1 Internationalizing The Michener Institute Presented by: Joan Laurie, Director Carolyn Menezes, Project Officer Centre for Continuing Professional Education We would like to thank ACCC for this opportunity to share our experiences and learn from others.

2 Who Are We? The Community Colleges The Michener Institute

3 The only post-secondary institution in Canada specifically dedicated to health care education. Michener is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health. CORE FUNDED PROGRAMS Acupuncture, Cardiovascular Perfusion, Chiropody, Diagnostic Cytology, Genetics Technology, Medical Laboratory Science, MRI, Nuclear Medicine Technology, Radiation Therapy, Radiological Technology, Respiratory Therapy, Ultrasound.

4 Challenges We Face The funding relationship with the Ministry of Health does not support a mandate to expand outside of Ontario Recognition of the need for global competence is not included in the mission statement Because of high demand by Ontario students for program spaces, cannot offer spaces to international students For developing countries, curriculum delivery and content has to be adapted to the resources and skill level of students

5 How Have We Met These Challenges There is the belief, held by a core group of staff, that Michener should share its expertise with the developing world because improving the health of a community makes a significant contribution to poverty reduction. Our international activities are either externally funded or are complete cost recovery

6 Health Education for Palestinians in Lebanon Project Goal To provide and improve health care services to the economically disadvantaged Palestinian population living in refugee camps in Lebanon. Project Purpose To train the existing workforce of health professionals to perform high quality Echocardiography/ Ultrasound examinations and Medical Laboratory procedures

7 BENEFITS - to the DCP- SKILLS Students receive a strong theoretical program and hands-on training adapted to the resources and needs of own environment = sustainability Students able to travel overseas and gain valuable clinical experience = enhanced skills CULTURAL EXPOSURE Exposure to an ethnically diverse population that lives in harmony = new perspective

8 BENEFITS - To The Michener Institute - The wonderful gift of these projects is that they give faculty the opportunity to acquire international and intercultural competence Faculty travels overseas and are exposed to the scope of practice in another country

9 BENEFITS Gave Michener the opportunity to develop distance education programs that meet the needs of other students in developing countries Long term relationship/partnership established Michener is now involved in, and has a better understanding of, a part of the world to which it would not normally have been exposed Our specialized skills and expertise are being increasingly called upon in the international arena

10 Palestinian Ultrasound Students In Toronto

11 Palestinian Ultrasound Students In Toronto

12 “Survival requires that countries of the world must learn to live together in peace. ‘Learn’ is the operative word. Mutual respect, understanding, sympathy, and qualities that are destroyed by ignorance are fostered by knowledge.” UNESCO World Congress Report, 1961

13 The best way to foster global community and knowledge is through cooperative international strategies, therefore: International Education is a Critical Survival Strategy.