Featured Student: Patricia Balmes

What is your field of study?

I am a Microbiology/Immunology student.

Why did you choose to enroll in co-op? 

When I was in third year, I felt like I had so many ideas about what I want to do in the future and I heard that co-op is a great way to get experience and explore your options.

When you do co-op, you often also get to work with multidisciplinary teams, which is such an amazing resource, because you can gain insight on everyone’s experiences and their roles.

Which positions did you work during co-op?

I did my placement with the UBC Division of General Surgery as the Scientific Communications Lead.

My role was to support communications, throughout the province-wide division of General Surgery. That included: writing articles, working on their websites, supporting educational events such as symposia, handling their social media for events and so much more. It was such a dynamic and exciting role, I learned a lot during my placement.

Can you share your favourite experience while in co-op?

If I had to pick, my favourite would be helping organize the Surgical Systems Redesign symposium we did in November.

It was such a fun opportunity to get creative, as I prepared the program booklet for the event and even helped film some shots for the introduction film! I also got to work closely with really amazing people and, of course, it was inspiring to hear about the different ways the members of the division have been striving to improve surgical care for their patients.

Helping out with Surgical Innovation Week for the second year general surgery residents was a close second, as they invited so many cool guests and it was exciting to watch the residents solve this year’s innovation challenge about planetary healthcare.

What was your best achievement in co-op?

It’s hard to pick just one, but it would either be the program booklet for the symposium or helping revamp the UBC General Surgery Page.

Working on both took a lot of time and effort, but it was so much fun. It felt really special to see the final booklet in everyone’s hands at the symposium and seeing the website published online. After learning about all the amazing work being done within the division during my placement, it was also great being able to share some of that to everyone else as well.

What did you feel most challenged by and how did you overcome it?

In this role, I had to work with a wide range of people. It was definitely a bit intimidating reaching out to everyone at first.

I remember doing a couple of interviews for some spotlight articles and getting some advice from my co-op coordinator, Barbara, because I felt so inexperienced doing interviews. Her advice helped a lot and everyone I talked to was so welcoming and kind, which made it such a great experience. Now, it’s one of my favourite parts of my co-op placement and I cherish getting to know such amazing people.

How do you feel co-op helped your personal growth?

I got to support such a wide variety of projects during my co-op placement, for some of which I was confident in my abilities and for others not so much.

However, with my supervisors’ trust and guidance, I always felt encouraged to learn new skills and try my hand at tasks that seemed challenging at first.

I think that attitude has definitely seeped into the rest of my life and I feel more ready to take on new and exciting adventures when opportunities present themselves. Thanks Mina and Dr. Hameed!

How do you feel co-op has helped your career?

I feel like working with such a diverse group of people, who are working towards the same goal, has been eye-opening and has helped me explore my options for the future.

It was very encouraging to see people doing things that they are passionate about, even if those things don’t always seem to be that related to each other or to their jobs. They all contribute to a bigger picture that everyone is striving towards.

What advice would you offer future co-op students?

Don’t be afraid to take on new and challenging tasks!

It can be daunting at first, but it is always rewarding learning something new. Not only will you be adding a new skill to your toolbox, it’s also a great way to find the things that you love to do. Never underestimate how useful that skill might be in the future, no matter how unrelated it might be to your field.

What are you looking forward to after graduation?

I’ll be working and applying to some programs in the upcoming year as well, but I am excited to spend this time to continue exploring my passions!