Associated Medical Services (AMS Healthcare) is a small Canadian Charitable Organization with an impressive history as a catalyst for change in healthcare. By innovating healthcare education and practice, supporting leadership development and advancing research, in both the humanities and health, AMS strives to improve the healthcare of all Canadians.
Bringing Compassion to Healthcare
Compassionate care should be the bedrock of healthcare, but the intensity, stress and drive for efficiency that characterizes healthcare today takes a toll on patients, families and health professionals. The AMS Phoenix Program, a multi- year initiative launched in 2012, focuses on making a positive and lasting difference in how health professionals nurture and sustain the learning and practice of compassionate care. The Phoenix Fellowship is the Project's cornerstone, supporting healthcare leadership across Ontario.
Compassion to Healthcare
History of Medicine and Healthcare
AMS is a key supporter of the history of medicine and healthcare in Canada, and believes that the understanding of our past is a way to create a better healthcare system for the future. Through the establishment of its Hannah Chairs and the Project Grants, Post-Doctoral Fellowships and Studentships Program it has created an enduring culture of teaching and research. In 2015, AMS announced its creation of the Hannah Chair in the History of Aboriginal Health at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
On November 17, Ontario residents had the opportunity to be part of a growing global movement that empowered individuals and teams to take actions, big or small, to make a difference in our health care system. Associated Medical Services (AMS) and Health Quality Ontario (HQO) came together to co-sponsor Change Day Ontario. This initiative aligned with HQO’s vision for improving the quality of care within the health system and to AMS’ Phoenix Project focusing on making positive and lasting differences in how health professionals nurture and sustain the learning and practice of compassionate care.
Learn MoreAMS News & Healthcare Blog
Healthcare Professional Burnout and Resilience Is compassionate leadership an antidote for health care burnout?
Can health care be a toxin for those providing care to others? The drive for cost savings, the increasing complexity of care, the menace of electronic medical records and the emotional challenges of responding to patient suffering put health care professionals at high risk for burnout. Today, burnout is common among all members of our health…
- Healthcare Professional Burnout and Resilience
Exploring the Interwoven Nature of Compassion & Self-Compassion
I began my AMS Phoenix Fellowship by choosing to attend an indigenous cattail basket weaving workshop. I thought it would be fitting to stimulate my creative and aesthetic potential for the fellowship tasks ahead. As you can see, I did not deem my skills to be basket-worthy (yet) and instead opted to create a mat.…
Patient Engagement What is the ‘use’ of patient engagement in organizations?
Patient engagement as way to inform quality improvement is becoming more and more common. This is a process by which patients (and/or their family caregivers) are asked to use their experiences with health care to help improve policies and programs within organizations. While this form of engagement is related to the imperative for more informed…
- Patient Engagement
Our Humanity is the Greatest Healing Power we can Offer
The personal experience of excellent, compassionate care convinces me that our humanity is the greatest healing power we can offer. When my Mom developed significant cognitive deficits, it became obvious that it was impossible for her to stay in her home. She had lived there alone for over 30 years, far from neighbours and the…