Summer Student - Information & Technology, PRO

About Touchstone Institute

Touchstone Institute is the largest assessment centre of its kind in Canada, providing professional competency assessment and learning programs to support the delivery of high-quality health care.

Touchstone Institute is a non-profit corporation governed by a board of directors and receives financial support from the Government of Ontario. Currently implementing a growth strategy, Touchstone Institute looks to expand its impact in supporting broad health human resource solutions and by strengthening effective practice of health care professionals. Nearly 40 full-time staff contribute to the success of the organization, including experts in competency design and assessment, as well as health and education program development.

Touchstone Institute works closely with physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers who provide subject matter expertise to assess and improve the level of competency across individual practice. Building on its history of working to facilitate entry to training or practice for Internationally Educated Health Professionals, Touchstone Institute seeks to continue the work in this area while expanding to support excellence in competent practice for all who deliver health care.

About Practice Ready Ontario (PRO)

Funded by the Government of Ontario, Touchstone Institute works closely with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Medical Council of Canada, and others while administering the PRO program. PRO is a workplace assessment program that aims to add internationally trained family physicians or general practitioners who have completed post-graduate training and have an established track record of work in another country to practice in rural communities in Ontario.

Position Description

Touchstone Institute is seeking a detail-oriented and analytically minded IT Summer Student, PRO to join our team for an exciting project focused on modernizing our PRO Portal’s automatic eligibility and screening tool and the PRO Dashboard. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a meaningful initiative aimed at improving the efficiency and accuracy of candidate screening in support of Ontario’s healthcare workforce.

The PRO Portal’s automatic screening tool is a vital part of our application process, using a flagging system to identify potential eligibility concerns. As the IT Summer Student, PRO, you will lead a comprehensive review of the current flagging system, working with both the PRO team and the IT team to enhance its accuracy, usability, and automation capabilities. Your work will help reduce unnecessary manual reviews and streamline the applicant experience.

Key Accountabilities

® Conduct a full audit of the PRO Portal’s current flagging system to identify errors, redundancies, or misapplied flags.

® Analyze candidate application trends to detect common issues or misunderstandings that result in false flags.

® Collaborate with the PRO team to conduct a needs analysis of the screening process and identify gaps.

® Develop a plan to revise flag-triggering questions for improved clarity and accuracy.

® Create Detailed Deliverables Including

• A report on flag errors and discrepancies
• A needs analysis for the screening system
• A flag question review and update plan
• A candidate issue analysis report
• An implementation and portal testing plan
• A training plan to support internal adoption of updated processes
  
  

® Work with the IT team on the development and testing of recommended portal updates.

® Present findings and proposals to internal stakeholders for feedback and next steps.

What You’ll Gain

® Firsthand experience in systems analysis and process optimization in a not-for-profit, mission-driven organization.

® Insight into how proprietary software is designed and used to support organizational needs.

® Opportunities to contribute to cross-functional collaboration between business operations and IT development.

® Professional mentorship from senior team members in IT and program administration.

Qualifications

® Currently enrolled in a post-secondary program in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.

® Strong understanding of software systems databases and how they support business processes

® UI/UX design skills or experience building user interfaces is considered a strong asset.

® Excellent analytical thinking and problem-solving skills

® Advanced written and verbal communication skills

® Exceptional attention to detail

® Ability to manage time effectively and work independently

® Comfortable working in a collaborative, cross-functional team environment

We follow a hybrid work model with two designated in-office days: Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Successful candidates must be available to work on-site during these days.

How to Apply: Please submit your resume and a cover letter outlining your interest and qualifications. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Contract Term: May to August

Application closing date: April 24, 2025

Touchstone Institute is the largest assessment centre of its kind in Canada, providing professional competency assessment and learning programs to support the delivery of high-quality health care. Touchstone Institute is a non-profit corporation governed by a board of directors and receives financial support from the Government of Ontario. Nearly 40 full-time staff contribute to the success of the organization, including experts in competency design and assessment, as well as health and education program development. Touchstone Institute works closely with physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers who provide subject matter expertise to assess and improve the level of competency across individual practice.