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Tell me what you do in your current position?

I work in operations administration as the administrative assistant to one of the Executive Directors at the U of A Hospital. My portfolio includes Transplant Services, Give Life ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥, and Virtual Home Hospital. I draft and prepare documents, coordinate stakeholder meetings, assist with recruitment, and support our programs operationally. I gather and review information needed for the creation of funding proposals, operational policy and departmental changes, and occasional site initiatives.

How did you get into this line of work?

During my undergraduate degree, I volunteered with AHS in-and out-patient programs at ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Hospital. I really enjoyed this work and being able to impact patients positively. Once I graduated, I applied for an administrative position at the same hospital and was successful. I bounced around a few departments before finally landing in the tissue donation program at the U of A Hospital, and I fell in love with it.

What do you enjoy about your current position?

Working in operations administration has given me an incredible insight into the back-end workings of a large organization that has several union groups. Healthcare is inherently political, and my portfolio extremely so, which adds an additional dimension to decision-making and strategic planning. Every day brings a different challenge and something new coming across my desk.

How do you think your BA Honors degree in Sociology helped you in your career journey to date?

Policy, funding decisions, and communications are rooted in politics and power dynamics. I am grateful for the BA Honors degree for having honed my reading, writing, and critical thinking skills to navigate this landscape effectively. My undergraduate thesis focused on rationalization in bureaucracies and the effects on the individual; this has been instrumental in my interpersonal relationships and conflict resolution in large institutions. I aspire to be a difference maker in these types of organizations and am pursuing an MBA to achieve this goal. As corporate culture has begun to shift to people-centered approaches, having a sociology background has proved to be invaluable.

What advice would you have for current students to help them prepare for employment after graduation?

Networking is incredibly important. Take advantage of any opportunity to build experience in your field of interest, whether that be volunteering, internships, or conferences. This is useful for networking, but also to get a sense of whether you really enjoy the work or not, or if you are interested in pursuing something adjacent. You won’t know what’s out there until you dive in!