June 19, 2024
High school students learn about emergency medicine in the emergency department, before trying their hands, literally, at CPR on a medical mannequin. Photo by Leah Hennel.
Many students found themselves fascinated by all the ‘cool stuff’ that’s inside a modern Alberta Health Services’ EMS ambulance. Photo by Leah Hennel.
Students also learned about all the services that happen behind the scenes to keep a hospital running, including the maintenance department, environmental services and food services, at Raymond Health Centre. Photo by Leah Hennel.
Story by Kelly Morris | Photos by Leah Hennel
RAYMOND / FORT MACLEOD — There’s no finer way to discover career opportunities than through hands-on experience — and hearing directly from people who are full of passion for the work they do.
In May, high school students from rural communities in southern Alberta did just that when they accepted invitations to see behind the scenes of Fort Macleod and Raymond Health Centres.
“There are so many aspects to healthcare,” says Tristah McMillan, Alberta Health Services (AHS) volunteer coordinator and organizer of the Raymond event. “Through events like this, students can better see what it is that they want to do, what fits better for them.”
Guided by AHS volunteers and staff, students in Raymond started their day with tours of the maintenance department, environmental services and food services.
“There's just so much more involved in running a hospital — you have all of these different departments that are a critical component to a hospital and how it runs,” adds McMillan.
“Not everybody is interested in the healthcare aspect, but they might be interested in learning how to keep the hospital running or providing food for people. There are so many areas that you can work in — and so many different career opportunities.”
Students also learned about careers in physiotherapy, occupational therapy, laboratory and diagnostic imaging. They got hands-on experience in the emergency department practising CPR on a medical mannequin, and enjoyed an ambulance walk-through with EMS staff. Nurses, pharmacists and doctors also showed up for conversations and introductions.
“All of these people are so passionate about what they do,” says McMillan. “Everybody loves their jobs, and it really shows.”
Grade 12 student Gabriel Nalder hopes to pursue a medical career as a family physician.
“I love learning and stretching my mind and coming up with solutions and that's part of being a doctor — that exploration of things — and you're constantly learning with the development of technology,” says Nalder. “I just really think it's the right choice for me.”
Full of curiousity, Nalder also explored the range of career options throughout the hospital.
“The coolest thing here today was that I got to see the whole variety of different things that you can do and the different occupations you can go into.”
Raven Litchfield, a Grade 11 student, says she’s inspired to pursue a career in anesthesiology, thanks to a personal experience at Alberta Children’s Hospital.
She took an interest in exploring the emergency department as well as getting up close and personal with an ambulance.
“I really liked being able to see what's inside the ambulance because you can just imagine all the stuff that goes on,” adds Litchfield. “It just seems really thrilling.”
Throughout the day, students’ eyes lit up with inspiration as they learned about potential careers that excited them the most.
“It’s interesting talking with them about what they want to do with their lives,” says McMillan. “A lot of them said, ‘I didn't even know about occupational therapy. That's really interesting to me. Maybe I'm going to look into that.’”
Welcoming students into rural healthcare facilities not only encourages their career paths, but also reveals the many healthcare opportunities that abound in their own backyard.
McMillan adds proudly: “I think that, right now, we are literally shaping futures.”
