The Interprofessional Health Mentors Program kicked off its 12th year at the Croatian Culture Centre in Vancouver in early October, returning to in-person program delivery for the first time since 2019. 

Run by UBC Health’s Patient and Community Partnership for Education (PCPE), Health Mentors is a nine-month program for interprofessional groups of students to learn from patient educators. The patient educators—health mentors—have a wide range of experiences with the healthcare system and expertise in managing chronic conditions.

This year, there are 45 health mentors, including eight new mentors, and 150 students from Audiology, Dentistry, Dietetics, Genetic Counselling, Kinesiology, Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Population and Public Health, and Speech Language Pathology.

What keeps me coming back as a mentor is the thrill of sharing, learning, and potentially having my intense story of high reality provoke thinking and make an impact on mentees.

Cindy Frostad (shown in the photo above) is beginning her fourth year as a health mentor. She is the mother of a 32-year-old daughter who has been receiving round-the-clock care since birth. 

“What keeps me coming back as a mentor is the thrill of sharing, learning, and potentially having my intense story of high reality provoke thinking and make an impact on mentees,” says Cindy. “This year, I’m excited to work with students who are enrolled in the same areas of health that are very much aligned with and impact my daughter’s health and wellbeing in her personal care, physical challenges, ongoing communication development, and her physical and equipment needs.” 

During the orientation session at the kickoff, students and mentors had an opportunity to connect and begin developing relationships that will continue over the next year. Students learned about their mentor, and mentors learned about the different disciplines of each student, why they chose their professions, and the perspectives they bring to the healthcare team.

Living with an invisible disability, I wish to use my lived experiences to influence better care for others with similar struggles...

Eileen Davidson is a new health mentor and was interested in the program as a way to make a difference. She lives with a number of chronic conditions.  

“I had heard about the program through other volunteering and was particularly interested in becoming a health mentor to help enhance the future of healthcare,” says Eileen. “Living with an invisible disability, I wish to use my lived experiences to influence better care for others with similar struggles and teach the students lessons that only someone with lived experience can give. I’m also looking forward to learning, informing, and growing along with the future of healthcare.”

Student-mentor groups will meet throughout the year as part of the program; groups are self-directed with the mentor as the primary teacher. Students have faculty supervisors from their professional programs who read reflective journals written after each meeting.

Being exposed to this perspective so early in our education will be instrumental as I complete my degree...

Katherine Toy, in her first year of the Master of Occupational Therapy program, is among the students participating in Health Mentors and has been matched with Cindy as her mentor.

“I heard that the program teaches students ‘what cannot be taught in a textbook,’ which is exciting because so much of being an occupational therapist is rooted in understanding our clients’ lived experiences,” says Katherine. “Being exposed to this perspective so early in our education will be instrumental as I complete my degree, and I hope to weave these first-hand experiences with the textbook knowledge I learn.”

PCPE was also pleased to welcome Deb Virtue to the Health Mentors program orientation. Dr. Virtue is Deputy Head of the Physiotherapy Department in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne. She made the journey from Australia to attend the orientation and learn about the Health Mentors program. 

For more information on the Health Mentors program, visit the Health Mentors page.

Posted October 17, 2022