Putting the “I” in IMBA: Interning in Guangdong, China
After spending nearly a decade here in Toronto, IMBA candidate Arthur Li returned to his home country this year to work at a top-tier hospital for a three-month internship during his IMBA.
In his role at Jiangmen Central Hospital as a Rotational Management Intern, Arthur moved between several departments including Quality Control, Information and Medical Affairs. His responsibilities encompassed an impressively broad spectrum:
- implementing government employment guidelines including doctor-to-nurse-to-bed ratios
- assisting in the practices of standardization of electronic medical records
- analyzing healthcare data to develop solutions for reduced costs and improved appointment efficiency
- participating in the design of a healthcare database integrating clinical and administrative data input
Moving quickly, improving efficiency, and valuing agility were themes -both figurative and literal – throughout Arthur’s entire experience in China.
“I was in total awe of the astounding advancements of the country,” he recalls. “Highlights included riding a 300km/hour train to start off my day. I wondered how much FDIs and JVs have helped China develop its transportation infrastructure at such a stunning pace.”
At work, the pace was equally remarkable.
“I was astonished by the high level of efficiency of the Chinese healthcare system, which featured social media appointment booking systems, fully implemented electronic medical recording, real-time digital prescriptions and self-help express checkouts.”
Now that he’s back at Schulich to complete the IMBA program, Arthur reflects on the intersections and differences in the Canadian and Chinese business environments to which he has been exposed.
“I returned to Canada with numerous questions of international relevance,” says Arthur. “These experiences gathered while working abroad in China are invaluable to my IMBA experience at Schulich, and my development as a global business leader.”