Student Research: Exploring Health Care Aides’ Perspectives on Work Life in Long-Term Care.

The School of Leadership Studies would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Heather Tomlinson on the completion of a Master’s Thesis titled, Exploring Health Care Aides’ Perspectives on Work Life in Long-Term Care. 

We asked Heather a few questions about this research, and this is what she said. 

What are some key takeaways from your thesis that would be helpful for other leaders?

Some takeaways from my research are that ideal work life in long-term care is characterized by enhanced support for providing complex resident care, personal safety at work, improved communication with leadership, adequate staffing, and training tailored to the unique needs of healthcare aides. My recommendations included: implementing initiatives to enhance HCAs’ work life, such as prioritizing employee safety, enhancing communication channels, and improving staffing allocation. Leaders in long-term care organizations can use these takeaways to create a work environment where healthcare aides flourish and feel well-supported, valued, and empowered to provide the best resident care possible.

What surprised you about your experience of the thesis process?

It took a long time to confirm an organizational partner despite having started my search early in the process. I made a lot of “cold calls’ before landing on a willing organizational partner. Conducting a thesis during the pandemic was surprisingly still possible, but creative accommodations and problem-solving needed to be made. In many ways, the challenge of finding a partner and conducting research while we were still in the global COVID-19 pandemic has been a blessing, as it has strengthened my resilience as a researcher and scholar-practitioner.

How are you applying lessons learned from your whole MA-Leadership journey?

I believe that one of the most important lessons learned from my entire MA-Leadership journey was the necessity 

of practicing good self-leadership first and foremost. It is easy to only think of leadership as something we do for others around us. However, I have learned that starting with self-leadership and taking the time to really examine this important area, is a critical first step to take before trying to lead others. The MA-Leadership program has been instrumental in that regard. 

This thesis is available through RRU’s library at: 

https://www.viurrspace.ca/items/c0471301-6f42-4a51-a1b3-19ed28b71645/full

Photo at top by Georg Arthur Pflueger on Unsplash