L-R: Gracelyn Dixon (Cochrane), Taiya Traynor (Red Deer), and Kayley Babb (Cochrane) practice using a stapler and cautery knife under the guidance of OR Charge Nurse Fauzia Gova. (rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

HEALTHCARE CAREER EXPLORATION DAY

Central Alberta students get their finger on the pulse at AHS career camp

Aug 13, 2024 | 4:16 PM

Central Alberta students had a chance to get hands-on experience in a variety of professions during the Healthcare Career Exploration Day held at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.

On August 13, about 30 students from Red Deer and surrounding areas spent their day rotating through departments at the Alberta Health Services (AHS) camp.

“I think that it’s such a great opportunity for youth so they can get a better understanding of the wide variety of roles out there. There isn’t just nurse or doctor, there’s so much more than that,” said Robin Flores, a talent acquisition advisor with AHS. “Whether we’re talking about mental health and supports that way, diagnostic imaging… whether it’s pharmacy or whether it’s lab, maybe you have a love for chemistry or biochemistry. There’s so many things out there.”

Students had the opportunity to visit and get experience in diagnostic imaging, operating room roles and procedures, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), pharmacy, lab work, and even facility maintenance and power.

”Everything’s been really exciting honestly. I thought being in action and helping somebody as soon as you find them was pretty cool, but I kind of liked seeing the behind the scenes; People that are still helping just as much and doing stuff with blood work and figuring out their type and things like that, looking at urine samples, that was pretty cool as well,” shared Taiya Traynor, a student going into Grade 12 at Lindsay Thurber High School.

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The day camp is offered in multiple locations throughout the province to students going into Grades 9-12 and this year, AHS had to introduce a waiting list for the 250 spots in the program.

In the morning, students participated in a simulation of an EMS call, performing CPR and other life-saving measures on a life-like dummy that has a heart beat, breath patterns, and other features that make it uncannily realistic.

”They’re blinking, they have a pulse and their chest is going up and down. You can see how the ER paramedics have to work on them even while the car is moving, talking to them and making sure they know where they are,” Traynor said.

She shared that the experience showed her a variety of careers that she hadn’t known about before the camp, as she said that doing online research and looking through post-secondary courses doesn’t give you the full picture.

Knowing what jobs are available is just one piece of the puzzle: the camp also provides context to participants about what kind of education and pre-requisites may be required for the careers they want to pursue.

“Sometimes school seems so daunting and it seems like such a big commitment. There’s so many things out there, so if somebody really, really wanted to go into nursing, well, try your Health Care Aid because that’s a low amount of schooling and you get to try it before you buy it,” Flores said. “Before you invest a lot of time and money, you’re going to see, hey, ‘Is this something that I really want to do?’ Because HCA’s work side by side with our LPN’s and RN’s and other healthcare professionals.”

Participants were provided lunch and snacks, an educational booklet on the different positions available within AHS, and learning materials.

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