A deep commitment to health care motivated Rudra Dahal to return to school
Rudra Dahal fills his days – and evenings and weekends – with health care. When he’s not working his day job, he’s writing about it and researching it.
Further evidence of his commitment to the field is Dahal’s pursuit of a Master of Health Services Management (MHSM) degree – just another way he’s creating a future for himself and others.
Before migrating to Canada from Nepal, Dahal – a registered nurse with a master’s degree in education (majoring in health) – worked in a rehabilitation center, was a part-time university instructor and worked as a team lead for outreach health camps, focusing on the areas of plastic and reconstructive surgery, cataract screening and surgery, and disability management.
Dahal also works as a community resource worker at Calgary’s Developmental Disabilities Resource Centre, where he works to find educational, health, employment and social inclusion needs for persons with developmental disabilities, in addition to supporting them in achieving their goals.
While Dahal helps others tackle their goals, he continues to do the same for himself.
Career advancement
“I think the MHSM is a perfect course to advance my career goals. There are many aspects of this course that advance my knowledge of the health care management sector. After completion of this course, I will be well prepared to start my career in health care management field,” he says.
In addition to the knowledge he’s gained about organizational design, Dahal says learning about service design has been invaluable and something he considers the most critical discipline in present-day health care management.
“Service design has been my favourite so far because this is a new area for me. After taking this course, my way of thinking about service designing is vastly changed. I am sure I can use this knowledge in health care management soon to make a difference in the health care industry in Canada and elsewhere.”
Dahal says that returning to school after so many years has been an adjustment, but the pay off is worth it.
Balancing work, family life and university
“I have started school after a long gap, so it’s been a challenge for me. However, I’m enjoying it because the teachers are great and the learning cohorts are supportive,” he says.
“This is an excellent program for individuals who like to continue working and gaining a graduate degree in health service management. It’s a good opportunity for health care professionals to achieve a higher degree to advance their health care management careers.”
Don’t think for a minute, though, that the challenges of school have slowed Dahal down any. In addition to his course load and balancing family and work life, Dahal has been busy pursuing his other passions: public health research (he works as a research coordinator at the University of Calgary) and giving back to his community (he volunteers helping new immigrants settle in their new environment).
And there’s more…
“If I get free time, I like to read different scientific research articles and I also write articles on different online portals about current health issues.”
Now that’s a commitment to health care!
Go further in your health care career. Enroll in the ULethbridge Master of Health Services Management program. Not ready to commit to a Master's? Explore our Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management (GCHSM).