Mariam Omilabu

What are your responsibilities in the workplace and what does your work entail?

Currently I am a research assistant for the research team. This role entails supporting the team in research and quality improvement initiatives. It mainly involves conducting literature reviews on a variety of terminal illnesses and presenting them to the research team, which consists of palliative care physicians, research managers, etc. I am also a part of the Health Equity Committee (HEC). This committee aims to promote palliative care provision in a way that is equitable. Finally, I carry out administrative work such as organising meetings around people’s schedules, clinical times, etc. 

What has been the highlight of your current work term?

The highlight of this current work term was getting to interview a variety of palliative care physicians. These interviews are part of an initiative of the HEC to encourage more screening of patients’ social needs during consultations. For example, a physician may prescribe a drug that needs to be taken with food. If the patient lives alone and is unable to access transportation to the grocery store, then the patient cannot take that drug. Therefore, social needs impact patients’ ability to follow care-plans. It has been very eye-opening to see how important the physicians find the social determinants of health and how they weave that into conversations on end-of-life care. Additionally, I have always learned about social determinants of health and the importance of holistic care as a Health Studies student, so it has been gratifying to apply my in-class learning to the real world.

How do you think this experience and/or your previous co-ops have helped you develop yourself?

The whole co-op experience often involves getting a lot of rejections before you get the job. As a result, I have learned to not define my worth on things like that. Additionally, co-op has helped me develop my listening and team work skills. As a student in university, your team consists of you and the game is trying to pass a course. However, in all of my co-op jobs, the success of our deliverables never depended on the work of one person alone. Working in a team allowed us to delegate tasks according to people’s strengths, availability and passions, which resulted in more well-rounded deliverables. 

How did you overcome challenges during this work term and/or previous ones?

A major challenge I had was learning how to manage my workload and being confident in voicing my concerns. I was assigned different projects exploring very different health issues and they were all working separate from each other. Therefore, if I was assigned a chart review for one project and a literature review for another project, and they were both due on the same day, the different project teams would not know that. My supervisor had created a safe space for me this work term by letting me know my opinions were valued in the team. Consequently, when I felt overwhelmed I had a very honest conversation, ahead of the deadlines, and I was given the extension I needed. I worried about asking for the extension because, as a co-op student, you want to demonstrate that you are up to any task given. But my supervisor explained to me that it is also commendable to know your limits, organise your deadlines and not sacrifice the quality of your work.