## [Professional growth can spur system transformation](/program-spotlight/professional-growth-can-spur-system-transformation) ![Professional growth can spur system transformation](/sites/default/files/styles/card_870_x_420/public/spotlight-images/2025-03/shutterstock_283871378-original-file-1200x628.jpg.webp?h=67ecbee6&itok=wA07W_Dg) ## Share- [ ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2F"e= "Share on Facebook") - [ ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?source=https%3A%2F%2F&text=:%20https%3A%2F%2F "Tweet") - [ ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2F&title=&summary=&source=https%3A%2F%2F "Share on LinkedIn") - [ ](mailto:?subject=&body=:%20https%3A%2F%2F "Send email") *By* [*Ashley Scott*](/profile/ashley-scott "Ashley Scott")*, Program Director of the* [*MHLP*](/why-ubc-mel-mhlp/mhlp "Master of Health Leadership and Policy") *in* [*Clinical Education*](/programs/mhlp/clinical-education "Clinical Education")*.* The challenges facing health care today are well known, but in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have become more acute than ever. Clinician burnout, workforce shortages, an aging population requiring more complex care, and increasingly constrained resources are placing immense pressure on the health-care system. For frontline workers, the daily reality can be incredibly frustrating. We enter the health-care field to provide the best care possible to our patients, yet systemic barriers can make this feel impossible. For health-care leaders the challenge is just as great, ensuring the well-being of team members while ensuring high-quality, efficient health-care. How do we move from recognizing these challenges to creating real, meaningful change? What practical strategies can [leaders](/news-events/become-a-leader-in-your-field "Become a leader in your field") use to improve the well-being and safety of their teams while providing high-quality care? UBC’s [Master of Health Leadership and Policy (MHLP)](/why-ubc-mel-mhlp/mhlp "Master of Health Leadership and Policy") in [Clinical Education](/programs/mhlp/clinical-education "Clinical Education") is designed to answer these questions, equipping students with the skills and confidence to drive meaningful change as [person-centred leaders](/news-events/how-do-you-develop-the-skills-to-be-an-effective-leader-in-healthcare "How do you develop the skills to be an effective leader in healthcare?"). There is such a strong connection between clinical education and leadership. If you are a curriculum developer or [clinical educator](/news-events/clinical-educators-bring-innovation-to-health-care "Clinical educators bring innovation to health care"), you are a leader with significant influence to work for change. The skills you learn in becoming an adept clinical educator translate directly into being a strong leader, giving you the skills to build the capacity and strength of every single person on your team. The interdisciplinary nature of the program – and the students in it – is another way the [MHLP](/why-ubc-mel-mhlp/mhlp "Master of Health Leadership and Policy") provides a [path to leadership](/news-events/a-new-path-to-a-leadership-position "A new path to a leadership position") and guiding [system transformation](/news-events/lead-transformation-in-your-industry "Lead transformation in your industry"). Our student cohort includes professionals from a range of health-care backgrounds, such as nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dentistry, medicine and paramedicine, among others. This creates a collaborative learning environment that challenges disciplinary siloes, fosters systems thinking, promotes holistic approaches and encourages [innovation](/news-events/clinical-educators-bring-innovation-to-health-care "Clinical educators bring innovation to health care"). Innovation is at the heart of the [MHLP](/why-ubc-mel-mhlp/mhlp "Master of Health Leadership and Policy"). As a professional master’s program, students tackle real-world organizational challenges throughout their coursework, applying their learning to areas they are passionate about or actively working in. The ideas they come up with are powerful and innovative, whether it’s an interesting approach to curriculum design or developing a strategy for [change management](/news-events/essential-health-care-skills-to-succeed-in-clinical-management "Essential health-care skills to succeed in clinical management"). Our program also helps students learn how to implement these ideas, whether or not they are currently in a leadership position. This comes from a lot of practice in pitching ideas in a compelling way, in working in groups, in guiding conversations and in giving presentations backed up with data and evidence. It also comes from the hybrid nature of the program. [Business courses](/news-events/speaking-the-language-of-business-is-fundamental-to-leadership "Speaking the language of business is fundamental to leadership") taught through [UBC Sauder](https://www.sauder.ubc.ca/) provide students with essential skills in [leadership](/news-events/importance-of-leadership-in-health-care "Importance of leadership in health care"), project management, sustainability and business foundations, alongside their peers in the [Master of Engineering Leadership](/why-ubc-mel-mhlp/mel "Master of Engineering Leadership") program. > My research focuses on digital transformation and [innovation](/news-events/clinical-educators-bring-innovation-to-health-care "Clinical educators bring innovation to health care"), and many of our classroom discussions explore the role of technology in health-care practice. We examine how technology is reshaping health-care practice and how clinical educators and leaders can ensure practitioners are involved in the development and implementation of new technologies. > > Health-care practitioners must transition from being passive recipients of technology – what I once heard the Chief Nursing Informatics Officer at the [NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/) aptly call “being digitally done to” – to leading the next generation of technological innovation. Drawing from my own experiences in the UK, Australia and Canada, I’ve seen firsthand how empowering clinicians in this process leads to better patient care and more effective systems. The [MHLP](/why-ubc-mel-mhlp/mhlp "Master of Health Leadership and Policy") in [Clinical Education](/programs/mhlp/clinical-education "Clinical Education") at UBC is a catalyst for change, not just a program. By equipping health professionals with [leadership](/news-events/importance-of-leadership-in-health-care "Importance of leadership in health care"), education and [business acumen](/news-events/speaking-the-language-of-business-is-fundamental-to-leadership "Speaking the language of business is fundamental to leadership"), we are preparing the next generation of change-makers who will drive improvements in patient care, workforce well-being and system-wide transformation. ## Mentioned in this Article: ![Faculty and Staff: Ashley Scott - Clinical Education](/sites/default/files/styles/square_200/public/profile-images/2024-10/UBC_AshleyScot_Website.jpg.webp?itok=6aYhl1ho) ## [Ashley Scott](/profile/ashley-scott) Program Director, Master of Health Leadership and Policy , School of Nursing