5 minute read
Alumni Spotlight
A Discussion with Dr. Karolina Bidzinski
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By Carmen Li
Are you considering healthcare management consulting as a career path but uncertain about making the switch?
IMS Magazine interviewed Dr. Karolina Bidzinski, a Management Consultant in the Healthcare Solutions, Operations practice at KPMG Canada, to provide advice on opportunities to explore the world of management consulting as a graduate student. For IMS alumni, Dr. Karolina Bidzinski, the switch from academia to consulting took a great deal of persistence and networking. It also took active participation in skill-building opportunities hosted by the Graduate Management Consulting Association (GMCA) at the University of Toronto. As Dr. Bidzinski may tell her own mentees, making this kind of career switch is possible for anyone; it just takes strategy and determination.
Healthcare management consulting is the process of guiding healthcare organizations to make business-savvy decisions and maintaining the welfare of staff and patients. Healthcare consultants are experts in the industry—they have in-depth knowledge of healthcare laws, regulations, and policies to help medical organizations and hospitals run effi ciently and eff ectively. For example, they may work with clients to align their clinical operating model to their strategic and fi nancial objectives.
Remarkable, right? However, as an IMS student with an interest in pursuing consulting aft er their MSc. or Ph.D., how do you get started? How do you make the leap from working in an academic laboratory to brainstorming strategies to streamline the operations of a healthcare organization? To give background, Dr. Bidzinski describes her experiences during her graduate studies and initial interest in industry careers. To start, she points out that the majority of her M.Sc. and Ph.D. research is published under her maiden name Kozak. Dr. Bidzinski has a H.B.Sc. with a Specilization in Biology from the University of Western Ontario. She then came to Toronto to complete both her M.Sc. and Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Tony P. George at the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). For her M.Sc., Dr. Bidzinski conducted clinical research investigating the eff ects of pharmacotherapy on cognitive functioning in a subset of schizophrenia patients. Her following Ph.D. project assessed the eff ect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on cannabis use and cognitive outcomes in schizophrenia patients with a cannabis use disorder. During the start of her Ph.D., Dr. Bidzinski started exploring potential careers. “As rewarding as executing clinical trials and publishing research is and observing the positive outcomes amongst patients that surface with some of the research that you complete,” but there was something missing. She explained, “I wanted to pursue a career with a more immediate impact. I came across a U of T student group, the GMCA. Th ey are an organization that aims to bridge the gap between academia and consulting.”
By engaging in activities presented by GMCA, Dr. Bidzinski noted that she had the opportunity to fi gure out whether or not consulting was for her and even which sector of consulting she was most interested in pursuing. She recalls attending their networking events, case competitions, and completing GMCA’s business fundamentals course, a “mini-MBA” (so to speak). Th rough her involvement in so many diff erent activities with the GMCA, Dr. Bidzinski realized her passion for consultant work. Combined with her six and a half years of clinical research experiences, she knew healthcare management consulting was the perfect niche.
However, how would another IMS student know if consulting is right for them? What if you are unsure about what sector you want to pursue, such as fi nance or healthcare?
Dr. Karolina Bidzinski
Ph.D.� M.Sc. H.B.Sc. Management Consultant Healthcare Solutions, Operations, KPMG Canada
Photo Credit: Karolina Bidzinski
In response to this question, Dr. Bidzinski suggests that interested students should access digital or local resources as a starting point. Part of participating in activities like the ones hosted by GMCA is learning about the various consulting jobs. Additionally, the content presented on platforms such as Youtube, Coursera, or LinkedIn are also viable for learning about the job and developing fundamental business skills. For example, GMCA’s fi rst business fundamental course session focuses on case analysis. Case studies are presented in interviews or case-study competitions, where a real-time problem-solving scenario is presented to assess candidates for their ability to succeed in consulting. Th e case is oft en an open-ended question, usually a problem that a business faces that the candidate is asked to solve. If you are preparing for an interview with a case analysis component, practicing such cases ahead of time is recommended to succeed in your interview.
If you are still unsure, Dr. Bidzinski suggests seeking professionals on LinkedIn or through GMCA’s (or student groups alike) networking activities to schedule coff ee chats. Dr. Bidzinski remarks that it requires more than merely networking with professionals in her fi eld of interest; candidates should also learn to think with a “business mindset.” Coff ee chats off er an opportunity for you to learn about individual workplaces and consulting fi rms answering questions like: Does the fi rm have a specifi c division/sector for healthcare management? How does the fi rm provide opportunities for professional development? Dr. Bidzinski also suggests for students to get some form of relevant consulting experience (e.g., pro bono work). You can always try a job out before further pursuing it. When asked what she predicts the challenges are for healthcare services and healthcare management consulting in the future, Dr. Bidzinski points out the adoption of digital solutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifi cally, there is a shift towards hybrid online and in-person healthcare service models. She also mentions the potential to accelerate existing transformational changes that were already underway in more mature healthcare organizations. Th ough this shift was predicted to occur further in the future, the need for accessible digital services has accelerated it. Adapting to meet this need may potentially be a focus for healthcare services and consultants alike.
So, what can we learn from Dr. Bidzinski’s advice? Perhaps, we cannot leap into another career fi eld right this instant. However, we should not discredit our current experiences in academia and the option to learn about alternative careers. It is crucial to network and take advantage of programs like the GMCA! Th is advice can help you start building the skills needed to transition from academia to a consulting role well in advance. Th e opportunity to explore various industry careers and develop meaningful skills is something we can all pursue now.
