As a patient or family member, whether you're visiting IWK Health for a single outpatient appointment, for a day in hospital, or for an extended inpatient stay, you have experience using services that have been designed especially for you and your family. And your firsthand experience can help inform evidence-based improvements and changes to the way we at IWK Health deliver quality services. Patient and Family Partners are invaluable in the decisions we make every day as an organization from projects to programs to policy development to way-finding.
Depending on your interest and availability, being a Patient and Family Partner can mean being a member of a committee, council, or project team at the IWK, or it can take place from the comfort of home, whatever time of day, and wherever you are in the Atlantic Provinces.
General criteria for all Partners
- Be positive and supportive of the IWK Health mission, vision, and values.
- Respect the collaborative process and the committee as the forum to discuss issues.
- Be able to listen and reflect on issues and priorities that are different than your own.
- Be comfortable speaking in a group environment.
- Be able to fulfill the time commitment and work towards achieving Committee initiatives.
- To provide patient and family perspective and be fully involved in the committee’s decision-making processes.
- Commitment to attend meetings if necessary (online call options available)
- To participate in educational opportunities for staff and Partners as time and/or interest allow.
- Be willing to register as a Patient and Family Partner through our Volunteer Resource Department which includes criminal background and child abuse registry checks (reimbursed to you), and possibly an immunization.
- To be aware of IWK policies and procedures that apply to this work and to work in unity with them, including confidentiality.
- Commit to read documents in preparation for meetings (if necessary) and to respond to email in a timely manner.
All backgrounds and experiences
We believe Patient and Family Partners should reflect the cultural and social diversity of the patients and families who use IWK care and services every day. We are looking for Patient and Family Partners from all backgrounds, age groups, and experiences, including ethnic, racial, spiritual, economic, educational, geographic, gender, sexual orientation and more.