and orientation practices for PSWs, Nurses and students ( and soon to expand to other roles as well).

Read the press release below or find it on the Government’s website!


The Ontario government is investing $1.2 million through the Learning Inter-Professionally Healthcare Accelerator (LIPHA), a new program to support innovative and flexible training for current and future personal support workers (PSWs) and nurses. The program is being made available for free to over 80,000 nurses and PSWs currently employed in Ontario’s long-term care homes and will provide a virtual space with simulated cases for teams and individuals in the sector to practice caring for virtual residents.

“The new LIPHA program is an important investment in the education of current and future PSWs and nurses in our province,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “I encourage all long-term care homes and postsecondary education institutions in Ontario to consider adopting LIPHA, as it is a valuable training tool that can provide personalized, on-demand training for students and existing health care professionals.”

LIPHA is a virtual simulation- and game-based learning program that will be provided free to all of Ontario’s long-term care providers and students training to work in long-term care as PSWs or nurses. The Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation (CLRI) in Long-Term Care has been working in collaboration with the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), Baycrest’s Centre for Education and Knowledge Exchange in Aging and Rotman Research Institute (RRI) to further refine, evaluate, implement, spread, and scale the innovative training platform.

The LIPHA app, which can be accessed from any computer or mobile device 24/7, can be adopted by long-term care homes to enhance and accelerate their existing training and orientation processes for nurses and PSWs. LIPHA can help provide onboarding to new hires, refresh the skills of existing staff, and upskill redeployed staff.

LIPHA is also a valuable training tool for Ontario’s postsecondary education institutions, as it propels students to higher levels of competency, while enabling self-directed learning within a serious educational game. By offering multi-media, experiential learning that includes case-based simulations and educational resources, students can safely practice caring for virtual patients and get instant feedback on their progress.

“As a result of COVID-19, long-term care is facing staff shortages unlike any we’ve seen before. We urgently need more frontline staff working to directly care for these most vulnerable members of society,” said Dr. Allison Sekuler, Managing Director, CABHI and the Rotman Research Institute, and Sandra A. Rotman Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience and Vice-President Research, Baycrest. “Moving forward through and beyond this pandemic requires new approaches to skill building, re-skilling, and up-skilling within the sector, including novel ways of attracting more students to consider careers in healthcare. We are thrilled that CABHI and the RRI have played such critical roles in the refinement, validation, and mobilization of LIPHA – supporting training for LTC teams to help all older Ontarians live their best possible lives.”

“The Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation at Baycrest and our partners are excited to offer long-term care team members and students an easy to access, high quality virtual training solution to ensure residents receive excellence in care,” said Dr. David Conn, Vice-President Education, Baycrest. “Closing the skills gap in long-term care requires an innovative approach to support rapid progress. LIPHA’s applicability with existing and next generation frontline healthcare providers, and its gamified and self-directed approach allows learners to become more engaged with their training yielding benefits like better retention, which leads to better care.”

“Our government is hiring a historic number of PSWs, RPNs and RNs to increase the hours of care and improve the quality residents receive, now and in the future,” said Rod Phillips, Minister of Long-Term Care. “By funding innovative learning tools like the one announced today, we are ensuring that we are able to recruit and train the tens of thousands of new staff that the long-term care sector needs.”

This investment is part of the government’s Long-Term Care Staffing Plan and is another example of how the province is working with key partners to improve the care and quality of life for people living in long-term care, while addressing the shortage of trained health care professionals.

Ontario CLRI at Baycrest Welcomes Innovation and Aging Internship Students

Our team at the Ontario CLRI at Baycrest is thrilled to welcome 10 post-secondary students from various health professions across Ontario. They will be the first group of interns to work virtually with us for summer 2021. This internship provides interns the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience in the gerontological field. Students will participate in small group learning focused on aging, clinical issues in gerontology, and interprofessional skills.

“We’re excited to share experiences with the students of what it’s like to live and work in long-term care. Fostering positive experiences paves the way for students seeking careers in long-term care,” says Raquel Meyer, manager of the Ontario CLRI at Baycrest team.

The first cohort of students will be at Baycrest until the end of June when most will return to their studies. Please join us in welcoming these 10 exceptional students!

The Ontario CLRI develops, delivers and evaluates educational resources and programs to train the current and future LTC workforce. We build on partnerships with homes, colleges and universities to provide in-person, blended and virtual training for interprofessional teams, as well as student placements and internships.

Meet some of the Innovation and Aging Interns!

 

LTC Leaders: why send educators to the Specialized Educator Certificate in LTC?

Educators in the 600+ Ontario long-term care homes represent a wide variety of disciplines, knowledge, skill, experiences and credentials. Often, educators lack resources in terms of time and money to devote to their own professional development due to the urgent and ongoing nature of demands on the job.

This is a chance for your educators to access free learning that fits easily into their existing work schedule to enhance their skill set on adult education best practices and innovative educational approaches as applied specifically to the long-term care sector.

The Educator Certificate will improve your organization and the teams and individuals you work with:

  • See education build up your teams instead of patch up your teams
  • See education used where it can have an impact
  • Optimize your educational resources to build team resilience and engagement in change processes and innovation
  • Redirect your educational resources to function as proactive tools

Level 1 begins September 2021: Learn who is eligible and how to apply