Building confidence and career skills in health sciences
From overcoming self-doubt to being part of an interview panel, Emily Fitzgerald shares how co-op shaped her confidence, adaptability and career aspirations.
Emily Fitzgerald (she/her) is a fourth-year Health Sciences student with a minor in Gerontology. She shares how she has gained confidence and learned to manage stress during her work terms. Through her various experiences, she has overcome challenges and gained valuable insights into the workplace.
Emily's co-op journey
Work term one: Emily began her co-op journey with the Waterloo Experience (WE) Accelerate program, where she learned the fundamentals of digital marketing and collaborated with other co-op students to create Accessibility, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (AEDI) related content.
Work term two: For her second work term, Emily worked as a library engagement and communications assistant at the University of Waterloo Library. She supported social media content creation and analytics and took lead on the staff interview Library News article series.
Work term three: Emily then worked as a records management clerk at the Hospital for Sick Children, where she supported the SickKids’ Paper-Lite Initiative and managed corporate and research documents.
Work terms four and five: For Emily’s final two work terms, she worked at Ontario Health as a co-ordinator, business planning and delivery co-op student. She supported many engagement initiatives, built roadmaps and contributed to the Hospital Information System Assessment work by creating maps and tracking submissions and inquiries from hospitals across Ontario.
Q&A with Emily
What has been the most rewarding thing about co-op?
The most rewarding thing about co-op has been getting to see how much I’ve progressed from my first work term to my last. I can remember applying for positions for my first work term and it felt so intimidating knowing that I was competing against students that I assumed would have more skills or work experience than me.
After completing my first co-op it was like I finally got my foot in the door and that feeling of intimidation slowly began to fade with each co-op I secured. Every opportunity I got in each of my roles, I gained more confidence in my skills, expanded my network and learned that I adapt well to different challenges that come my way. For the roles that I didn’t get, I still got to walk away with invaluable interview experience that I can apply in the future.
What has been the most challenging thing about co-op?
The most challenging thing about co-op has been learning how to navigate through projects that are more ambiguous. School prepares you very well for tackling projects where you receive clear instructions, a rubric and sometimes even previous examples. However, in my most recent work term, I quickly learned that in the "real world" it’s not always that simple.
There were times when I was assigned a project with a clear end goal and broad guidelines, however it was up to me to figure out how to get there. This was very different than what I was used to and initially it was quite overwhelming. However, as I got more projects like that, I learned how to identify what questions to ask, which resources and colleagues to leverage and most importantly, the value of maintaining that continuous feedback loop.
What is the most memorable experience you've had from your co-op terms?
One of the most memorable experiences from my most recent work term was having the chance to be part of the interview panel for hiring the next co-op student. I remember seeing a co-op student on the panel during some of my own interviews and thinking how cool it would be to be on the other side of the table.
When I finally got the opportunity, I got the full experience – from reviewing applications and picking the top candidates to creating interview questions and even helping improve the interview assignment. It felt rewarding that my input and perspective were valued and I learned a lot from the experience.
I picked up some great tips from my fellow panelists on what makes a résumé stand out, and it was super helpful to be part of the interviews and hear their thoughts during the debriefs. I definitely made some mental notes for my own future interviews. Overall, going from being the one getting interviewed for my first co-op to being the one doing the interviewing in my last felt like a full-circle moment and an experience I'll never forget.
How have you dealt with stress over the course of your co-op terms?
Over the course of my co-op terms, I’ve learned to deal with stress by staying organized with to-do lists, asking for help when I need it and making sure to take breaks to avoid burnout. I’ve also been very fortunate to have had supportive and understanding managers in all my co-op positions, which made it easier to be open about how I was feeling.
Another big thing that helped was keeping up with my hobbies outside of work and even trying new ones. Once my workday was over, I found that dedicating time to do something active really helped me reset and take my mind off work. Aside from going to the gym, I like switching things up to keep things interesting. Lately, I’ve been learning how to play pickleball. It’s super fun and a great workout!
What's next for you?
I have two more study terms left in the Health Sciences program with a minor in Gerontology, and I’m set to graduate in April 2026. Over the next eight months, I plan to continue building my knowledge and skills while staying connected with colleagues from my most recent co-op. It was an organization I really enjoyed working for and one I would love to potentially return to in the future.