It was an incredible opportunity working for
OntarioMD, an organization tasked with promoting the use of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software by Primary Care Physicians (family doctors – though the program has since been expanded to offer funding to specialists). OntarioMD is a subsidiary of the
Ontario Medical Association (OMA) and receives funding from
eHealth Ontario.
I am passionate about working in the Healthcare Information Technology field because my mother was a surgeon and I am enamoured with the opportunities provided by working in electronic healthcare. It gives me great satisfaction knowing I’m contributing to overcoming the challenges of applying technology to the way society practices medicine; something that has to happen in order to have an efficient healthcare system.
My role at OntarioMD was to administer the funding eligibility process for EMR Vendors. For a physician to receive funding from OntarioMD, they must implement and use EMR software provided by one of these EMR Vendors. The Vendors apply to have their offerings conformance tested against an EMR Specification published by OntarioMD and subsequently demonstrate that the offering could meet this set of requirements.
Besides all that I had learned about electronic healthcare, I am most proud of the great relationships I acquired from my time at OntarioMD. Being part of the conformance testing process as well as the development of the specification allowed me to connect with multiple stakeholders such as government policy makers, senior physicians and of course EMR Vendors. I got a glimpse into great organizations such as
Cancer Care Ontario,
Ontario Telemedicine Network and the
Canadian Institute for Health Information. Those who, like me, are part of the movement of advancing healthcare practice into a digital future.
MobileQ
It was an incredible experience graduating at the height of the dot-com era. At the University of Waterloo, tons of different companies would come onto campus to recruit students, there was quite a demand for engineering and computer science grads. There was lots of free food and booze, recruiter events were party central when you’re a starving student.
I could not ask for anything more out of the first job I got after graduating, it was for a small company called MobileQ. Had that awesome startup feel with a pool table and foosball table, it was down on King St. East in a brick loft before moving up to Yonge and Bloor. The product was an XML-based design platform for mobile devices. You could design your app from GUI-based (think Visio) software and it would serve code appropriate to the device making the request. HTML, HDML, WML, even VoiceXML depending on the device. Since I was a tester, I had a plethora of devices at my disposal to see what the application looked like on said various devices. There would be a new phone or PDA on the market and I would be one of the people that got to play with it first. As a device nerd, it was pretty fun going to work every day. Got to live the work-hard, play-hard lifestyle everyone was raving about.
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Workbrain Inc.
Because I graduated at the height of the dot-com boom and was surrounded by stories of magical stock options, it became a new goal to one day participate in an IPO (initial public offering). Thankfully I did not wait long after MobileQ because I was referred to a job at a growing company called Workbrain in 2002.
Workbrain was a great company to work for in those days because it was a good blend between startup and corporate. I think I was employee 250, when I left they were at 700+. Their product was pretty solid: workforce software, sometimes referred to as HRM (human resources management). They had huge clients like Target, the Gap and McDonalds. My job was QA Team Lead of the Schedule Optimization module, software that uses linear regression to most efficiently allocate your workforce with an ability to add constraints imposed by labour laws and employee/manager schedule restrictions (distributing workload by seniority, etc.).
I didn’t become an overnight millionaire but the options did manage to turn themselves into something significant, I had asked for double the options when negotiating the employment offer (score!). What can I say, my mom had passed away earlier in the year so I was feeling reckless and bold, who I’m told fortune favors. The best lesson I learned was that you can achieve great things as an organization by recognizing and rewarding your employees and giving them a stake in it too.
My first computer, a Tandy 1000 HX
Since owning my first computer I have followed the nerd path. Early on I made it a goal for myself to someday work for Microsoft. When I was in high school Microsoft was THE place to be. The home PC (personal computer) market was just about on the cusp, the tipping point. I knew that Microsoft recruited many Waterloo grads which was why my primary objective was to get in there. I even put two University of Waterloo programs on my application.
My time at the University of Waterloo was absolutely invaluable. I met most of my inner circle at this great institution. It provided me knowledge and challenged me every day not just preparing me academically but also for the rest of life’s lessons. Waterloo’s co-op program was a big reason I decided to go to there. It seemed completely logical that I get work experience as well as have some ability to pay for my schooling along the way rather than racking up a huge student loan.
On my 5th and 6th work term I had the collision and realization of two dreams. I was accepted for an internship at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington. I can’t say enough of what a great experience it was to be an intern at Microsoft. Being around so many talented people can only help you grow too. Seattle was a cool city to live in and the surrounding area Pacific Northwest is absolutely beautiful. I’m certain that this was where I fell in love with snowboarding. It was easier to travel to cool places like Whistler and Las Vegas from there too. I was able to reconnect with family that was in Vancouver which was the cherry on top.
My office during my second work term at Microsoft. I had three computers at my disposal localized to different languages; I was testing Encarta Interactive English Learning in Spanish, French and Japanese.
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