RSM Richter Chamberland Summer Interns

Andrew Yas: Putting theory into practice at a client site in the health industry

This year as a summer student has gone by pretty quickly.  It was my first experience in the field of my choice and it has been a great one.

When it comes to experience with an audit mandate or file, I’ve worked on both.  One was at the client, and the other was in the office, but on a file for a client.  While working on these files, I gained a much greater understanding of the accounting field, and I am sure it will help me as I go forward.   During the audit, working with Caseware/Caseview (which we all grow to love), the big picture of the flow in accounting starting being filled.  I got to see firsthand what I had learned in theory, come into action for a real, live, business purpose. 

It was great seeing how all the financial statements interchanged practically, as well as tweaking with the software to see and learn what happens through trial and error.  A lot was learned.  I was working during this time at a hospital with a great group of people.  As it was my first week officially out of training, I had no idea what to expect.  I felt my way through the first week, quite nervous, since I knew that what I was accomplishing would affect an entire organization.  For the first time, it wasn’t just theory anymore.  It was very interesting to say the least, to know that an audit was relying on me, and each passing day to be handing increasingly more responsibility and harder tasks.  It was very motivating and rewarding.
While completing these documents (statistics and global/detailed audits for each department) and preparing the file for the audit, we got to sign off on the software after each step was complete.  This was very new to me, and it was awesome seeing my name next to tasks that had been taken care of.  It gave me a sense of fulfillment. This year as a summer student has gone by pretty quickly.  It was my first experience in the field of my choice and it has been a great one.

When it comes to experience with an audit mandate or file, I’ve worked on both.  One was at the client, and the other was in the office, but on a file for a client.  While working on these files, I gained a much greater understanding of the accounting field, and I am sure it will help me as I go forward.   During the audit, working with Caseware/Caseview (which we all grow to love), the big picture of the flow in accounting starting being filled.  I got to see firsthand what I had learned in theory, come into action for a real, live, business purpose. 

It was great seeing how all the financial statements interchanged practically, as well as tweaking with the software to see and learn what happens through trial and error.  A lot was learned.  I was working during this time at a hospital with a great group of people.  As it was my first week officially out of training, I had no idea what to expect.  I felt my way through the first week, quite nervous, since I knew that what I was accomplishing would affect an entire organization.  For the first time, it wasn’t just theory anymore.  It was very interesting to say the least, to know that an audit was relying on me, and each passing day to be handing increasingly more responsibility and harder tasks.  It was very motivating and rewarding.
While completing these documents (statistics and global/detailed audits for each department) and preparing the file for the audit, we got to sign off on the software after each step was complete.  This was very new to me, and it was awesome seeing my name next to tasks that had been taken care of.  It gave me a sense of fulfillment.

Anand Shastri : Community Day

Everyone at the Firm, from partners to interns, took part in Community Day on the 28th of May. I really enjoyed my experience because I felt we really had a positive impact for the people we were helping.

I spent the day at a facility called “Aux Quatres Poches” which helps kids with mental and physical disabilities. It was great to see everyone so motivated and energized to do good for the community regardless of how early in the morning it was! Different tasks were assigned to each person in our group of volunteers and then we got to work. I had a lot of fun with my job because I got to use a power drill! I teamed up with another intern, Eric, and we installed new door stoppers for all the doors in the building. Others were repainting rooms, landscaping or preparing meals that would be enjoyed later by the kids. After three hours of hearty physical labour, we took a lunch break and feasted on pizza, veggies and drinks. By the end of the day I was exhausted but I couldn’t stop smiling! As a team, we accomplished a great deal and that felt great.

After leaving the facility, everyone headed over to the Just for Laughs Museum to enjoy a drink and share their experiences. Although every person has their own take on things, I noticed one commonality between all the people I talked to: they loved Community Day!

William Archer-Vézina: My experience in Wealth Management

During the summer internship, I got to work with the Wealth Management Group. At first, I was worried because I didn’t know what to expect. Then I met with Christopher, a wealth management professional who immediately put me at ease. What I enjoyed about this internal apprenticeship was that the people who work in this department made an extra effort to show me that the work I was doing actually added real value to the firm and they also took the time to show their appreciation. Moreover, the team members took the time to explain not only the tasks at hand but also the reasons behind the task. This allowed me to really understand what I was doing and enrich my learning process.

Laila Mady-Gagné: Audit mandate for smaller client

The thought of having to work on mandates while having so little experience was particularly stressful, and so was going to a client without knowing what one would have to do nor how to do it. However, it wasn’t long before I realized that the people I was going to work with were there to help me understand and perform the tasks assigned to me. The 2 people I worked with on this mandate had participated in the summer student program a few years back and understood perfectly how I felt. They gave me all the help I needed without making me feel like I was bothering them with my questions. I was fortunate enough to work at a small client and to perform transaction tests, walk-through tests and work on the cash section. I worked on 3 mandates during my internship, during which I was able to put into practice the knowledge acquired in school and learn some new things that will help me continue my education. But mostly, the internship gave me a better idea of what the accounting profession is all about.