The University of New Brunswick (UNB) and Horizon Health Network (Horizon) are proud to announce an innovative work-integrated learning (WIL) program aimed at addressing critical employee engagement and retention initiatives in the health-care sector.
Starting in September 2024, over 120 students from UNB's Bachelor of Business Administration program began to collaborate with Horizon, New Brunswick's largest regional health authority, to analyze employee survey data and develop strategies to improve workplace culture and staff retention.
The project, funded in part by the Government of Canada's Innovative Work-Integrated Learning Initiative and CEWIL Canada's iHUB, will see students apply cutting-edge systems thinking and emergent futures methodologies to explore current culture patterns within Horizon. Their work and findings were presented during the Horizon Health Network Engagement and Retention Health Summit on Nov. 29, 2024.
"We are committed to prioritizing the retention of physicians and staff who show up every day for our patients, and opportunities like this are one of the ways we're supporting them," said Margaret Melanson, Horizon's President and CEO. "Collaborating with UNB is an exciting opportunity for us to gain multiple perspectives and recommendations on the actions required to build a foundation for a strong, positive culture. We strive for an atmosphere where staff and physicians feel recognized and appreciated with leaders who are engaged and accountable for improvement. We're very appreciative of this opportunity."
Key features of the program include:
- Analysis of survey data from 65 Horizon facilities
- Creation of visual depictions of data interactions and trends
- Application of permaculture principles to organizational culture
"Having a real-world project as a part of my business studies allows for an interesting opportunity to work with real data that is collected by an organization, and to discover the nuances of how data is collected and used within a business environment," said Adam Kallar, a fifth-year marketing student at UNB. "It also allows me the opportunity to be creative and apply my previous teachings to potentially create a solution or provide feedback from an outside perspective."
This initiative aligns with UNB's 2030 strategic plan and its part of its Integrated Health Initiative and supports the development of responsible student citizen scholars. It also contributes to Canada's broader mission to improve healthcare by fostering engagement and retention of critical health care workers.
"We are excited to partner with Horizon Health Network on this innovative work integrated learning program, which aligns perfectly with our strategic vision for 2030," said Dr. Petra Hauf, UNB's provost and vice president academic. "This collaboration underscores our commitment to experiential learning and the development of responsible, engaged citizen scholars, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more sustainable future for New Brunswick and beyond."
"We believe this program will benefit our students and Horizon, and contribute to the improvement of health care employee retention and engagement in New Brunswick and beyond," said David Marshall, associate teaching professor and project lead at UNB.
About Horizon Health Network
Horizon Health Network is one of New Brunswick's two health authorities. With 12 hospitals and more than 100 medical facilities, clinics, and offices in both rural and urban areas, Horizon is one of the largest employers in New Brunswick, with more than 14,400 employees, 1,242 physicians, many volunteers, as well as 17 foundations and 16 auxiliaries and alumnae organizations. To improve recruitment and retention of health care workers, the Our Promise' campaign was created as a commitment by Horizon's leadership team to be authentic, transparent, and to help build trust with employees and physicians.
