Courage Builds What Comes Next

In earlier stories, we explored what courage looks like in a community hospital; and why it matters. 

We reflected on the complexity and pressure of delivering care where most patients are treated; while much health-care research and academic work has traditionally been concentrated in larger urban centres. We also wrote about choosing to invest anyway: in education, in research, and in building beyond the moment we are in. 

What comes after that decision matters just as much. Courage is not only the choice to invest; it is what you build with that investment. In a system under constant strain, that often means creating the conditions for people to learn, contribute, and see a future for themselves here. 

At Lakeridge Health, that has meant taking the long view of the health-care workforce. It is not just about filling roles; it is about where people come from, how they grow, and why they choose to stay. We view workforce sustainability as the result of learning, support, and belonging, not recruitment plans alone. 

Some of this work starts earlier than we often discuss. Through Pathways to Care, the Lakeridge Health Education and Research Network’s (LHEARN) flagship youth event, we help local young people see a future for themselves in health care - especially in non-traditional roles. For some, it is the first time that future feels possible. If we want a workforce that reflects our community, we must start here. Helping youth imagine themselves in healthcare is one of the earliest and most meaningful ways to build what comes next. 

At the same time, we are expanding how training happens within our organization - more learners, more opportunities, and more learning delivered right here in a community setting. Through our partnership with Queen’s University, including the first-of-its-kind-in-Canada Queen’s–Lakeridge Health MD Family Medicine program, we have shown we do not need traditional academic structures to define training. We can build an approach that fits our context and responds to local needs. Training where care is delivered prepares clinicians for real-world practice and strengthens the link between learning and community need. 

As this grows, one thing is clear: it works because of the people who support learners; preceptors, mentors, clinical leaders, and others who develop learners while managing the demands of care. Supporting them more intentionally is essential. Teaching should not be an add-on; it is fundamental to improving care over time. Making space for teaching, especially in busy clinical environments, is a deliberate choice that pays forward in safer, stronger care. 

We are seeing the same shift in learning more broadly. Through LHEARN, simulation and hands-on training help team members build confidence, practice safely, and stay current. We have also invested in a dedicated Simulation Educator role to strengthen this work, supporting learner training and ongoing skill development for healthcare professionals across the organization. This ensures learning continues throughout a clinician’s career. It is practical, embedded in daily work, and directly supports high-quality patient care. Simulation also gives teams space to practice together, prepare for rare or high-risk situations, and build confidence before those moments happen in real care. 

Over time, this approach expands what is possible. 

As learners gain confidence and clinicians gain support, people move from observation to meaningful contribution. Learners are not just passing through; they build relationships, connect with the community, contribute to real work, and begin to see a path for themselves here. Clinicians are not only delivering care; they are teaching, mentoring, and helping move ideas forward. 

In that environment, curiosity follows. 

We are already seeing this through learner–clinician collaborations like the SPARK Study, where a Queen’s–Lakeridge Health medical learner partnered with a Lakeridge Health pediatrician to turn day-to-day clinical observations into a focused research project aimed at improving pediatric care. 

Research is evolving alongside this learning and becoming more closely connected to care delivery. In a system where research has often been concentrated away from where most care happens, we are intentionally bringing it closer to our patients, our teams, and everyday clinical practice; not as a separate endeavour, but as part of how people learn, grow, and improve care in a community teaching hospital. 

One example is the BLUSH trial, led by Dr. Shannon Fernando. As an early-career investigator, Dr. Fernando’s work reflects what becomes possible when research capability is treated as workforce development, not an extra responsibility layered onto already demanding clinical roles. 

BLUSH is a locally developed clinical study focused on improving care for patients with septic shock, one of the most serious, time-sensitive conditions treated in hospital. What makes the study notable is not only the question it asks, but how it was enabled. Clinicians were supported with dedicated research start‑up expertise, clear processes, and shared accountability, so the study could be led from within the care environment rather than added onto the side. 

This approach creates a pathway for clinicians to grow as investigators here, to see that asking questions, testing ideas, and improving care can be part of a career at Lakeridge Health, not something that requires leaving the community they serve. 

We are also building more structure for how people get involved. This includes developing curriculum that helps learners and early-career clinicians move from an idea to a study, making it easier to connect with supervisors and existing projects, and staying engaged beyond a single placement so work can continue over time. Launching studies like BLUSH has reinforced a simple truth: research capacity, like workforce capacity, is built deliberately; through time, mentorship, and support that are recognized as part of the work. 

None of this happens quickly, or on its own. It depends on people, meaningful support, and making space for learning and inquiry alongside everything else. But it is taking hold. The choices being made now are shaping the workforce we will rely on and the care our community will experience in the years ahead. 

Courage, in the end, is not only about responding to today’s pressures. It is about building what comes next; by supporting clinicians, learners, and teams to grow, asking meaningful questions, and turning those questions into better care for the communities we serve.