At Bridgepoint, our vision is to be Canada’s Leader in the prevention and management of complex chronic disease.
Our “Canada's Leader” Strategy, launched in June 2006, will help us to develop a new kind of care delivery approach, becoming a catalyst for reshaping the existing health care system to better respond to the needs of people living with complex chronic disease.
As part of our ambitious vision, we have implemented a comprehensive teaching and education plan that will help to ensure that the next generation of health care providers is well equipped to provide the best care possible to this population.
Our goal of enhancing and enriching our patient care is supported by our affiliation with the University of Toronto. This partnership allows us to facilitate and support academic and professional exchanges and continuing education among our existing staff, while offering collaborative and interprofessional training to students.
Students at Bridgepoint
- In 2009, more than 500 clinical students from over a dozen disciplines came to Bridgepoint to learn and grow, which is a 30 per cent increase over our numbers in 2008.
- Our innovative Collaborative Online Interprofessional Learning (COIL) project continued to grow, with a marked increase in student involvement in preparation for the full project launch in 2011.
- The Bridgepoint Family Health Team has begun accepting medical, pharmacy and nursing students, greatly expanding the scope of our students’ involvement in primary care at Bridgepoint.
- We introduced the Building on Excellence speaker series as a means of strengthening our clinical faculty knowledge base and knowledge transfer initiatives.
For more information on our student educational opportunities, visit our Students page.
Over the coming months and years, we will continue to design and implement training programs and approaches that strengthen our ability to anticipate and respond to the needs of patients affected by complex chronic disease.
To that end, our teaching and education activities will be:
- Grounded in research and best practices;
- Focused on patient-centred care;
- Provided in a dynamic and collaborative academic environment; and
- Built on a commitment to share knowledge with our care partners both locally and globally.
Educational Opportunities for Staff
We are developing unique teaching programs that transfer best practices to the next generation of practitioners. - The RBC Program for Nursing Innovations in Complex Chronic Disease provided $500,000 in funding to create a program that enables nurses to become certified by the Canadian Nurses Association in specialties related to complex chronic disease.
- We are implementing a new Professional Care Delivery Model that ensures our professional staff are able to use their skills and training to the fullest extent possible.
- Bridgepoint is a member of Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN), which permits us to have access to multiple clinical educational sessions presented by experts.
- Monthly Clinical and Medical Rounds provide an opportunity to learn and share knowledge on clinical best practice and best evidence from our staff and invited speakers.
- We have instituted Interprofessional Orientation Buddies, or “iPobs”, to augment the orientation of new staff. The iPobs provide education on other professions and help new team members to integrate into the culture of collaboration and exceptional team work.
- In February 2010, we held our inaugural Awards for Academic Excellence. These awards are an opportunity to recognize the outstanding efforts of clinical instructors, fieldwork supervisors and preceptors who demonstrate excellence in creating a supportive and enriching environment for the over 500 students who come to learn at Bridgepoint each year.
- Bridgepoint supports staff to attend courses, conferences and workshops through our Education Support Program.
- Our Continuing Professional Development Calendar lists education opportunities within Bridgepoint and beyond.
Want to learn more about working at Bridgepoint? Visit the Careers section.