After TMU — Sanaz Riahi

1. What is a typical “Day in Your Work Life” like?

What I most love about my work life is that I don’t have a ‘typical’ day. Everyday has its uniqueness. My portfolio gives me an opportunity to work with a vast number of expertise in our teams such as Professional Practice, Clinical Informatics, Research, Academics and Ethics, where we try to continue to advance our work and provide excellence in the delivery of our service and impact on patients and families we serve.

2. What are the best parts of your job; what are the necessary evils?

What I enjoy most about my job is working with many brilliant people and trying to be innovative. Healthcare continues to have lots of opportunities to enhance the care delivery and the experiences of those interacting with the system. I love exploring traditional practices and finding opportunities to advance them. I also really enjoy hearing feedback from our patients and families to understand their stories and how we have impacted their lives and what we can do differently.

I don’t necessarily view things as necessary evils, however, I see them as opportunities that come with greater complexities that need to be addressed. I believe in healthcare there are lots of complex opportunities such as, access to integrated care, needing to do more with less from a funding perspective, and navigation through the system. Managing the day to day realities whilst inspiring and leading teams to support finding solutions are necessary on a daily basis.

3. Why did you choose to study at Ryerson University?

For me TMU provided a number of opportunities, including providing a good balance of theoretical and practical learning approach. As a nurse, not only did I feel prepared from an academic perspective but I also was provided with practical experiences to evolve me as a student to move into my career.

4. What are some skills you developed through university that help you in your career?

A couple of key skills from my lived experience were the application of theory into practice and the concept of being curious and asking questions.

5. What do you wish you could tell your university self?

‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’

6. How did your experience at TMU help you find your first position after graduation?

It provided me with the knowledge and skills I required for entry into nursing practice. Specifically, the practicum placements were helpful in providing me with hands-on experience in various specialties. This exposure aided in my understanding of the profession. My courses also provided me with an array of theory, as well as, practical-based knowledge which further prepared me for my future career.

7. What are some attributes of individuals who are most successful in your field?

I recently read a blog by Eileen Williamson MSN, RN who I believe depicted the key attributes of successful nurses very well. She identified these to be:

• Being respectful and compassionate
• Strong communicators
• Critical-thinking skills
• Pay strong attention to details
• Have strong time management and delegation skills
• They are very adaptable and flexible
• They are team players

8. If you could start all over again, would you change your career path?

Not at all! I love being a nurse and the journey that I am on.