When Karen Hurtubise started her MRSc, she was a clinical physiotherapist in St John’s, Newfoundland. She held a number of leadership roles in acute care paediatrics and assisted with preventative intervention research, but she found the lack of proper evaluation and effectiveness research frustrating. This is how Karen began her MRSc journey.
Karen used her MRSc assignments to complete projects that she had previously pushed to the side due to time constraints in her daily practice. In particular, she found her Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) assignment (RHSC 501) immediately applicable—it changed not only her own practice, but that of the service provided by her physiotherapy department as a whole. Her MRSc learning provided a strong foundation to search for and evaluate evidence, and to critically reflect on improving her own practice as well as the programs and services at her workplace. Karen says she’s increased both her clinical effectiveness AND her clinical efficiency: she now can evaluate what works and implement changes into her practice, and has stopped using ineffective approaches, while advocating for wider rehabilitation program and service changes.
During her MRSc, Karen and her husband moved from St John’s to Calgary, Alberta, where Karen started working at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Flexible on-line learning meant she could continue her MRSc studies from either end of the country. Within the first nine months in her new position she became a Clinical Lead and, following another nine months, became a Program Coordinator. Later, she became a Unit Manager. Karen used the knowledge that she gained in the MRSc program to flourish in her new positions and to take advantage of unique opportunities, such as a large donation made to the hospital foundation. Karen assisted in creating a successful business plan for the use of the donation, and designed and implemented many new rehabilitation programs. She is currently evaluating the effectiveness of one of these programs as a part of her PhD studies, which she started in 2015 through the University of Sherbrooke.
In addition to her PhD work, Karen now instructs in the MRSc program and contributes to course development. Her MRSc experience gave her the skills and the confidence to succeed in new challenges that she would not have sought out prior to her Master’s degree. Her journey is taking her further than she ever imagined.
By Elliott Cordingley with Karen Hurtubise