hotel dieu interview

why do you want to coop here?

I want to co-op here because I find that i really do connect with Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare’s values and morals. The idea of of kindness, teamwork, expertise, and social responsibility are all things that i align with and is what i want in a placement.

I feel especially connected to Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare because it is a Catholic-sponsored organization, and I am Roman Catholic myself. The sponsorship from groups such as the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph reflects values of compassion, service, and care for the most vulnerable, which deeply resonate with me.

I’ve learned the importance of working with diverse groups of people, showing empathy, and supporting others through volunteering events. I want to bring those same skills into a healthcare environment where patients may feel vulnerable and need encouragement.

Personally, whenever my mom comes home from Hotel-DIeu, I notice that she always comes back with a positive attitude and with a smile on her face, rather than the other organizations she’s worked with, and that’s something I want to expeirence when doing my placement.

what skills do you have that will help you thrive in this environment?

At Habitat, I had to move, lift, and organizing heavy items like couches and shelves for it to be priced and put out and this skill directly applies to transporting patients, setting up equipment, and restocking supplies for this environment. I also did a lot of cleaning there, which is something that is right for this placement.

I also had to develop my skill of communication, where I had to talk to customers and so I had to answer questions, guide visitors at the festival, And this transfers well into answering patients kindly, supporting staff, and creating a welcoming environment. i am confident in my ability to keep building these skills during my co-op placement and contribute positively to the team

i do have completed the WHMIS, Workplace Health & Safety, and Ministry of Labour certificates, which shows that I understand safety rules, hygiene, and infection prevention.

why do you want this experience?

I want this experience because I’m really interested in learning more about patient care and how healthcare teams support people in their recovery.

I know that working in occupational therapy will give me hands-on exposure to what it takes to help patients regain independence, which connects to my long-term goal of working in the health field.

I also want to challenge myself in a real hospital environment, build my confidence, and develop practical skills like teamwork, communication, and organization that I can carry into my future career. I know that this experience will benefit not just myself but also to the entire team that I’m working with to support patients and contribute to a healthcare team.

my biggest weakness

my biggest weakness is probably public speaking. i am much more confident and comfortable with speaking 1 on 1, but I got really good at making videos for my school projects because I’ld much rather make a video than give a presentation.

however, I am planning to join my school’s debate club this year in order to work on that skill. and even in class, i have been challenging myself to try and raise my hand a lot more now even if I don’t know if i have the right answer for more exposure.

I do see this co-op as a chance to strengthen my communication skills further, especially by practicing clear and supportive interactions with patients.

my biggest strength

my biggest strength is my adaptability and my ability to empathize with others. the big jump from grade 8, where i came from an elementary school that didn’t really prioritize education to then grade 9 where i suddenly in 2 enriched classes. it was a big jump at first with all of the work i was suddenly recieving but within the first few days, it became second-nature to me and i quickly became adjusted to the new environment while making new friends. i am a quick learner and can fix my mistakes easily with no problem.

with my experience in customer service, i was able to really further my skill of communicating and emphasizing with customers. i was able to relate to their situation and direct them to answers with the questions they had. 

what do you think you need to work on in the future?

In the future, I want to continue improving my confidence with public speaking and presenting in larger groups. I’ve realized that strong communication isn’t just about one-on-one conversations, but also about being able to share ideas clearly in front of an audience.

I’ve already been practicing this by contributing more in class discussions and volunteering for leadership opportunities, but I’d like to push myself further.

I know that building this skill will not only help me in future co-op placements, but also in university and eventually in my career, where explaining ideas clearly and confidently is really important

my short term goals..

i want to gain direct experience in a healthcare environment so I can better understand how occupational therapy professionals support patient recovery.

I want to strengthen my communication and teamwork skills by working alongside healthcare staff and patients. I’d also like to build confidence in practical skills like organization, assisting with equipment, and maintaining a safe environment.

tell me a time where you showed leadership..

i demonstrated leadership when i took it upon myself to make a video for a grade 8 teacher who needed it to submit so our elementary school would win a certificate. i also led  and directed the elementary school assemblies by making videos to display and the actual scripts that my classmates would say. 

why should we hire you?

i know you have a lot of candidates to choose from, but i do think my skills and experiences correlate & fit nicely into this role.

with my experiences in customer service, cleaning, communicating with customers, demostrating intiative. and that is what i’ve done in my past roles, and i’d love to bring that expierence here.

your commitment is to provide compassionate and individualized care to each patient and client is something that i can most definitatly do.

i believe that me joining this community would benefit both of us because i can use those skills and expieerences to contribute to the team and build off of the foundation of kindess, teamwork, expertise, and social responsbility to further grow this organization & i truely believe that this is the place to do it

tell me abotu urself

i’m a grade 11 student at massey. i basically grew up here for a good chunk of my life and when my dad got into a car accident that caused him to not walk for a few months when i was little, thats when i realized that i wanted to work with rehablition and getting people to better themselves. my friends say that they often like to have meaningful conversations with me or that i’m their emotional support person because i’m good at empathizing with their situation. and so now i want to dive deeper in this placement because i feel like it is a place where i could see firsthand the experiences that will help me become a better worker. i consider myself to be very driven and able to adapt very quickly.

conflict story

I was volunteering at the Ribs or Ragtime Festival, where part of my role was serving food and assisting guests. At one point, a guest came to me with a complaint about their food and wanted it to be remade."

"My responsibility was to handle their concern respectfully, even though I knew we couldn’t remake the food due to limited resources at the event."

"I stayed calm, listened carefully to their concern, and acknowledged their frustration. I politely explained that unfortunately, we didn’t have the resources to remake their meal, but I offered alternative solutions — like as suggesting another available menu item

"Although the guest was initially unhappy, they appreciated that I took the time to listen and provide an alternative. The situation was resolved without escalating, and I learned how important it is to stay patient, empathetic, and solution-focused when dealing with complaints."

overcoming failure

In the beginning of my enriched math class, I struggled with low marks because the material was more challenging than I expected."

"My goal was to improve my understanding and raise my grades so that I could succeed in the course."

"I started putting in more effort by asking my teacher questions, using extra practice resources, and studying more consistently instead of cramming. I also changed how I approached problems by breaking them down step by step."

"Over time, my effort paid off and I was able to raise my marks to the 80s by the end of the course. This experience taught me that persistence, using resources, and being open to asking for help are key to overcoming setbacks

problem solving

In a STEM project, my team and I were building a roller coaster model, but one of the loops wasn’t working properly — the ball kept losing momentum and couldn’t complete the loop."

"My responsibility was to help find a solution so that the roller coaster could function smoothly and meet the project requirements."

"I experimented with different adjustments and came up with the idea of using part of a water bottle as a smoother surface. This material allowed the ball to flow more consistently and gain enough speed to make it through the loop."

"The change worked — the roller coaster looped properly, and we were able to successfully finish our project. I also learned how thinking creatively and testing different solutions can help solve unexpected problems."

leadership

"At Notre Dame, I had the opportunity to direct and produce videos for school assemblies."

"My role was to make sure the videos not only looked good but were also organized and ready on time."

"I coordinated with classmates, assigned tasks like filming and scripts, and made creative decisions about how to present the content. I also made sure everyone stayed on track and comfortable with their role."

"The videos were completed successfully and presented at assemblies, which gave me confidence in my ability to lead a project and collaborate with others."